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
Further information here covering
Moisture Meters / Osmosis / Ultrasound thickness testing / Saving costs on insurance surveys / Choosing the right surveyor
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
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.
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.
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 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.
September - October start 2024
Not really an eventful September to most owners other than a lot of rain. No doubt October will see the usual pre winter gales, some of which might well be extreme leading to some inevitable damage to some vessels on exposed moorings. Sometime you often wonder if that extra weekend was really worth it if your boat gets damaged on the weekend that you wished you had brought her back to safety. Most times it will be alright, it is somebody else's boat that always make the local news. The usual losses occur to furling genoas coming loose and destroying themselves, mooring bouy ropes and chains damaging the bows as they come out of fairleads and stemhead fittings and the risk of other boats coming adrift and making contact with yours.
August 2024
Very little going on generally locally. This summer has been so different to last year's summer. Not sure if owners have had as much out of the boat as has been the case in previous years and some values of older grp boats has absolutely crashed, with many literally being given away on sites such as Ebay and Gumtree. This was unheard of 15 years ago and in some boatyards where it seems that unwanted vessels are quite commonly seen. Not all of these boats are "scrap" though. There are some little treasures amongst them. You don't necessarily need a fortune to own and refurbish one of these. You probably do need to assess what she might need to get her sailing though. This is where the free survey template can help. Access it HERE.
June/July 2024
The season has not really got underway yet,
probably because of the dreadful weather. Rain and strong winds make for unpredictable start and return schedules. No one really wants to find they cannot get back home because of strong wind forecast and end up leaving the boat as a giant fender for other boats to moor alongside with the additional extra cost of unplanned overnight stays which nowadays can run into hundreds of pounds. The Round the Island Race took place with winds that were strong enough to cause class cancellations on the smaller vessels with many hundreds of vessels giving up before they reached the Needles. Last year was the same.
The Schools have now broken up for the holidays and perhaps the season will start properly although as this is being written the forecast for Southern Coast is more rain warnings and strong wind warnings.
April 2024
A very late start in the yards probably because of the weather, but suddenly a lot of vessels missing from the yards and on their moorings. At Easter there was a serious vessel fire at Ridge Wharf marina where a twin engine power boat, about 26ft with patrol engines caught fire. The second engine was started after initially getting the first engine running and an immediate engine bay fire which caused the whole vessel to be destroyed. Fortunately the vessels on adjacent pontoons were only smoke damaged because the wind was from bow to stern. Had it been broadside on the catastrophe would have been far worse. Fire engines arrived and basically flooded the vessel until it sank, but by then all of the upper works had been consumed. A pall of black smoke was visible for many miles. Fortunately the owner escaped, shocked but unharmed. A boat fire is extremely shocking to see.
March 2024
The year has been quite quiet so far, a considerable amount of wet weather has kept most owners away from the yards and pleased to be in the dry and warm. Some works are just beginning, not because of the weather but more likely pressure of time as the new season approaches. Easter close at hand now and probably a rush of boats to get afloat, |but BEWARE of rushing to use the boat over Easter as so many problems usually occur due to the boat not being fully prepared, fuel problems with old filters and water, mast problems because the rigging has not been checked fully, seacock problems due to lack of use and so many more. The unpredictable Easter weather also creates issues so do take the time to make everything ship shape . Better to lose Easter if any doubts of maintenance exist rather that the whole year wishing you had done everything..
Enjoy the start
........
September/October/Early November 2023
September was a relatively quiet month in all respects however, early October had some unusually high tides at the beginning. The weather remainder reasonable although far from perfect. However, the end of October and early November heralded very high tides combined with Storm Ciaran with forecasts of 100MPH hurricane force gusts along the south coast, however, fortunately the mid Dorset area missed these strong force gusts but did not miss the very high tides. These combined with low pressure caused significant flooding in some areas. Ridge wharf at Wareham was partly flooded with some of the vessels on hard standing in 8 inches of water for quite a sustained period. Wareham Causeway was flooded. (library photo).So far as I am aware there were no yachts or boats severely damaged in the local area although a bit further along the coast at West Bay. Bridport the very heavy seas break ashore caused significant mayhem to beach structures and damage to the cliffs.
June/July 2023
June was exceptionally hot with relatively light winds for most of the time. Possibly , in retrospect, the best time of this year so far for extended coastal cruising. Probably too early for most people who had high hopes for July. The wind in July has , so far, been extraordinary in its persistence of strong breezes every day 24/7. No major gales on the south coast but more often than not , every day in excess of force 5 with gusts of 6 for the whole day. Watched the Round The Island race from Yarmouth and saw the front leaders go past at about 12 knots windward, but too much wind for the less powerfully crewed vessels with broken masts and multi hull capsizes. The Solent look like the top of a cake with royal icing scattered all over.
The large sailing vessel Auk was finally broken up at Ridge Wharf. All that is left is the iron ballast keel with a multitude of bent stainless steel keelbolts and Centreline bolts protruding from the keel.....all appearing in pristine condition. Stainless steel is not usually advised on timber vessels below the waterline as it is unpredictable.....but sometimes you get surprised.
April/May 2023
A lot of boats were late this year getting into the water. Probably several reasons, one being the drab weather that failed to encourage. I also suspect the cost of living crisis played a part, the difficulty is here that irrespective of where the boat is, the cost of keeping her remains the same, so this year quite a few sellers simply due to financial pressures .A few fishing vessel inspections for the MCA and one or two new build fishing vessel inspections. A new fishing vessel can cost far more than an equivalent yacht of the same length. Even a small under 7m vessel can cost upwards of £65000 . Larger vessels into the hundreds of thousands.
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