As you know, I help numerous clients find and buy their yachts. I took Mary with me last week so she could go through first hand how I go about inspecting yachts. I previewed a Cheoy Lee trawler for an out of state client. I actually conduct a mini-survey looking for anything that might be a red flag for a potential buyer. He had rather find out sooner than later about a boat.

To start, I gave her hull and decks a good looking over. I used a moisture meter to look for any moisture below the gel coat. I performed a good inspection of all the decks looking for anything suspicious. I did not find any soft spots or anything except she could use a little new paint at the rubrails.

I then began inside the boat, inside the salon to start. I went throughout the salon looking especially for any evidence of window leaks. Again I utilized my moisture meter to peer beneath the surface. I only found one small place that was not active, just a little staining from a past water leak around a window. I checked the bulkheads, the flooring and the ceiling. All looked fine. I lifted the wall to wall carpet to find beautiful teak & holly flooring with a nice high-gloss finish.

I then moved to the galley which was adjacent to the salon and did the same inspection. I also checked out the appliances to make sure they were in satisfactory condition. The Buyer’s wife wants a dishwasher inside her yacht but this one did not have one but we did measure to see if one could be put in.

On to the pilothouse where I once again used my moisture meter to check whether there were water leak issues. I also did a cursory inspection of the area to determine the overall condition of the woodwork, electronics etc. I did not power up the electronics but just gave them a once over for any visible signs of corrosion etc.. I did find a problem with an exterior door where moisture was present within the wood and fiberglass door. I proceeded to the flybridge where I inspected the decking, propane locker, dingy and mounts and looked again at the electronics. You have to look closely at all masts deck-stepped as water can penetrate here.

Back down below in the master stateroom we looked for signs of water damage by the portholes and on the walls. I checked the rudder posts and water tanks under the bunk to see what condition they were in; good shape actually. A quick inspection of the shower & head were also done. Each of the other 3 staterooms and heads were inspected as well, looking for plain red flags.

Last but not least we found ourselves in the engine room. I searched to see if the engine room itself was immaculate and whether the bilges were clean. I also checked to see what shape the fuel tanks were in and what how the engines and generators looked. All of them appeared to be in good shape. I also looked at the air conditioning systems for the boat and found one raw water pump that was leaking but should be a simple fix.

No equipment or systems were run during the inspection, this happens during the survey. I also checked the shaft stuffing boxes, strainer condition, electrical panels, stabilizer mechanicals, the bonding system and the batteries.

All in all, we looked at a boat in average to above average shape for her age. She likely requires a a couple of things to get her ship shape but not much. I can now counsel my purchaser to proceed with her or go find another boat.

When we returned home, I prepared a report for my buyer in which I passed along all findings and concerns. We will look to see whether the purchaser wishes to personally view this trawler or pass on her.