Myths and Truths About Using a Marine Surveyor

When purchasing a pre-owned yacht or houseboat, using a good marine surveyor is a must. When spending the amount of money it takes to buy a yacht or houseboat these days it is smart to hire a neutral 3rd party to give you as the buyer an unbiased opinion of the condition of the vessel you are purchasing.  Just as you would have someone inspect a house you are buying.

One thing I have seen since coming home is that a lot of people do not understand the importance of a marine surveyor or the correct way to hire one. I wanted to write a little article to help shine a light on the dos and don’ts of hiring a marine surveyor.

The most important rule of hiring a marine surveyor is never hire a surveyor recommended by the yacht broker. It is highly unethical for a broker to recommend a marine surveyor to a client. The broker has a vested interest in selling the vessel and a surveyor recommended by them or from their web site will generally result in a surveyor that is working with the interest of the broker at heart and not the buyer. As a licensed and certified yacht broker myself, seeing this unethical slight of hand happening to people disturbs me to no end and is one of the reasons I am writing this.

When selecting a marine surveyor, it is important to select an accredited surveyor. If the surveyor is not accredited then the survey is not going to satisfy a financier or insurance company’s requirements.  S.A.M.S. is an association that accredits and trains marine surveyors. If a surveyor is not S.A.M.S. accredited, stay away. You can go to S.A.M.S. site to see all of the accredited surveyors in your area.  (http://www.marinesurvey.org/)

S.A.M.S. site is also the best place to find your surveyor. No, your home work is not over yet. Once you find accredited surveyors in your area, you need to call them and make sure they are familiar with the type of vessel you are purchasing. Call the  surveyor and tell him what you are looking at. If he has never surveyed a boat like the one you are looking at, then look for a surveyor that has. I’m not suggesting that this is not a good surveyor, but nothing is better than experience and this applies here as well. You might have the best rocket scientist in the world, but that doesn’t qualify him to assess the condition of a submarine.

Lastly, make sure the surveyor is someone you can trust. At the end of the day the surveyor does not work for the seller or the broker, he works for you. You are his employer and you need to know that you can trust him to have your best interest at heart.

Time to go Boating—Houseboat Expo ends today on Lake Cumberland

It has been awhile since posting.  Time to get back on track. Summer is here and it is time to go boating.

If you are looking for the perfect houseboat, check out the in water houseboat expo on Lake Cumberland.  New and used boats that need new owners.  A variety of sizes and price ranges.

Starting this week, more posts about how to maintain and fix your houseboat.

Let Us Help You Find Houseboat Parts

Having a hard time finding certain parts for your houseboat? Let us help you. Due to our large network of contacts and associates, we may be able to find that part that you have been looking for. We plan to carry those items that you cannot find at West Marine or your local marine supply store. We want to provide a place to find those things that are harder to come by. We plan to offer things like rope light and rope light track, roof repair kits, etc.

We need your help!! We need to hear from you what types of items you need. Again, not those items that can be picked up at West Marine, but those things that either must be bought in bulk or are specialty items that can’t be found just anywhere. Contact us either here on the blog or at hbsource@fantasyyachtsales.com. Thanks for your time. Look forward to hearing from you.

Cold Chattanooga Weekend

It sounded like a nice get away weekend.  “Let’s go spend the weekend on the houseboat in Chattanooga.”  That was before it turned out to be the COLDEST weekend of the year!  The concern was not the time spent actually ON the boat.  It was the LONG walk out the dock.  And not just for us, but for our 2 furbabies.  With temps in the 20’s, we trekked out the dock.  The dogs were wearing their sweaters and wrapped in a blanket in the dock cart.   And to our surprise, we were not the only ones crazy enough to be spending time at the dock that weekend.  There was even a ghost hunters group that spent time over night in 17 degree temps doing a ghost tour in the old haunted dam.

Even though it was cold, there is just something wonderful about being on the water. Being able to look out at the calm water and enjoy the beautiful scenery is so peaceful.  Until you have to bundle up in layers and walk the dogs.  But even then, it was a good weekend.  We all survived.  At least it wasn’t snowing.  Happy Boating where ever you are.

