Currently, in North America there are two types of Surveyors that can be retained for almost exactly the same financial cost by the Boat owner, but they produce vastly different products - one completed by an accredited Surveyor and one not! However, always check with your insurance company because they will only generally accept the accredited Surveyor’s written report and in the end who wants to pay for two Surveys!

A Marine Survey is when a qualified Surveyor (ie. licensed Marine Technician, Marine Architect, Marine Engineer or various other Marine Practical Trade Professionals are recognized by SAMS, Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors and/or the IIMS The International Institute of Marine Surveying) visually inspects a vessel’s hull, deck structures, machinery systems, and electronics, using non-destructive methods to determine value. They then prepare a detailed written report using ABYC standards of your boat’s specifics and their findings. This report (not a checklist) is used to tell the insurance company, or new buyer what the boat is worth according to current market value, and if anything needs fixing to ensure your family is safe on the water and your boat retains its current value.

A Marine Surveyor can be anyone who calls themselves a Marine Surveyor. This means many people call themselves a Marine Surveyor and charge the same price as Qualified Surveyors; however, some of these people have little or no marine practical experience and certainly are not accredited and often Underwriters will not accept their Survey reports.

However a qualified Marine Surveyor must be a person who has some practical experience in the marine industry such as a licensed Marine Technician, Marine Architect, Marine Engineer or various other Marine Practical Trade Professionals and are recognized by SAMS, Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors; NAMS, National Association of Marine Surveyors, and/or the IIMS The International Institute of Marine Surveying.

1st: Do lots of research to understand how/what your vessel is constructed of. Go look at multiple makes and models of the size of vessel you are considering.

2nd: Narrow your choice to one

3rd: Put in an offer with a fully refundable deposit based on a successful Survey.

4th: Contact the local SAMS, NAMS, IIMS Qualified Marine Surveyor to book your pre-purchase Survey

5th: Make your decision to purchase or do further investigations into deficiencies based on the results of the Survey.

6th: Congratulations or Move on!

7th: Transfer ownership or register with Transport Canada

You need a Marine Survey because without one you do not

qualify for boat insurance and can not use most marinas. Your insurance company wants to know all of the details about your boat before offering insurance.

It is also recommended when you are looking to buy a new boat because if you purchase a boat without a Survey, you could waste a lot of money. The Marine Surveyor is there to tell you if anything is wrong with the boat, and what its current value is compared to other boats on the market.

We offer a variety of marine surveys. You can view them in more detail on our, "Types of Marine Surveys" page!

Types of Marine Surveys

Head over to our rates page for details about our rates!

Marine Survey Rates

We Survey a wide array of different boats: Cruisers, High Performance Runabouts, Yachts, Sailboats, Fishing Vessels, Personal Watercraft, Steel, Aluminium, and Commercial Vessels. Make sure to contact us with more details about your vessel.

We explain in detail how to prepare for your survey on our, "Prepare For a Survey" page below!

Prepare For a Survey

We schedule our Surveys for the week. If the weather is raining or below freezing, it can affect the quality of our inspection and decks can not be inspected for conductivity, so we may need to come back and complete your inspection at a later date. But don’t worry, you will be given priority and rescheduled as soon as possible!

No, you do not need to be present for your Marine Survey. In fact, we strongly recommend that you aren’t present. This way we can focus on every detail of your boat and ensure the best quality of inspection possible. If you insist on being present for your inspection, your written report may be delayed because it can not be written on site.

Depending on the size of your boat, a survey can take anywhere from a few hours, to the entire day! That is why we charge by the length of the boat and not by the hour.

We generally like to have Surveys to our clients within 7-10 business days, but in our busy Spring and Fall periods, this can be impossible. Please be patient and realize that we are working 7 days a week, 12-16 hours/day during this period to ensure you have your Survey as soon as possible.

For insurance purposes, it is required that you receive a Marine Survey every 5 to 10 years depending on the Insurance Underwriter’s requirements. Other times you should invest in a Marine Survey is if you are selling your boat, or buying a new one!

Head on over to our "Contact Us" page to send us a message.

You can also contact us by phone or E-mail!

Contact Us!

Phone: 705-955-3757

E-mail: ims_kennedy@icloud.com