MAXIMUS BOAT SURVEY Hull & decks PART 1
When PBO was offered a new Project Boat by reader Daniel Kirtley, the first thing I did was book a pre-purchase survey.
As the prospective owner of the Maxi 84, and with three young children, I wanted to ensure she was safe. I needed to know what work lay ahead, and, importantly, how much it would all cost – hopefully not more than the value of the boat!
I asked Ben Sutcliffe-Davies to take a look. A marine surveyor and regular contributor to PBO, Ben is the sort of person you can ask anything; to Ben, there’s no such thing as a ‘stupid question’ and he doesn’t mind explaining things for the camera (so be sure to watch the survey video on PBO’s YouTube channel).
I met Ben at Dell Quay in Chichester, where Maximus had been on the hard-standing for two years.
“Surveyors should be considered like GPs,” he told me. “We’re here to identify the problems and identify what’s not right – such as the rigging or the gas – but then you need to call in the specialist for further investigation.”
Surprisingly, Ben had very few tools of the trade with him.
“To survey a boat properly all you need is a camera, a hammer, a knife and a good pair of eyes,” he said. “Everything else, such as the moisture meter, is just an aid. It’s not essential.”
I followed Ben around the boat all day listening to what he had to say, and was later able to combine this knowledge with the 17-page survey which he sent two days later.
The good news is I went ahead with the purchase (at the very generous price of £1) and am now the proud owner of . There’s a long journey ahead to get her on the water, but the following are some of the highlights from the
