Pre-purchase, insurance, damage assessment and osmosis surveys on GRP, timber, ferro cement (some), steel. Partial or full surveys and damage surveys.
Free and unbiased advice via email or phone on any aspect of yacht and boat construction. contact form..
A selection of sample surveys or a free survey template to help you survey your own vessel or possibly carry out an informed inspection of any vessel you might consider purchasing are available below.
Sample GRP survey Bavaria 34
Sample GRP Moody
29
Power vessel GRP
Sample large timber yacht (Hillyard)
24ft timber sailing yacht
Free survey template for GRP vessels
Free survey template for Timber vessels
Full list of sample surveys and PDF articles
Save money on insurance surveys
How to use a moisture meter
Osmosis article pdf.
Timber yacht surveying.
Anodes on timber hulls
Steel yacht problems surveying
Buying through a broker
Survey faults commonly found on all boats
Advice on GRP repairs
Advice on timber yacht construction and repair
Advice on selling your boat
Quick contact form
Working with, and uses of wood for all vessels.
Need more help?
The fishing industry is very closely regulated, particularly with regard to fishing vessel construction and inspection. At this time there are only two authorities approved by the MCA for this work and those are SCMS and Mecal.
I am instructed by SCMS for this work. New MCA rules are coming into force all of the time and many skippers and owners are facing real problems keeping up with the changes, which in some cases, are having serious consequences for the owners and the vessels. To see some of the changes go to this page. More information here
Go o this page for detasiled information on fishing vessels.
We carry out professional shipwright repairs to all types of vessels including timber and GRP hulls. For more information on what we do go to this page.
We undertake timber construction and joinery for wooden and GRP yachts.
All types of
GRP hull damage repairs and finishing to invisible standard.
Buying a boat is possibly one of the most expensive things that many people do and this page might help you avoid the pitfalls.
This page outlines common faults that appear in all construction types, many of which can be serious.
This photo shows a typical corroded gate valve
but other valves can often give problems, particularly with pipework connections and clips. Read more here.
John Lilley, professional GRP and timber yacht / boat marine surveyor and shipwright based close to Dorchester in Dorset for yacht surveys in Dorset, Hampshire, Devon and Sussex including Poole, Portland and Weymouth, the Solent, Lymington and Southampton.
We cover an area from Plymouth to Littlehampton on the south coast and the Bristol Channel. We carry full public and professional liability insurance to ensure customer satisfaction and peace of mind. We are approved and authorised by the MCA and SCMS to carry out surveys / inspections on new construction and existing fishing vessels.
The first step is to give us a call so we can talk about any concerns you have prior to commissioning a survey.
Without committing a penny you can find out what we know about a particular class of vessel. It is also possible we may have surveyed the vessel before. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by contacting us.
Feeling confident in your choice of surveyor is the start of the process. The only way of achieving that is to speak to them directly and don't be afraid to ask questions, after all it is your money.
All boat construction details and wooden boats in particular have a language of their own and too many surveyors will use confusing terminology when questions are asked causing an owner or buyer to hesitate asking anything further for fear of appearing uninformed. I will try to explain everything in plain language at all times.
Timber construction is not something that many surveyors feel particularly confident in undertaking as there are so many possible issues that can be extraordinarily expensive to overcome.
Many surveyors do not have the experience and knowledge to advise correctly, even occasonally giving the wrong advice.
See here for timber construction. This photo shows what goes wrong when anodes are fitted.
Go to this page for more information on timber yachts. For a free survey template for timber yachts or for a sample survey on a timber yacht try here.
Grp construction is much simpler but nevertheless there are numerous areas where a lack of understanding can make a huge difference. Hard spot cracking is one area that is often misdiagnosed by surveyors.
Although not clear on the photo these are hard spot cracks in the laminate and a previous surveyor put them down as scratches in the gel coat.
This page give a few examples of GRP construction problems.
PDF article on hard spot cracks, cored decks and other gel coat faults click here.
For a free survey template for GRP here.
Sample surveys for GRP here.
Stern Gland seals
PSS gland seal
Recently on a few surveys there have been potential stern gland issues on the internal end of the stern tube.
A bit of explanation firstly though.
The stern tube is generally a length of plain bronze tube bonded through the hull skin on GRP or an interference fit through a timber hull as the deadwood is usually quite wide at that point.
