-- Pre-Purchase Survey & Insurance Inspection Reporting
-- Know what you’re buying before you commit! --

A pre-purchase survey inspection is your insurance that you won't purchase a vessel with any underlying problems, our detailed out of water survey inspections cover the whole vessel from stem to stern including hull & deck, engines, drive units, controls, generators, electronics, navigation equipment and all AMSA safety equipment & requirements, all surveys include on water testing/sea trial, we also include a full oil analysis, printed diagnostic report and digital photographs to assist you with your purchase negotiations and greater informed purchasing!

-- REGULAR INSPECTION --

Each time you step on board have a good look around, check all fluid levels check belt tension, remember the bear metal section of the pulley where the belt runs will rust between each time the engine is run, so the next time you start your engine the rust on the pulley shaves a small amount of rubber off the drive belt which lowers the belt tension thus in turn affecting alternator out put and or raw water pump operation. Check your fire extinguishers; it’s a good idea with dry powder extinguishers to pick them up each time & give them a light shake to stop the powder from forming into a solid block. Look for anything that looks different to last time. For example; the bilge pump goes off each time you step on board, is there oil or coolant in the bilge water, check your bilge blower is working before you start your engine/s, make sure sea Cox are open then when you turn on the ignition all ways check the engine alarms before you start your engines. When the engine starts check for raw water flow & listen for the sound of the change in the exhaust note this will tell you that water is flowing. You don’t have to be the mechanic but if you see something that you are not sure about, ask some one.

-- ENGINE HOURS --

When your looking at the number of hours of operation on the meter quite often the most important thing is not the numbers the engine has done but the amount of time that it has sat around doing nothing; they say the average recreational skipper does around 100hrs a year, which averages out to only 2hrs a week -- quite obviously were all spending too much time at work & not enough time boating -- this means that your engine is spending a lot of time in a salt air & salt water environment not moving. This is where the deterioration process takes hold, bare metal components such as valve seats, piston rings & the cylinder walls are at the greatest risk of corrosion leading to long term or even permanent engine damage. So what we all need to do is make sure that at least once every two weeks that the vessel is taken for a run under load, insuring that all components reach their optimum operating temperature. This simple act can help stop a multitude of problems occurring.

-- MANIFOLDS RISERS & COOLING SYSTEMS --

So you’re cruising along and you notice the temperature rising on the gauge. Keeping your engine running cool is the most important & sometimes the most frustrating of all. Cooling systems on all engines are prone to blockages from coral growth to sea weed & sediment to picking up a plastic bag across the raw water intake.