How to use this checklist
This is a buyer's checklist, not a surveyor's inspection protocol. It exists so nothing obvious is missed in the parts of the process you control: the brief, the access, the paperwork, the questions you ask on the day, and the decisions you make afterwards.
Work through it in order. Print it or keep it open on a phone during the survey and the sea trial.
Before the survey
- Confirm in writing what the survey covers and what it excludes
- Confirm whether haul-out and sea trial are included, and who pays for each
- Agree who is permitted to attend and whether panels, hatches and soles may be lifted
- Ask to see a sample report before appointing
- Confirm the surveyor's independence from the broker, seller and any yard quoting on repairs
- Confirm professional indemnity insurance is in place
- Book the yard slot early — haul-out availability usually sets the date, not the surveyor
- Ask the seller to have tanks at a workable level and the vessel accessible, not loaded with gear
- Check the inspection period in the purchase agreement leaves time for a second opinion
Documentation
- Registration and title, and evidence the seller can actually sell
- Any outstanding finance, lien or mortgage position
- VAT or import status where relevant to the vessel's history
- Builder's documentation, CE/RCD or equivalent where applicable
- Engine and generator service records with running hours
- Refit and yard invoices — what was actually done, not what is described
- Warranty status on machinery and electronics
- Insurance history and any previous claims or damage
- Service dates for liferafts, fire extinguishers and safety equipment
Hull
- Evidence of previous repair, fairing or coating over damage
- Moisture readings where the construction allows meaningful comparison
- Blisters, delamination or laminate abnormality on composite hulls
- Corrosion and coating breakdown on metal hulls
- Keel and keel-to-hull joint condition on sailing yachts
- Chainplate, bulkhead and structural tabbing condition where accessible
- Bilge condition and evidence of standing water or previous flooding
Deck and superstructure
- Deck moisture, soft spots and core condition around fittings
- Sealing at stanchions, cleats, windlass and deck hardware
- Hatch, window and door seals, glazing condition and leak evidence
- Non-skid, teak thickness and caulking where fitted
- Anchoring system, chain condition, snubber and locker drainage
- Rails, gates and lifeline hardware
Engines and machinery
- Cold start behaviour — insist the engines have not been pre-warmed
- Oil, coolant and gearbox fluid condition; ask about oil analysis history
- Leaks at seals, hoses, heat exchangers and injectors
- Mounts, alignment evidence and coupling condition
- Exhaust condition, mixing elbow and any water intrusion evidence
- Sea strainers, raw water pumps and impeller service history
- Running hours cross-checked against service records and general wear
Generators
- Hours, service records and sound-shield condition
- Load behaviour and voltage or frequency stability under real demand
- Cooling, exhaust and mounting condition
- Alarm and shutdown functions
Propulsion and running gear
- Shafts, cutless bearings, seals and stern gland condition
- Propeller condition, damage and pitch alignment
- Rudder, bearings, stock and steering linkage play
- Thrusters, their tunnels and drive condition
- Sacrificial anodes and general corrosion protection
- Sterndrive or pod service status where fitted
Fuel systems
- Tank condition, mounting and evidence of corrosion or weeping
- Fill, vent and transfer arrangements
- Filters, water separators and condition of drained samples
- Hose age, routing, clamping and fire-rated specification
- Shut-off arrangements and accessibility
Electrical and batteries
- Distribution condition, labelling and evidence of improvised additions
- Shore power inlet, isolation, earthing and galvanic protection
- Battery type, age, mounting, ventilation and terminal condition
- Charging and inverter installation and behaviour under load
- Cable runs, chafe protection and fusing at source
- Bonding condition and any stray current evidence
Navigation and electronics
- Age and condition of the electronics package, and whether it is still supported
- Function test of chartplotter, radar, AIS, autopilot, depth and wind
- VHF and any satellite communication equipment
- Alarm, monitoring and camera systems, and their logged fault history
- Antennas, cabling and connector condition
Plumbing, freshwater and waste
- Seacocks and through-hulls — condition, operation and backing
- Hose, clamp and skin fitting standard below the waterline
- Freshwater tanks, pumps, accumulator and water heater condition
- Watermaker service status where fitted
- Heads, holding tanks, pump-out and any odour or leak evidence
- Bilge pumps, float switches and high-water alarms tested
HVAC and refrigeration
- Air conditioning operation on each circuit, and pump and strainer condition
- Condensate drainage and evidence of past water damage
- Refrigeration and freezer performance, compressor condition and age
Safety equipment
- Fire extinguishers and fixed suppression system with service dates
- Fire and gas detection, and engine-room shut-down arrangements
- Liferaft service date and stowage
- Lifejackets, harnesses, flares and their expiry dates
- EPIRB or PLB registration and battery date
- Emergency steering, bilge and escape arrangements
Rigging, where applicable
- Standing rigging age — replacement is usually considered on a time basis, not appearance
- Terminals, swages, turnbuckles and evidence of cracking or corrosion
- Chainplates and their attachment, above and below deck
- Mast, spreaders, base or step condition and corrosion
- Furling gear, winches, tracks and running rigging condition
- Sail inventory, age and condition
Haul-out inspection
- Attend the lift if permitted — the first minutes out of the water are the most informative
- Photograph the hull before pressure washing, then again after
- Antifouling build-up, adhesion and previous coating history
- Underwater coating damage, grounding evidence and repair quality
- Keel, skeg and rudder attachment areas
- Running gear, anode consumption and corrosion pattern
- Confirm who pays for lift, blocking, pressure wash and lay days before the day
Sea trial
- Cold start, then engine behaviour through the rev range to full rated load
- Achieved RPM against rated figures, and smoke, temperature and pressure behaviour
- Steering response, autopilot function and stabiliser operation
- Vibration and noise at cruise, and any change under manoeuvre
- Electrical load behaviour with generators and air conditioning running
- Bilge inspection during and immediately after the trial
- Anchoring gear, thrusters and docking systems tested
- Sailing yachts: hoist, reef, furl and sail under load on both tacks
Specialist inspections
A general surveyor identifies where a deeper look is warranted. Common follow-ups are engine and gearbox assessment including oil analysis, rig inspection with the mast unstepped, coatings assessment, electronics or automation diagnostics, and moisture or laminate investigation.
The survey report
- Findings described clearly, with location and evidence rather than opinion alone
- Recommendations prioritised — safety-critical, near-term, and cosmetic
- Conditions on the day recorded, including what could not be accessed
- Photographs supporting the significant findings
- Limitations stated explicitly
- Delivered within the agreed timeframe so it is usable inside the inspection period
Negotiation after the survey
- Separate safety-critical work from deferred maintenance and cosmetics
- Obtain independent quotations for the significant items before proposing a number
- Decide what you want: seller completes the work, price adjustment, retention, or withdrawal
- Check what the purchase agreement actually entitles you to and by when
- Re-inspect completed work before closing where repairs form part of the deal
Red flags
- Pressure to skip the haul-out or the sea trial
- A surveyor recommended by the selling broker with no independent alternative offered
- Missing service records on a yacht presented as fully maintained
- Fresh paint, sealant or antifouling applied immediately before the survey
- Improvised electrical work, unlabelled circuits or inline domestic-grade fittings
- Standing water in bilges with no explanation
- Refusal to allow panels, soles or hatches to be lifted
- A verbal summary offered in place of a written report