Sometimes it might be a GRP tube bonded to the GRP. .Each end of the bronze tube is threaded for around 3 or 4 inches and to this is the stern gland housing which is then fixed to the hull with removable fastenings. this usually unscrews from both ends. Externally a support bearing is fitted, more often than not a cutlass bearing (also known as a cutless bearing for obvious reasons) This is replaceable when it wears. On older vessels this might be a white metal bearing or even a form of packing gland which takes the place of a bearing. Internally there are various choices. 
Conventional packing gland
An adjustable packing gland as part of the stern tube inner gland housing. These are the most reliable and easily maintained type. Fitted with a greaser.
Flexible stern gland
Most GRP vessels were fitted with a short flexible rubber connection attached to the end of the stern tube and with the adjustable packing gland housing on the other end. Greaseable. This allows the prop shaft to align more easily if the engine vibrates without stressing a fixed stern gland on the stern tube. Eventually this rubber connector fails due to grease causing softening and delamination. They then start leaking.
Drip less Seal
The alternatives are dripless gland seals and PSS gland seals. Both are designed never to leak and are water lubricated. The PSS seal is the more elaborate and expensive but few owners realise that these two items have age replacement requirements set by the manufacturers and in the event of a failure resulting in an insurance claim, the insurers can legitimately void that claim if the item was beyond the required manufacturers replacement age.
PSS seals have various requirements when fitted as they are water lubricated and have to have some form of water feed/air bleed. Depending upon the design and vessel these will vary quite considerably.
The other frequent problem is that they can leak significantly if they are not fitted "perfectly" or are accidentally distorted when in position.
Other issues with some of the flexible stern gland seals is that I have seen many cases where the shaft alignment was so far out that the shaft was hitting the inside of the stern tube, particularly when the engine was started because the engine will move on the flexible mountings quite substantially as it fires up., The noise is alarming.
See these and do something soon
Timber boats
Deck leaks are freshwater and freshwater will eventually cause rot. Notice a deck leak or paint / varnish that is darkening or lifting for no obvious reason, then ensure that you attend to the leak as soon as possible.
Anodes
Anode and anode wires.....: see any build up of white crud around the anode bolts or where the anode wires connect to any part of the system then be aware that this is possibly electrochemical damage occurring. This can destroy parts of a timber boat. Disconnect it or check for stray currents.
Notice a part of the structure where the paint or varnish keeps lifting....there is always a reason, and usually not a good one. Investigate and sort it out early. Often found on external planking around chain plates and other places where freshwater can accumulate unseen. It is also an early indicator of electrolytic damage due to mixed metal contact or corroding fastening, particularly below the waterline both inside and out.
This article further explains anode damage and electrolytic damage to timber
GRP boats
Deck leaks through mast wires and rigging fittings will cause freshwater decay to bulkheads if left. Anywhere discoloured varnish or peeling paint is seen for no obvious reason this may be a sign of water leakage. Eventually decay will set in. Sort the leaks out.
U bolts through decks can appear perfect externally but on occasions these can suffer from unseen corrosion where they pass through the deck, particularly if they have been leaking long term. When they fracture it might be a bit too late to investigate...
Look in the bilges and under the saloon berths at the keel support areas. Many vessels will have signs of movement and, in some cases cracks in the grp reinforcements as well as corrosion stained bolts or nuts. Do not confuse gel wash cracks, which are quite normal, with laminate cracks, which are not desirable. On first sight they can appear to be similar.
Where bulkheads fit against the hull, on close inspection you might find that the bonding has either come loose on the plywood or there might be a fracture in the laminate right in the corner of the hull / plywood connection. Don't ignore either of these.
Deck stanchion bases come loose and allow water leaks. If you have a cored deck this could be serious so be vigilant and attend to loose stanchion bases early if you do not want a big later expense. Also check alloy bases for vertical fractures at the socket due to corrosion expansion. Not easy finding new crew when they have gone over the side!
News and Views from the South
November 2025
In the South, November started off very mild with a lot of low pressure systems bringing wind and rain but no ice or snow. Now December is approaching , the expeceted cold is gradually arriving with the odd day startting off with below zero temperatures. Make sure your vessel has all fresh water tanks drained, all wc and fresh water systems empty of any water that could freeze and make sure the engine is antifreezed. This also applies to exhaust systems on both raw water and fresh water cooled engines as water still remains in the exhaust system. In this case just run the engine with a bucket of antifreeze solution and stop the engine as the bucket empties. A night or two of minus temps possibly won't cause aproblem but any sustained minus temperatures can cause pipes and engine blocks to split. Expensive! Also make sure all through hull seacocks are left open as I have seen ball valves split open by ice caused by trapped water in the pipework.
