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SVN Solovelanet Global
Even if some sellers frown at the request for a
survey, they should keep in mind that according
to the law of many European countries, the ow-
ner is liable for hidden defects of his boat (in
Italy, the owner remain liable for two years after
the sale). If the boat has not been surveyed, it
may for instance happen that she hits a rock and
gets damaged a week after changing ownership,
but the buyer declares that damage was already
there before his purchase and was found out by
chance, so the related repair costs have to be
borne by the seller.If there is a report drawn up
by a surveyor who has checked the condition of
the boat ashore, this risk is avoided.
Causes of damage
Having clarified that the survey is a guarantee
for both parties involved in the sale, let's ask
ourselves what may be found by the surveyor
during the inspection.
Let's find out which sort of damage is to be clas-
sified as severe; defects requiring minor repairs,
such as a scratch or a seacock to be replaced,
will not be taken into consideration.
To understand what may be found, let's clarify
what sort of serious accidents may occur to a
boat. Here below is a short list.
a) Fire: this is certainly the most severe acci-
dent, even worse than sinking.
On top, a boat on fire in a roadstead. The fire
is so extensive that it will be hard to make re-
pairs. On top aside, a boat sunk in a harbour.
Here aside, a boat that hit a rock
