2727 NE 32ND STREET
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33316
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HOME »- ABOUT US
Some Things You Should Know
| ABOUT THE COMPANY | ABOUT OUR SAFETY INSPECTIONS | ABOUT BEING NUMBER ONE |
All survey inspections are carried out to USCG, ABYC & NFPA requirements, and we can survey to MCA and various classification society rules.
As in any job unless you have the experience, it does not matter how good your tools are. A good hands-on surveyor can tell a great deal just by looking and smelling before bringing any tool out and I encourage all of the surveyors to talk to the clients on what we are finding.
Until the introduction of thermal imaging cameras there was no way to record any possible delamination findings on fiberglass boats unless we cut into the hull – something most owners are rather reluctant to sanction. We still use a phenolic hammer to “sound” the hull to find any delamination and then we use the thermal image to show others what we have found.
Today we use the thermal camera under the correct circumstances to find problems not only on the hull of fiberglass boats but on steel, aluminum and wooden vessels, decks, decks with teak over, electrical circuits, distribution panels and switchboards without having to dismantle anything.
In the past, Moisture Meter Testing was the accepted way to test for any moisture in a laminate or the core of a hull. Unlike thermal imaging, the cost of moisture meter equipment is relatively cheap and often times those who aren’t industry professionals deem themselves qualified to perform surveys because they have a meter.
Audio Gauge Testing allows us to test hull plating, tanks, sea chests and piping without dismantling the parts and we give a full report with many more recorded readings than any other company.
Surveying is largely unregulated and although many insurance or financial companies require a certified marine survey, most are being completed by so called surveyors with very little experience, no formal marine education and are only certified by attending one day of training per year.
Look at any surveyors web site and they all state that they have high morals, which hopefully we all have but very few will tell you their full background, have they any formal marine qualifications, have they had hands on experience of building or repairing yachts, could they rebuild an engine, have they stood in a federal court room as an expert witness.
Mr. Elliott is one of the very few surveyors in America who does actually have a formal marine engineering education and not trained in a six week program like the majority of others. You may want to ask to see a detailed resume before choosing your next surveyor.