Repairing Cracks in a Houseboat Roof–Part 2

Water intrusion through bridge screws

The second kind of crack we are going to look at is the caused by water intrusion into the wood substructure. This kind of crack is caused when water gets into the wooden roof substructure causing it to swell and crack the fiberglass.

The first thing we need to do to repair this crack is to identify where the water is getting into the roof structure. Here are some places to look. If the crack is around the bridge, look at where the bridge is attached to the roof. Several manufacturers simply screw the bridge directly to the roof. Over time, the silicone used to seal where the screw penetrates the roof can deteriorate allowing water into the plywood substructure. Most of the time, but not always, this will also result in the roof leaking in the salon.

You can fix this problem in 2 different ways. The first and best way to repair this problem is to raise the bridge up and fiberglass a small wood block onto the roof to which to attach the bridge. Once you set the bridge over it, the bridge can’t move. You can also put a screw through the bridge into the side of the block as well. This will insure you will never have this problem again.

The second way would be to simply remove the screw, scrape off the old silicon, and reseal it using new silicon. The problem with this is that you will have the same problem again at some point in time.

Regardless of which method you use, before you place the bridge back in to final position, you will need to open the water damaged area up and let it dry thoroughly. You can do this with a hook bill knife or a grinder. Be sure to remove any loose and delaminated fiberglass, opening the roof up until you find dry wood. Once the wooden substructure is completely dry, you can take a folded 7” grinder disk or a grinder and smooth the area. From here you simply need to apply 2 layers of 1 and ½ ounce chopped strand mat. Mix enough resin to wet out thoroughly. Allow to dry completely, sand sooth and apply a thick coat of gel coat with surfacing agent.

As always, feel free to contact me with any questions.  Good luck and happy boating.

Materials Needed:

• A small amount fiberglass resin
• A small piece of chopped strand fiberglass mat
• A small amount of gel coat with surfacing agent or “wax” in it
• A very small amount of MEK or hardener
• 2- 2” disposable paint brushes
• 2 small paint trays
•  4”- 36 grit grinder pad

New Year

It has been awhile since we posted.  Between the holidays and relocating to another state, it has been a busy time the last few months.  But the new year has brought many new blessings.  A new coastal houseboat was delivered to the east coast of Florida.  The new owners were so excited to get their new coastal Sunstar houseboat.  We will post the pictures later this week.  Getting a new boat is always a good thing.  Check back later this week for another repair story.  We will try to post more often.  Hope everyone has smooth sailing and many boating adventures in 2012.

Not Always Smooth Sailing

Well, the weekend started out ok. It was a cool weekend on the houseboat in Chattanooga, but of course it was warm inside. And being on the water is always great. Well, until your toilet stops working.

It is not a good day when you are having to unbolt the toilet to access the macerator to try to fix the problem. Being long time boaters, we know the drill about what can and CANNOT go into the toilet. Unfortunately, sometimes, things just happen.

While not an enjoyable task, sometimes it is a must. It just takes some time and a strong stomach to work through the problem. While it did put a damper on the weekend, it was not the end of the world. Just another day of boating. Hope your latest boating adventure was better. See you on the water.

Repairing Cracks in a Houseboat Roof

No one wants to spend time working on their boat, but there are times that it is a must. Today we tackle the subject of repairing cracks in the roof.

Cracks in a modern houseboat roof are not uncommon and not something to be afraid of as long as they are fixed in a timely manner when they appear. If they are not repaired soon after they appear, water intrusion can cause major damage to the substructure of the roof. And we all do not want that. So don’t put the repair off!

Cracks can be caused by several things. One of the most common is flex in the roof. Flex is caused when you encounter large waves, when a boat has been moved from one lake to another on a trailer, or lifted using a travel lift. Most of the time this kind of crack will appear on the roof’s edge or “gutter rail.”

