Make the surveyor’s job easy, and your boat sells faster

Captn Tommy
Jan 12
4 min read

Seller pre-survey preparation checklist for smoother inspections, cleaner survey reports, and easier yacht insurance approval

This text answers the question: What should a seller do before the marine survey so the report supports insurance approval and a clean closing?

Why this matters more now than it did a few years ago

A lot of sellers still treat the survey as a formality. In the 2025–2026 market, it is often the insurance gatekeeper.

The buyer is not only buying your boat, they are buying the ability to insure it. Underwriters (the insurance company’s risk decision-makers) rarely “assume the best.” They assume whatever the report cannot verify is an unknown risk. And unknown risk is what delays deals, triggers exclusions, or kills coverage.

So if you want the best possible outcome, your real goal is simple: help the surveyor write a report with as few “access limited” and “could not verify” statements as possible.

Think of the underwriter as the invisible buyer

On survey day, you may see one person with a flashlight and a camera. In reality, the report is being written for three parties: buyer, lender (if any), and the underwriter.

The underwriter will never step aboard. They only see evidence and wording. If the report reads like this:

“Operational status unknown due to inability to access components,”

it does not matter how good the boat actually is. The paper trail is what gets judged.

The seller’s advantage: limitations are optional

Most of the survey language that causes insurance friction is not about scary defects. It is about missing proof.

Here is the blunt truth: if a surveyor cannot see it, demonstrate it, or document it, they are required to say so. That single sentence can be the difference between “approved with standard terms” and “pending further information.”

Your job is to remove preventable limitations.

1) Access is everything

If lockers are packed, panels are blocked, or keys are missing, the survey becomes “inspection limited” by default.

Before the surveyor arrives:

Clear hanging lockers, lazarettes, engine spaces, and under-berth storage, especially around chainplates, steering gear, seacocks, and bulkhead tabbing
Remove loose gear that hides the hull-to-deck joint, keel area (monohulls), or structural landings (cats)
Make sure all access panels can be opened without a scavenger hunt for tools
Have a step ladder available if needed for rig inspection access points, mast base, or overhead fittings

A surveyor should not have to move your life around to inspect the structure that carries the loads.

2) Demonstration beats reassurance

Sellers often say “it works,” and mean it. Surveyors cannot write “it works” unless it was demonstrated or evidenced.

Make it easy to demonstrate systems:

Shore power connected and functioning
Batteries charged
Fresh water available for pumps, heads, and showers
Bilges reasonably clean and viewable (a filthy bilge creates questions you do not want)
Engines able to start, ideally from cold if scheduling allows
Navigation electronics powered up
Windlass cycled
Heads flushed
Bilge pumps tested (manual and automatic, where possible)

The goal is not perfection. The goal is verification.

3) Clutter is not cosmetic, it is a report limitation

It is completely normal to store gear aboard. It is not normal to expect a professional inspection while critical areas are buried.

When access is blocked, the report must say so.

Underwriters often read “inaccessible” as “unknown condition,” and unknown condition reads like hidden defect, even when it is not.

Treat survey day like an open house for the systems, not the décor.

4) Paperwork is the boat’s resume

In today’s market, invoices and reports carry real weight. A well-documented boat can look lower-risk than a boat that is technically similar but undocumented.

Have a simple binder or folder ready, even if it is not pretty:

Engine service records (recent dates matter)
Standing rigging replacement or inspection documentation
Saildrive diaphragm replacement date (if applicable)
Haul-out, bottom paint, and anode dates
Major upgrades (charging system, lithium, solar, watermaker, safety gear)
Prior surveys (even if old, they help establish history)

When a surveyor can cite dates and evidence, the report becomes specific. Specific is insurable.

5) Fix the small stuff so it does not imply a bigger story

Underwriters look for patterns. Ten minor issues can read like a maintenance culture problem, even if the big-ticket items are fine.

Before survey day, knock out the easy wins:

Replace expired flares and fire extinguishers
Fix obvious lighting and basic electrical tidiness issues
Secure loose wiring that looks improvised
Address small leaks or explain them clearly with evidence of repair attempts
Replace missing labels, missing breaker IDs, and missing safety placards where appropriate

You are not “hiding” anything by fixing small issues. You are preventing cheap distractions from contaminating the story of the boat.

6) Do a quick self-survey the day before

Walk the boat like a stranger would, slowly, with a notebook.

Ask yourself:

Is anything important blocked, locked, or buried?
Can the surveyor access seacocks and hose runs?
Are the bilges viewable and not masking leaks?
Are there obvious DIY modifications with no documentation?
Are manuals, serial numbers, and service stickers available?

If you spot a likely question, answer it in advance with access or documentation.

The bottom line

Sellers sometimes assume the surveyor is a hurdle. In reality, the surveyor is the translator between your boat and the insurance world.

If you give the surveyor access, clean demonstrations, and documentation, you dramatically increase the odds of a report that reads clear and complete.

