Too bad we cannot make a list of good and bad surveyors. It is very
difficult to often find a surveyor when you pruchase a boat in an area other
than your home town, where there is good local knowledge.
At times it is far better to bite the bullett and fly (or drive) a good
surveyor who you know to do the survey. In the case of my purchase, I had
contacted surveyors I knew in Pensacola, New Orleans, Tampa/St Pete, who were
good, for recommendations in the Stuart area; they were not able to recommend
anyone.
Thus I made the mistake of listening to the yacht brokerage agent's
recommendatin--BIG MISTAKE!
I cannot vouch for other states, but Florida has no licsencing requirements
or standards for marine surveyors. No bond or insurance is necessary.
When I had the problem with the surveyor, who was a member of SAMS (in fact I
was told he wrote part of the SAMS exam), I had extensive correspondance with
the President, executive director and ethics committee chair. I presented my
case to them, and although they agreed on the phone that I had a case, they
stated that no action would be taken against the surveyor unless I won a
judgement against him in court! Just being a member of SAMS does not either
guarentee that a surveyor is competent. With all respect to Al Golden; many
surveys are done only for insurance purposes and what is required there is
not necessarily what a buyer needs to know.
There need to be standards of performance, state licsencing, bonding and
insurance for surveyors set by the states, since independant associations do
not do this adequately.
Bob Austin
Pensacola,
FL.
Too bad we cannot make a list of good and bad surveyors. It is very
difficult to often find a surveyor when you pruchase a boat in an area other
than your home town, where there is good local knowledge.
At times it is far better to bite the bullett and fly (or drive) a good
surveyor who you know to do the survey. In the case of my purchase, I had
contacted surveyors I knew in Pensacola, New Orleans, Tampa/St Pete, who were
good, for recommendations in the Stuart area; they were not able to recommend
anyone.
Thus I made the mistake of listening to the yacht brokerage agent's
recommendatin--BIG MISTAKE!
I cannot vouch for other states, but Florida has no licsencing requirements
or standards for marine surveyors. No bond or insurance is necessary.
When I had the problem with the surveyor, who was a member of SAMS (in fact I
was told he wrote part of the SAMS exam), I had extensive correspondance with
the President, executive director and ethics committee chair. I presented my
case to them, and although they agreed on the phone that I had a case, they
stated that no action would be taken against the surveyor unless I won a
judgement against him in court! Just being a member of SAMS does not either
guarentee that a surveyor is competent. With all respect to Al Golden; many
surveys are done only for insurance purposes and what is required there is
not necessarily what a buyer needs to know.
There need to be standards of performance, state licsencing, bonding and
insurance for surveyors set by the states, since independant associations do
not do this adequately.
Bob Austin
Pensacola,
FL.
