At the Miami Boat show, while wondering the booths and displays, I came across this smallish exhibitor tucked neatly into a row midway down in I think was the main exhibition hall.  The sign read ‘Boat History Report .com’ and so I stopped to find out what they were all about.

It turns out that they will as their sign says, through there website and for a fee, they will give you whole history of a boat in the same way car-fax works with a few more tricks and extras tossed in.

Please excuse the redeye...Never said I was a Photographer

And here’s some more good news; a lot of surveyors use them to double check their work.  So the surveyor isn’t caught off guard with any surprises a more unsavory owner might try to slip by them.

Give them a try if your in the market for a new boat and save yourself the aggravation of the things you don’t know before you put down your hard earned money.

Dear Boat Owner,

I would like really not to be the one to inform you, as a  matter of a fact I would like to be the last person to tell you.  There are people in this world who can be very dishonest.  Yes, I mean very, very dishonest and they affect the way we all have to conduct ourselves.

In the case of insurance you have heard of the insurance fraud cases and the denial of coverage cases, and the disputes over what is covered cases.  If you don’t want to be involved in any of these then I suggest a good and thorough survey done of your boat within a three year period.  And any additions done  to the boat by you; that you inform the insurance company in as short a time as you are able.  Why?  Simple, once a company accepts the findings of a survey they are bound to that survey.  Any additions to the vessel made by you and reported to and accepted by the insurance company cannot be disputed.  The main reason for a survey is when a claim is made or incurred the chances of denial are greatly reduced.

Surveys are good for three years and can cost between $300 – $500 for average sized boats.  The insruance company will usually want an out of water component to the survey for structural soundness.

David