This kind of crack is one of the easiest to repair. First, let’s look at the location of the crack. If it is at a break in the T molding at the bottom of the outside roof edge, it has been caused by the T mold moving. To repair this type of crack you will need the following items:
–drill
–small drill bit
–2 small 1″ stainless steel screws
–a small amount of fiberglass resin
–a small piece of chopped strand fiberglass mat
–a small amount of gel coat with surfacing agent or “wax” in it
–a very small amount of MEK or hardner
–2-2″disposable paint brushes
–2 small paint trays
—a 4″ 36 grit grinder pad
–masking tape
–a 4’x4′ piece of plastic for a drop cloth (a large trash bag works great)

The first thing you will want to do is secure the T mold. This will help prevent this kind of crack from happening again. Looking up under the roof edge you will see the joint in the T mold. Take the drill and drill a small hole on either side on the joint under the roof edge. Secure the T mold using the 2 small screws. This should prevent this spot ever cracking again.

Now take the 4″ grinder pad and fold in half. Sand the crack out completely and scuff up about roughly 2″ or so on either side of the area. Place your drop cloth/trash bag below the area you are working on to prevent dripping resin on the side of the boat.

Now you are ready to glass the spot. Tear, not cut, 2 small pieces of fiberglass mat just large enough to cover the area you have scuffed up. Make sure the edges are feathered. This will make prepping for the gel coat much easier. Mix a small amount, about 4-5 ounces of resin with 6-7 drops of hardner. IMPORTANT–Mix extremely well!!! Using the 2″ paint brush wet the fiberglass met until it is saturated. It will become clear when it has soaked up enough resin. Use the paint brush to smooth out the mat and get all of the air out from under it.

Wait until completely dry. This should take roughly one hour depending on the temperature outside. Once it is completely dry, take your 36-grit sanding disk and sand the new glass until smooth. Once you are happy with how it looks, mix a small amount of gel coat, about 4-5 ounces with 9-10 drops of hardner. Again, mix extremely well!! Use a new  paint brush to apply a generous amount of gel coat. Do not apply enough for the gel to run.

Okay, congratulations, you have fixed a roof crack. Now all you have to do is clean up. If you have trouble finding the materials for this repair or have any questions, please contact us and we will be happy to put together a repair kit for you.

Next month, we will look at another kind of roof crack. Again, we will walk you through the proper repair method. Until then, get out there and enjoy the water safely!!

Fall is here!

Time to start thinking about cooler weather. We all enjoy using our boats, but hate to deal with the routine maintenance and upkeep. Break it down into manageable tasks and don’t try to do it all at once.

Pick a day to stow all of the water toys, noodles, rafts, and extra towels. Clean out the storages and lockers so everything that moved around during the boating season is returned to its proper place. In the galley, consolidate all of those bottles of ketchup, mustard and other condiments that showed up. Take inventory of the paper products, plastic wear and cups. For Halloween, make an adult punch to help empty some of those multiple bottles of rum, vodka, wine, etc.

Take inventory of your electronics and valuables on the boat. Take pictures and label your items for easy identification in case they ever get stolen. Don’t leave these valuables out in the open.

Taking a little time to get things in line will make your next boating adventure more pleasurable. Happy Boating!!

Check back soon for maintenance tips and winterizing ideas.

Cruising to the Keys

What better way to explore the Florida Keys but on a houseboat. Our boat was moored in Stuart, Fl and needed to be moved back to the west coast. So we called a couple of friends and boated down to the Keys. We oohed and awed at the mansions in the Miami area and island hopped our way to Key West. First we anchored out and enjoyed looking at the stars.

Cruising on for a few hours, we stopped for the night at Plantation Yacht Harbor. We took the tender and went snorkeling and then to dinner at Mile Marker 66. What a dinner!! We were seated outside on the edge of the surf. The meal and the view was incredible!!

Then on to Marathon. If you go, check out Castaways restaurant and the local fresh fish market. Fresh fish on the grill was a yummy treat.

Then on to Key West for 3 days and 2 nights. We love Key West, but only for a few days at a time. We did the touristy things and ate at Sloppy Joe’s, had a drink at the Hog’s Breathe, watched the sunset and enjoyed the street vendors. The BEST mojitos are from the Colombian restaurant at Mallory Square. And don’t forget the ghost tours!!

It was a fun adventure. But then time to head up the west coast to Sarasota. We all agreed it was one of the best vacations we had ever had. Would love to hear from others about their Florida Keys adventures.