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Marine Surveyor Florida - Marine Surveys and Deliveries

Master Marine Services, LLC. can Survey your vessel and provide the following types of Surveys and services.

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Pre-Purchase Marine Survey – A pre-purchase vessel survey is one of the most thorough surveys you can have. It provides a prospective boat buyer with detailed documentation to confirm or deny that a vessel is free of operational hazard, "sea worthy", appropriately valued, and free of defect or damage as observed.

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Boat or Yacht Purchase Consulting – To ensure you are buying the right boat for your needs and that you are correctly interpreting a pre-purchase survey from a seller, Captain Todd can be your boat or yacht consultant. His expertise can be the best investment you’ll ever make.

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Insurance Marine Survey – A Condition & Value Survey (insurance survey) is what  your insurance carrier or lender may require you to obtain in order for them to bind or renew coverage, or even to close a loan on your vessel.

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Boat Appraisal and Inspections – If you are selling, donating, settling a divorce or estate; or other types of legal matters you may need an Appraisal Survey. This type of inspection should be from a certified marine surveyor and determines the fair market value of the vessel.  The vessel is inspected to ascertain its correct market value along with market research for comparables.

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Video Presentation – We provide HD videos with location validation for prospective boat buyers and owners who can’t be a part of the inspection process in person. This is especially helpful when considering buying a boat or yacht or for legal matters. The detailed video inspection can be very useful in determining if further interest is desired.

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Sea Trials – Before you buy a boat or yacht, after a repair, or even to diagnose a problem a sea trial is a must.  There can be various levels of sea trials as well.  The goal of a sea trial is to determine if all systems function normally even when run hard and to do so under conditions, time, and place of your choosing. If anything is going to happen, it is going to happen on the water.

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Yacht Repair Inspection Surveys – Sometimes it takes a trained eye to spot inadequacies in repairs. Some repairs may even require a sea trial. After any kind of boat or yacht repair we can inspect the repair and prepare a report for your insurance or prospective buyers. Captain Todd can be your Surveyor agent representative for situations such as these..

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Infrared Thermal Imaging/Scanning – This service can be incorporated into marine surveys. Our marine Surveyor will utilize the latest FLIR Thermal Hull Moisture Meter to reveal abnormal temperature anomalies and high moisture readings. This is also highly effective for revealing hidden or visually obscured mechanical equipment malfunctions such as leaks or overheating.

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Survey Specific Information

Master Marine Services will send an Accredited and Registered Marine Surveyor to the vessels location. A survey will be performed on what is accessible and visible concerning the vessel. If the vessel is in the water, a visible hull survey only will be performed. It is recommended to have the vessel hauled out so a hull survey with hull soundings can be completed as well as an inspection of the running gear (props, shafts, cutlass bearings, struts, rudders, etc..).  A sea trial and an engine compression test along with an oil analysis with our surveyor is also highly recommended. A vessel could look good but a sea trial, compression check, and oil analysis  will indicate so much more of the vessel's life and history. A critical examination or inspection of the vessel for the client's specific purpose is completed. The facts regarding conditions or the condition of the vessel will be gathered to provide information especially to persons responsible or in fact interested. A professional Marine Survey Florida Report will be created with all relevant USCG CFR, ABYC Standards, NFPA, and or UL clearly indicated. The value along with the valuation supporting document(s) and methods used is also included. Should there be any deficiencies or recommendation to repair / replace they will be annotated.

 

What Reporting Methods Are Used?

The survey report will be a multi page document with, specific information as to the vessel, the condition of the vessel as surveyed on the survey date as visible, an opinion on value of the vessel (using standard industry methods), and listed recommendations and or deficiencies. The survey report will be validated with the surveyors official organizational stamp and or seal. This survey report format and content is accepted at all banks and insurance providers worldwide. Master Marine Services prepares a digital copy and a paper copy. The digital copy will be emailed as soon as it is completed (typically 48 hours). The paper copy will follow in the US Mail to your address if required. All survey reports remain the intellectual property of Master Marine Services. No guarantee of the vessel condition is made only the accuracy of the report data gathered that was visible on the vessel, on the the date of survey.

