Surveys and Sea Trials

What happens next?  After the offer has been accepted then your work as a buyer really begins.  Thanks again to Curtis Stokes for providing us with a list of marine surveyors as well as engine surveyors, this was very helpful.  In some cases, the seller may have already had a survey conducted on the vessel as was the case with Mandalay, but it is still wise to have your own survey performed by a different surveyor if possible.

The process of choosing a surveyor starts with what exactly needs to be done.  You need to find a surveyor who can conduct the work needed to give you a complete picture of the condition of the vessel.  In our case, because we were dealing with a steel boat, we were looking for what is known as an audio-gauge test.  What this test does is it determines the thickness of the metal left on the hull.  This specialized test narrows down the field of surveyors dramatically.

Ultrasound thickness measurement.

We had actually contacted a few surveyors to obtain pricing and to inquire if they would indeed be able to fit the survey work into our schedule.  I was very surprised at how many surveyors assumed that we were hiring them without our confirmation or agreement.  This was a bit frustrating when trying to schedule the survey and coordinating the sea trials with our next visit down to the boat.  We also had to schedule an engine surveyor to look over the engines and send off oil samples from both main engines, the transmissions and the generator.  The challenge that the engine survey provided us was the type of engines that Mandalay had, as not everyone will survey a Detroit Diesel 8V71 N, 2 stroke diesel.

Port Engine Outboard View

At the end, we decided to use John Pepe and Robert Bainbridge for the boat and engine surveys, we were very happy with our choices.  Once we were able to set up the surveys, Curtis Stokes arranged for the haul out of Mandalay and arranged the timing for the Sea Trials.  We made arrangements for two good friends of ours to meet us in Maryland to look the boat over and join us on the sea trials.  Karen and I drove down the day before the trials and stayed at a hotel just outside of Baltimore.  The next morning we picked up our friends at the airport and headed out for the sea trials.  We were all excited, along with the excitement I was feeling a little anxious.  This would be when I would get to drive the boat, but most importantly this was the only chance I would get to figure out if this was too much boat for me or not.

Approaching on the big day.

At this point the boat is not ours and although we were responsible for paying for haul out and all the surveys, the owner is responsible for the expenses related to taking the boat out for sea trials.  When we arrived the mechanic was in the engine room and the surveyor was in the lazarette checking on a few things there.  The generator was running along for the load test, the two brokers were aboard and the owner was present.  We spoke with the owner and brokers, then my friend and I went to speak with the engine surveyor about the condition of the engines.  Both the engine surveyor and my friend were very impressed with the condition of the engines and the engine room.  We then were introduced to the surveyor and he sat with me and gave me his first impressions.  We all agreed that it was time to fire up the main engines and start to head out for the trials.



As we backed out of the slip I noticed that the owner moved the vessel at a very slow speed.  He had me sit with him and began to explain that the boat speed should be kept to 1 kn or lower.  He also showed me how she responded to prop walk which is the sideways momentum induced by the rotation of the propeller.  With a dual engine boat you have the advantage of using both props where prop walk is compensated for, or you can use either prop to move the stern of the vessel in which ever direction you want.  Our boat, Tropical Horizons, does not respond terribly well to prop walk since the propellers are housed in tunnels, to have this effect that I can use to help maneuver will be welcome.

Leaving the slip.

My first time at the helm listening to the owner
explain how the stabilizers are working.

Karen's first time at the helm.

Making our way out into the bay.

Underway from the bow with our friend enjoying
the view from the bow seat.

We headed out of the marina and into a channel leading into the Chesapeake Bay where we would then bring the engines up to higher RPM and eventually Wide Open Throttle to see just how the engines respond and to check the cylinder temperatures and oil pressure.  Needless to say everything worked quite well.  We returned back to the slip and the owner brought Mandalay to rest perfectly with little effort.  We then powered down and spent the rest of the afternoon speaking with the surveyors to get their initial impressions, enjoyed some lunch and then asked if we could return the following day with questions that we might have for the owner.

Underway heading back.

Returning to port

The following day, without any brokers present, we met with the owner and his wife.  While myself and my friend met with the owner, Karen and the ladies went below decks to talk about different things.  We discussed many questions about mechanical and electrical systems and then spent some time in the engine room going over the systems, looking at the bilges, lifting hatches, and going over the electrical system.  We then thanked the owner for spending the extra time with us and were on our way.

Over the next few days Karen and I waited to see the survey report and oil analysis.  Once these reports were received, we reviewed them and accepted the findings waiving the final condition on the sales agreement.  We were ready to close on the deal.

Oil Sample Analysis results