Boat sales seem to be variable, a lot of movement in sailing vessels priced over £50000, large (34t- 40ft) Moody and Beneteau but smaller and older vessel values quite low with the exception of niche marques such as later Cornish Shrimpers and Crabbers and some small power dayboat vessels which seem to command very high values in comparison to much larger but less "prestigious" vessels. You pays your money,,you take your choice. Good time to buy a solid but possibly older vessel at a remarkably low price if you look around
September/October 2025
Relatively quiet August but September some severe gales toward the end of the month, not really unexpected, Boat sales appear to have slowed with the older vessel prices dropping even lower on the average yacht up to about 32 feet. The price of older large and small yachts has plummeted to the point that some viable little craft are being given away as the cost of storage and moorings is beyond the budget of the owners of these vessels and the cost of mooring is more than the the value of the boat. This is a very sorry state of affairs now, meaning that some yards are storing boats that the owners have abandoned and the yards are at a loss as to what to do with them now. Hence quiet a few yards have boats that they will pass on for free and are happy to.get the space back. Marinas are beyond the budget for so many potential boat owners now and even swinging moorings can run into thousands of pounds now for some vessels.
June/July 2025
The summer heat has been taking its toll on the few timber yachts still ashore for one reason or another. Some yachts have dried out to such an extreme that , in one case, the ground could be seen from the inside through the plank seams.
This is extreme but not necessarily terminal. What NOT to do is re caulk at this time as when the planks do eventually take as, as they will, expand but will be restricted by the new caulking and either cause frame fractures or force the planking off the frames and generally cause serious structural issues
. Firstly line the bilges with damp and wet towels or foam or anything that will hold water against the planking. I have had success using acrylic frame sealant to fill remaining hairline cracks in the external planking.
This merely stays flexible enough to squeeze out as the planking swells and will not harden. As it is not silicon based it will not repel later finish coatings. Plus it is very inexpensive... It will go a long way as it simply needs to fill the hairline crack and not the whole of the area and should hardly be visible. The alternative polyurethane flexible sealants are not soft enough to squeeze out without stressing the framing & fastenings.
Then get the vessel in the water and be patient. 24 hours will expand most planking enough but the heavier sections of timber may not fully take up for 14 days, so expect some ingress after the hull planking has stopped leaking.
April/May 2025
Many boats were a bit later being launched this year, partly because Easter was late and partly because the fit out weather was not very
inviting for sailing.. This year caused some problems with timber yachts that were stored ashore as the dry weather resulted in many vessels showing problems with planking drying out and in a few cases, to the extent that you could see the ground from inside the boat. That is worrying. Generally a timber boat will return to where it was than it was lifted out and it is a mistake to set about recaulking as this can cause frame breakages and other damage when the planking starts expanding when in the water. In this case the easiest option is to get water into the bilges about 10 days prior to launch. If the water is running out immediately then use wet sheets, soaked foam , old towels, basically anything that can lay against as much of the planking as possible to make & keep it moist. You will be surprised how successful this will be.
Dry planking will usually take up within 24 hours of launching but you may need the assistance of more pumps. Keel and deadwood timbers take a lot longer and can be as long as 14 days but these leaks are usually containable.
December 2024
This December brought some severe storms to the country. The local yards in Dorset did not appear to suffer too much damage other than the expected ripped covers. No obvious major structural damage to boats ashore, a few instances of genoa damage caused by furling gear coming loose and some chafing damage on vessels in marinas. Perhaps now would be a good time to ensure any vessel with sails still in one piece and afloat in marinas with the risk of fender loss or warp chafing are protected as we are by no means finished with these storms.
November 2024
The beginning of November was relatively quiet in all ways, not very cold, not very sunny and not very windy. .I expect that is all still to come.
One interesting little powerboat surveyed, a 24ft well known Scandinavian late build vessel for sale at £80000 had been fitted with everything one could imagine by the builders in the engine compartment, ultimately meaning the WC outlet seacock could never be turned off, let alone in an emergency. Absolutely impossible to access by hand.
It required the engine removing to allow the seacock to be re-positioned. Seems a major shortcoming that I do occasionally come across but not on such a late vessel.
Links to useful pages on this site
Yacht surveys
Yacht surveys timber and general info
Fishing vessel inspection for the MCA
Survey faults and photos
Shipwright info
More contact info
PDF Articles on all subjects
Links to useful sites.
Selling a boat tips
Repair Timber and GRP boats
Buying a Boat
Selling a boat
