The 5 types of marine surveys, explained

"Getting a survey" means five different things depending on who is asking and why. Buyers, insurers, lenders, and claims adjusters each need a different inspection with a different scope. Ordering the wrong one wastes money; skipping the right one can cost far more.

1. The pre-purchase (Condition & Value) survey

The most thorough survey and the one most people mean. Commissioned by the buyer before closing on a used boat, it inspects everything reasonably accessible without disassembly: hull and deck structure (with moisture readings and soundings), machinery installation, electrical, fuel, plumbing, steering, safety equipment, and cosmetics, typically including a haul-out for the bottom and a sea trial for systems under way.

The report describes the vessel, lists findings and recommendations in priority order, and states an opinion of fair market value and replacement cost. Lenders require it for financing; insurers rely on it to bind coverage; buyers use it to renegotiate or walk away. Expect roughly $25 to $40 per foot plus haul-out; the full math is in our survey cost guide.

2. The insurance survey

Once a boat reaches a certain age (commonly 15 to 25 years, insurer-dependent), underwriters require a periodic condition survey, often every three to five years, to confirm the vessel remains an acceptable risk. It is narrower than a pre-purchase survey: condition and valuation, usually no sea trial, with attention focused on the things that sink boats and burn boats: through-hulls and hoses, fuel systems, electrical, and safety equipment. Priced accordingly, around $18 to $28 per foot. The owner pays.

3. The appraisal survey

Sometimes you only need a defensible number: refinancing, charitable donation, divorce or estate settlement, or litigation. An appraisal survey documents the vessel's specification and condition sufficiently to support a formal opinion of value, without the exhaustive systems testing of a pre-purchase survey.

4. The damage survey

After a grounding, fire, lightning strike, sinking, or collision, a damage surveyor determines the cause and extent of loss and often reviews repair estimates or oversees repairs. Usually commissioned by the insurer (owners sometimes retain their own), and typically billed hourly. It is specialist work: cause-of-loss opinions end up in claim files and courtrooms, which is why damage surveyors write very carefully.

5. The new-construction survey

For a new build or major refit, a surveyor can inspect at stages of construction to verify workmanship and standards compliance before problems get laminated over. Common on semi-custom and custom builds, and increasingly requested by first owners of production boats before final acceptance.

What every good survey has in common

• Standards. US recreational surveys are measured chiefly against ABYC voluntary standards, NFPA 302, and applicable Code of Federal Regulations requirements. A report that cites its standards is a report an underwriter can act on.
• Independence. The surveyor works for whoever hired them, not the broker or the yard. Accreditation bodies (SAMS and NAMS) enforce ethics rules on exactly this point.
• A written report. The deliverable is the document: findings, priorities, and valuation in a format lenders and insurers accept. Report quality and turnaround differ enormously between surveyors, so ask for a sample and a committed delivery date. (Surveyors: this document is half your working life; our 2026 research measured exactly how much, and it is the problem Worksmith Marine was built to remove.)
• Limits. Every survey is a non-destructive snapshot of accessible areas on a given day. It is professional judgment, not prophecy and not a warranty.

Which survey do you need?

Whichever you need, hire accredited and hire local knowledge. Our Find a Marine Surveyor directory maps 900+ surveyors nationwide, searchable by city, state, and accreditation.