 

What Standards Are Used for Each Survey?

ABYC, NFPA, IMO Code of Federal Regulations, and USCG Standards are used in their surveys? A thorough inspection cannot be rushed. The time it takes will depend upon the type of survey required and the size, equipment, and onboard systems involved. If your surveyor does not annotate code or regulations in your survey...you have wasted your money. Master Marine Services will clearly state the ABYC, USCG,or any other applicable code or regulation in your survey report.

 

What Does Each Inspection Include?

Marine surveys can include hull, structural, and engine surveys, oil analysis, galvanic and stray current corrosion testing, ultrasonic testing, moisture testing, as well as other non-destructive tests. Ask what additional charges could be incurred for these and any other services. Learn about the Condition of Your Vessel. Well conducted marine surveys on yachts and vessels provide solid information about a vessel's condition, but they are not guarantees. Marine surveyors can only report the condition of the areas that are accessible to them at the time of the inspection (visually). Ask us for our cost breakdown up front...we will tell you. No secrets, no games.

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Very Important!

PREPARING THE YACHT OR BOAT FOR MY SURVEY

The vessel should be clean and tidy and must be plugged into shore power with a 30 amp or 50 amp shore power cord(s) and all batteries installed, wired-in and full-charged on the date of the survey. All manuals, maintenance log, receipts, registration, USCG documentation papers and a copy of the previous survey (if applicable) on board the yacht or boat prior to my survey. The owner or selling party, broker/agent must have the vessel ready for my survey. Masts & spars must be removed from storage racks to ground-level for inspection on the date of survey. ** If shore power is not available, please let me know prior to the survey date. I can provide power via generator for a reasonable fee. If scheduling a sea trial and you would like us to Captain the vessel, please make arrangements with broker and or owner prior to survey date.**

 

 

 

Thermal / Moisture Hull Imaging is here!

DONATION CONSULTANT

The Federal Government encourages donations of property to public, nonprofit charities. The same tax deductions are permitted for donations of property as for cash donations. This is not a tax loophole, but a definite recognition on the part of Congress of the importance of such a gift to a qualified, IRS approved organization.

The Internal Revenue Service distributes several publications to guide the public and their tax advisors in determining the best way to handle property contributions including Publication #526 - Charitable Contributions and #561 - Determining the Value of Donated Property.

I have these forms as well as the form 8283 for donating boats, yachts and ships. If you donate your boat to a qualified organization, you may generally deduct the fair market value at the time of the contribution. The value of your boat is determined by an appraisal from an expert in a field related to your property. The IRS, in their publication #561, suggests using a marine surveyor who is accredited & certified.

Once you have decided to donate the vessel, you must decide which method is the quickest and most financially rewarding, an outright sale or a donation. In looking at a sale, you must take into consideration all of the expenses entailed; dockage, insurance, maintenance, storage, repairs, interest and sale commission are just a few. After you have signed a sale contract and the purchaser surveys the boat, you probably will be met with more expenses. There are always unforeseen repair items that need to be corrected after a potential buyer's marine survey. In most cases, the buyer expects the owner to adjust the sale price downward or have the owner pay for these repairs. Another problem in trying to sell your boat is the time factor. The time of the year in most areas of the country has a great deal to do with the availability of ready buyers. The cold winter months seem to drive prices down and buyers indoors.

By donating your boat, yacht or ship, you avoid these costly expenses. There are no sale commissions to pay and the entire transaction is complete by me in a few days. You do not have to wait six months or a year to find out that your net return is far less than you expected.

If you or your CPA/Tax Advisor needs any questions answered on donating your boat, yacht or ship, I can be reached at my office below.

 

 

Marine Survey Florida.com

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