WHAT DOES A SURVEY COST & WHY

A pre-purchase marine survey on a used boat is usually FREE ! A pre-purchase marine survey on a new boat is sometimes FREE !

A decent marine surveyor will almost always find enough deficiencies on a used boat to more than cover the cost of the survey if you choose to negotiate those deficiencies into the price..... who wouldn't ? That difference is very often greater than the cost of the survey, therefore it's usually free.

Insurance Surveys, Pre-Purchase Surveys, Appraisal Surveys These different type of surveys are offered by many surveyors and they provide various justifications for their abbreviated reports. I don't understand how you can appraise a vessel without doing a full inspection and I don't want to be associated with short, often checklist survey reports that some insurers accept. Ask what they leave out in one of their less expensive versions. I do only one level of report ..... a Marine Survey Report typified by the sample reports you can link to on my home page. My reports are valid for all purposes and accepted internationally without reserve.

My reports are issued before midnight same day for local marine surveys i.e. between Niagara-on-the-Lake and Pickering and south from Lake Simcoe. Outside of this area but within Southern Ontario reports will be issued before midnight of the next day. Out of province marine survey reports will be issued as soon as possible and as agreed. Reports are sent in a locked pdf. format that you may read but not print. Once payment is received (cash or cheque only) a printable copy will be forwarded to you.

My fees listed below are pretty firm but may be affected by vessel type or other circumstances. For example: Boats like the 36' Trojan Tri-cabin version with midship engines are a bear to survey and I charge a little more. I sometimes charge more for "custom boats" because you never know what you are going to find. I may charge less for some houseboats as they tend to be fairly simple boats. I no longer will survey hurricane boats as it can be extremely difficult to uncover well hidden damage and its just not worth the potential liability.

Most marine surveyors charge by the foot L.O.A. although some US marine surveyors are now charging by the hour. There are good arguments for both methods but I choose to charge by the foot.

At one time I actually measured boats but my numbers never came out to what the manufacturer claimed and I had occasional disagreements with clients over what length they were being charged for. Consider the boats listed below.......

A Carver 325 is actually 30' 2" A Bayliner 4087 is actually 34' 8" A Sea Ray Sundancer 480 is actually 55' 8" A Bayfield 36 is actually 41' 3"

In order to avoid confusion or future disagreements I decided to charge by the foot according to whatever L.O.A. was published. By published I mean original factory specifications from company web sites or original advertising material or when those are not available I use the Power Boat Guide, Mausch's Sailboat Guides or owners association web sites.

Fees shown below are for surveys within Southern Ontario............
Minimum fee.	$350.00	There are marine surveyors who offer different levels or types of surveys at lower rates. My question to them is .... What do you leave out ? I believe my fees are commensurate with other AMS® in Ontario but there are others who will do it for $8 or $9.00 per foot and I am sure they are worth every penny. To compare my fees to other surveyors in Ontario see "List of Every Surveyor in Ontario (almost)"
27' to 34' L.O.A.	$15.00 /ft
35' to to 39' L.O.A.	$16.00 /ft
39' to 45' L.O.A.	$17.00 /ft
46' and over.	Please ask for quote
Travel	0.60 cents per kilometer
Due to time lost looking for parking and waiting for ferries or yacht club tenders I charge an added $75.00 for surveying at RCYC, QCYC, IYC and Toronto Island Marina plus any parking or tender fees.
Out of Province surveys may be charged at a flat daily rate and cover all travel time plus expenses.

WHY DOES IT COST SO MUCH ?

Mileage is charged round trip at whtever mileage Google Maps comes up with. At 60 cents / kilometer I charge about $90.00 to drive from Port Credit to Port Dalhousie and back, thats about 3 hours plus the cost of gas, insurance (business vehicle insurance costs more), depreciation and tires etc. I don't get a company car allowance and $90.00 isn't much when you add it all up. I pay for my own computers, software, this web site and other advertising, stationary, moisture meters, corrosion meters, Barcol testers, cameras, infrared thermometers, multi-meters etc. and oh yeah........little brass hammers and dental picks (that you often get to keep when they are dropped in the bilge) and it often takes longer to write the report than it does to do the survey.

I am not doing this to supplement a government pension or my income as a disc jockey or groundskeeper like some others in Ontario. I am a full time professional who pays dues to the Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors®, American Boat & Yacht Council, BoatUS Technical Exchange and BoatUS Consumer Protection database. I have spent a small fortune building my library of Transport Canada, ABYC , ABS, NFPA, UL, ISO and CSA standards along with dozens of reference books and also pay for the continuing education courses required to maintain my AMS® status.

I do not qualify for unemployment insurance and I do not have a drug, eye glass, dental or extended health plan. No one pays into a company pension plan for me. I don't get a Christmas bonus and I get neither sick days nor paid vacation time Hey ! wait a minute........I'm working for less than minimum wage ! Believe it or not I love every second of what I do for a living..... think about it.... I hang around boats all day, then people give me money.

Captain Wallace Gouk AMS® Marine Surveyor Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors® Transport Canada Licensed Master Transport Canada Tonnage Surveyor BoatUS Approved Surveyor

Captain Wallace Gouk AMS®, Survey reports accepted world wide by all financial and insurance institutions for sail and power boats servicing Ontario east, west, south and beyond including Niagara-on-the-Lake, St. Catharines, Grimsby, 50 Point, Stoney Creek, Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville, Bronte, Port Credit, Mississauga, Toronto, Oshawa, Pickering, Port Hope, Coburg, Newcastle, Kingston, Brockville, Penetanguishene, Midland, Barrie and Keswick. I have also worked in New York State, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Virginia, Florida and the Bahamas.