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Helm and Navigation Electronics Survey

All navigation, communication and safety electronics tested for function and integration — not just whether each device works, but whether they work together.

  • Electronics are run up and tested, not listed
  • Panel and wiring scanned with a thermal camera
  • Sockets tested for voltage, polarity and earth
  • Autopilot, steering and controls tested under load
  • VHF, AIS and antenna runs checked individually
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A helm and electronics survey tests the navigation electronics, steering, engine controls, distribution panel and communications equipment by running them. What is reported is not a list of equipment but whether the equipment works.

Where the decisions are made

Course, speed, surrounding traffic, the depth beneath you — every decision underway rests on data produced at the helm. This survey’s job is to verify that data. Founder Serkan Kotel’s 28 years on Coast Guard bridges are the reason the inspection never stops at “does it switch on”.

Helm station and console under way
Equipment is tried under way, not alongside; autopilot and compass only show their real behaviour with the boat moving.
Multi-screen helm and navigation gear being tested
Each screen is powered up individually, and data sharing between them is tried too — if one goes quiet, it shows.

Test coverage

Communications — VHF (including DSC and the MMSI registration), SSB/HF, satphone — are tested for output power, reception and antenna connections. Radar, GPS/chartplotter, AIS, sounder, log and compasses are checked for accuracy and calibration, and the NMEA network verified: instruments that each work but cannot see each other are the helm’s most common hidden defect. The autopilot’s course-keeping, turn behaviour and navigation integration are tested underway, along with steering modes and emergency manual changeover. Night-vision and camera systems, alarm panels and weather instruments get function tests. Navigation lights are checked not just for burning but for correct arcs — how other vessels read you at night depends on it.

Chart plotter and navigation electronics powered up and tested at the helm
Every screen is powered up and seen to receive data; equipment that does not work adds nothing to the value of the boat.

The report

Every device listed with make/model, working state, calibration result and support status, plus a realistic renewal frame for the electronics suite as a purchase consideration.

Clamp meter measurement at the electrical distribution panel
Voltage, polarity and earthing at the outlets; current and connection temperature at the panel.

Duration and fee

This inspection is a chapter within a survey: it is carried out within a pre-purchase survey and a pre-season check and is not billed separately. We do not sell it as a standalone item, because coming to the boat once to look at this heading alone serves neither you nor us.

If you do need this heading on its own — in a dispute, or for a second opinion — the door is not closed. Call us and we will talk about the boat.

Fees vary with the length of the boat, where she lies and the season. For a firm price call us — tell us about the boat and we will give you the number on the phone.

Estimate your survey fee

From the field

What this work looks like on board

5 frames

These frames were taken during real surveys. None of them are stock: each one is a measurement or a check described on this page.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions

The electronics all switch on. Why survey them?

Switching on and producing correct data are different things. A badly calibrated depth sounder makes shallow water genuinely expensive; an AIS that has lost its position source makes you invisible to other ships. Testing verifies that each device produces correct data and that they are correctly networked (NMEA integration).

Does old electronics affect a purchase?

An electronics suite at the end of its economic life can be a serious renewal item, and belongs in the negotiation. The report states which devices are current, which are out of support, and a realistic renewal frame.

What does the VHF and MMSI check involve?

Output power and reception are tested, the DSC function tried, and the MMSI registration checked against the current ownership. On boats that have changed hands, an MMSI still registered to the previous owner is a common defect - with serious consequences in an emergency.

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Book your survey

Tell us where the vessel lies and your approximate date — we reply the same day.

Serkan Kotel — yacht surveyor, portrait

Serkan Kotel

Yacht surveyor · IIMS · ABYC · MCA — the person who answers the phone, walks the boat and signs the report is the same person.

Service areas

Bodrum · Yalıkavak · Turgutreis · Milas · Göcek · Fethiye · Marmaris · Datça · İstanbul · Ayvalık

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