Wallace Gouk
Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors, Ret'd
ABYC® Standards Certified, Ret'd
ABYC® Certified Corrosion Analyst, Ret'd
Transport Canada Licensed Master, Ret'd
Transport Canada Tonnage Measurer
BoatUS® Approved Marine Surveyor
boatpoker@gmail.com
or 416 - 526 - 3845

Your survey / delivery crew



Sample Marine Survey Reports


Watercolours by Sharon



First boat


Second boat


Current boat


Lethal


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THE LATEST NEWS -
Currently working out of Port Credit for the forseeable future..

All you need to know about Wallace & Sharon

Sample Survey Reports

Fee Schedule

Lists of all 409 powerboat and 350 sailboat models we've surveyed or delivered

All About Marine Surveyors

including "How to Become a Marine Surveyor", a list of the approximately 250 marine surveyors in Ontario (SAMS® or not) with their contact info. Also "10 Questions to Ask to find the right Marine Surveyor if you are buying a boat in Canada or the US.

All About Marine Surveys
including "Marine Survey 101", how to do your own survey, what I believe should be covered in a marine survey, Frozen Boat Surveys, survey preparation and sea trials. Sample marine survey reports, good and atrocious plus a printable checklist to take with you when boat shopping.

All About Cruising
25 items on cruising from Ontario to the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), the bahamas and what you need to know about US "Cruising Licenses"i and "Permissions to Proceed". All of the articles and links on this page have to do with cruising these areas and include a "Primer for First Times Heading South", "Cruising the Erie Canal", a couple of of our cruise logs, a photo log of our southern cruising and links to a number of worthwhile websites for those planning the trip.


All About Boat Electrics
This topic generates more negative comments in our survey reports than any other. They are quite simply as shown by insurance claims, the most dangerous systems on your boat. Make sure you read the article on the myth of "electrolysis" and why you should never hire an electrican that uses that word.


All About Boat systems, engines, maintenance and structure etc.

36 articles including a photo album of "Salt Water Corrosion", "Marine Maintenance For Non-idiots", blisters, osmosis, moisture meter mythology, safe propane installations, much overlooked maintenance issues,
batteries, AC and DC electrical systems, biodiesel for boats, running gear alignment, raw water flow detectors, stuffing boxes, cutless bearings and pretty much anything mechanical on the boat including sailboat rigging and an Oil Analysis critique.. You also might enjoy my photo albums of Stoopid Boat tricks by Owners and Stoopid Boat tricks By Boat Builders.

All About Buying a Boat in Canada or the US

if the lobotomy didn't take ... All 27 articles and links on this page
have to do with searching for the right boat and protecting your money as the deal proceeds, how to get her home from South Carolina and what you need to do to get her across the border. There are a number of issues to be aware of specific to buying a boat in the US.


All About Cruising

25 items on cruising from Ontario in the Great Lakes From Superior through the ICW, New York State Canal System and east coast of the US down to the Bahamas and Gulf of Mexico.. All of the articles and links on this page
have to do with cruising these areas and include a "Primer for First Times Heading South", "Cruising the Erie Canal", a couple of of our cruise logs, a photo log of our southern cruising and links to a number of worthwhile websites for those planning the trip.

Not the Usual Boat Safety Stuff

Carbon Monoxide poisoning, gasoline fumes, propane leaks, fire ports,
"electric shock drowning" (more common in fresh water marinas) after reading about this one you will never let your kids swim in a marina or near a boat again. All of the articles and links on this page have to do with things on your boat that can hurt you and spoil more than just your day on the water.


Boater Training

or lack thereof ... From diesel engine and electrical systems courses, navigation, rules of the road and boat handling (power and sail), where to get the help you need to maximize enjoyment and keep safe on the water
. The broker is wrong ... its not just like driving a car and CAA is not coming !

Marine services in southern Ontario, parts, marine stuff
.

Everything on this page ha
s to do with
the people you will need for boat maintenance, marine insurance, and where to get what you need and who you can call for boat help in southern Ontario.


Love to Learn about boats & odds n' ends
.
Too cold to work on your boat in January ? Kill some time with this mixed bag of links and articles for those with a desire to know more about boats and boating from an AIS tracking website, lightning protection, an animated knot tying demo, video docking game, a marine surveyors lexicon and a sail calculator.


Boat reviews, specifications and boating chat forums
.
This page provides links to pages of boat reviews, and specifications both power and sail. There is something on the web for every boat out there, I think I have found most of them for you. I also have a list of boating chat forums where I hang out when its too cold to survey.


The Law, maritime & admiralty
.

Some of this stuff is not as dry as you'd think. From legally required construction standards, collision regulations, electrical regulations, CE standards, Canada Shippng Act
and Transportation Safety Board marine investigations and a law suit against a marine surveyor.


Marine insurance
.

A list of marine insurance companies operating in Ontario and a few things you should know about boat policies, terminology and differences of cash value vs. actual value, latent defect, freeze damage and more.
...
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The more research and testing I do, the more courses I take, the more I realize how little I know. There are many examples of huge corporations in the marine business getting it wrong, 3M, Xantrex, Groco, Dupont, Kohler, Caterpillar, Sea Ray and a host of others. Think about Boeing's billion dollar disaster with lithium ion batteries and these things are already showing up in boats in Ontario. What's a guy with a hammer and a moisture meter supposed to do ? Whatever the field there will always be someone who disagrees. Everything on this website is my opinion. Search out opposing opinions (not hard to find) and make your own decisions.

I profit not from this website and accept no remuneration of any kind from links or referrals incoming or outgoing. I know quite a few of the better surveyors in the Great Lakes and east coast of the US and I'll be happy to refer you as I do not like to travel much (unless it's a really interesting boat or it's a delivery). I neither pay for nor accept payment for survey referrals..

Essential boating courses

Society of Accredited Marine Surveyo
rs

Accredited Marine Surveyor

American Boat & Yacht Council

Standards Certified

BoatUS
Approved Marine Surveyor