Insurance Survey

An insurance survey is the condition and valuation report an insurer asks for before issuing or renewing a policy. Seaworthiness and current value are documented by measurement, under the headings the underwriter expects. On a boat around 40 ft the inspection takes one working day; the report is in your hands the same day.

What the underwriter wants to see

An insurer’s risk sits in three places: the boat can sink, it can burn, or it can be insured for more than it is worth. The report closes those three risks in order.

• Hull and underwater gear. Laminate moisture, signs of osmosis, delamination, skin fittings and discharges, rudder and shaft line, anodes, keel attachment.
• Fuel and engine space. Tank, hoses and clamps, fuel shut-off, exhaust run, compartment ventilation, fixed fire-extinguishing system.
• Electrics. Battery connections and restraint, breaker ratings, cable sizes, shore power and bonding, warm connections under the thermal camera.
• Fire, gas and life-saving equipment. Extinguisher dates, the LPG circuit and detectors, lifejackets and lifebuoy, flares, bilge pumps and float switches.
• Rig and deck (sailing yachts). Shrouds, stays and chainplates, windlass and ground tackle, guardrails and mooring gear.
• Valuation. Current value from age, inventory, maintenance history and market comparison; the insured value is set against it.

How the inspection runs

Ashore

The underwater hull is scanned with the moisture meter and sounding hammer; skin fittings are worked open and shut and their hoses and clamps checked. Shaft, cutless bearing and propeller are examined by hand and eye; anode wastage is recorded. An insurance survey without a haul-out is half a survey, and most insurers will not accept it.

On board

In the engine space the fuel run, exhaust clamps and ventilation are checked; the back of the distribution panel and the battery bank are scanned with the thermal camera. If there is a gas system it is leak-tested. Life-saving equipment is counted and dated against the number of people the boat will carry.

The report

Findings are ranked: what must be corrected now, what can wait for the season, and what only needs watching. Each finding carries a photograph and a measured value; the corrections the insurer requires are listed separately at the end. The valuation section explains how the figure was built.

What sets this inspection apart

• We answer to the measurement, not the insurer. The report is written by an independent surveyor, not the insurer’s adjuster; what the finding shows is what gets written.
• Re-inspection is included. Once the items the insurer required are corrected, we look again and send the confirmation letter to the underwriter.
• The same report works on the day of a claim. A pre-policy condition report is the document that settles the “was this damage already there” argument. See damage survey.

Time and fee

Field work on a boat around 40 ft takes one working day; the report is delivered the same day.

Where a haul-out is required the lift is paid to the yard and is not part of the fee.

Fees vary with boat length, location and season. For a firm figure call; we read the policy condition together and give the number on the phone.

Calculate the survey fee