And in the 2025–2026 market, clarity is what gets the buyer insured, and insurance is what gets your deal closed.

If you want to make this easy (and avoid “could not verify” language), our Insurance-Ready Boat File gives you a ready-made documentation structure and checklists so you can hand the surveyor and underwriter clean, dated evidence from day one.

Insurance-Ready Boat File

Seller pre-survey preparation checklist for smoother inspections, cleaner survey reports, and easier yacht insurance approval

This text answers the question: What should a seller do before the marine survey so the report supports insurance approval and a clean closing?

Why this matters more now than it did a few years ago

A lot of sellers still treat the survey as a formality. In the 2025–2026 market, it is often the insurance gatekeeper.

Think of the underwriter as the invisible buyer

On survey day, you may see one person with a flashlight and a camera. In reality, the report is being written for three parties: buyer, lender (if any), and the underwriter.

The underwriter will never step aboard. They only see evidence and wording. If the report reads like this:

“Operational status unknown due to inability to access components,”

The seller’s advantage: limitations are optional

Most of the survey language that causes insurance friction is not about scary defects. It is about missing proof.

Here is the blunt truth: if a surveyor cannot see it, demonstrate it, or document it, they are required to say so. That single sentence can be the difference between “approved with standard terms” and “pending further information.”

Your job is to remove preventable limitations.

1) Access is everything

If lockers are packed, panels are blocked, or keys are missing, the survey becomes “inspection limited” by default.

Before the surveyor arrives:

Clear hanging lockers, lazarettes, engine spaces, and under-berth storage, especially around chainplates, steering gear, seacocks, and bulkhead tabbing

Remove loose gear that hides the hull-to-deck joint, keel area (monohulls), or structural landings (cats)

Make sure all access panels can be opened without a scavenger hunt for tools

Have a step ladder available if needed for rig inspection access points, mast base, or overhead fittings

A surveyor should not have to move your life around to inspect the structure that carries the loads.

2) Demonstration beats reassurance

Sellers often say “it works,” and mean it. Surveyors cannot write “it works” unless it was demonstrated or evidenced.

Make it easy to demonstrate systems:

Shore power connected and functioning

Batteries charged

Fresh water available for pumps, heads, and showers

Bilges reasonably clean and viewable (a filthy bilge creates questions you do not want)

Engines able to start, ideally from cold if scheduling allows

Navigation electronics powered up

Windlass cycled

Heads flushed

Bilge pumps tested (manual and automatic, where possible)

The goal is not perfection. The goal is verification.

3) Clutter is not cosmetic, it is a report limitation

It is completely normal to store gear aboard. It is not normal to expect a professional inspection while critical areas are buried.

When access is blocked, the report must say so.

Underwriters often read “inaccessible” as “unknown condition,” and unknown condition reads like hidden defect, even when it is not.

Treat survey day like an open house for the systems, not the décor.

4) Paperwork is the boat’s resume

In today’s market, invoices and reports carry real weight. A well-documented boat can look lower-risk than a boat that is technically similar but undocumented.

Have a simple binder or folder ready, even if it is not pretty:

Engine service records (recent dates matter)

Standing rigging replacement or inspection documentation

Saildrive diaphragm replacement date (if applicable)

Haul-out, bottom paint, and anode dates

Major upgrades (charging system, lithium, solar, watermaker, safety gear)

Prior surveys (even if old, they help establish history)

5) Fix the small stuff so it does not imply a bigger story

Underwriters look for patterns. Ten minor issues can read like a maintenance culture problem, even if the big-ticket items are fine.

Before survey day, knock out the easy wins:

Replace expired flares and fire extinguishers

Fix obvious lighting and basic electrical tidiness issues

Secure loose wiring that looks improvised

Address small leaks or explain them clearly with evidence of repair attempts

Replace missing labels, missing breaker IDs, and missing safety placards where appropriate

You are not “hiding” anything by fixing small issues. You are preventing cheap distractions from contaminating the story of the boat.

6) Do a quick self-survey the day before

Walk the boat like a stranger would, slowly, with a notebook.

Ask yourself:

Is anything important blocked, locked, or buried?

Can the surveyor access seacocks and hose runs?

Are the bilges viewable and not masking leaks?

Are there obvious DIY modifications with no documentation?

Are manuals, serial numbers, and service stickers available?

If you spot a likely question, answer it in advance with access or documentation.

The bottom line

Sellers sometimes assume the surveyor is a hurdle. In reality, the surveyor is the translator between your boat and the insurance world.

If you give the surveyor access, clean demonstrations, and documentation, you dramatically increase the odds of a report that reads clear and complete.

And in the 2025–2026 market, clarity is what gets the buyer insured, and insurance is what gets your deal closed.

If you want to make this easy (and avoid “could not verify” language), our Insurance-Ready Boat File gives you a ready-made documentation structure and checklists so you can hand the surveyor and underwriter clean, dated evidence from day one.