Pre-Purchase & Offshore Yacht Consultation

Pre-Purchase Consultation

Good marine surveyors know what’s right and wrong with the structure and mechanics of most boats, but they are not necessarily experienced sailors. They can certainly tell you what equipment works and what needs attention, or whether a fire extinguisher is in need of inspection, or if the gelcoat has blisters or a deck is delaminated. That is their job and there are many great surveyors in the area who do it very well. However, picking the right sailboat for your needs is not their job. And their experience actually sailing a vessel is often very limited.

With over 35 years around the sailing industry, 20 years as a USCG licensed captain with over 100,000 coastal and offshore, bluewater miles under his keels, our owner, Doug Ely, has a good understanding of what may or may not be a good boat for you and what you might expect if you purchase a specific boat. Identifying problem areas specific to your usage or recommendations for ways to make a boat more user-friendly to you are things Doug can offer based on his vast sailing experience and his deep knowledge of boat design and construction. He can discuss sailing characteristics, real world limitations or expectations, design inadequacies and suggest or recommend upgrades. All of these things are not typically part of a marine survey. He has often been hired in this role of assessing the quality and condition of a yacht for a potential buyer, or suggesting improvements, before papers are signed and a full-blown survey is commissioned.

Offshore Passagemaking/ORC Racing Requirements

Doug can assess your boat for offshore passagemaking and/or to meet the ORC Category 1 offshore racing requirements. He has delivered yachts offshore, to and from the Caribbean on many occasions, through all sorts of nasty conditions, as well as raced to Bermuda numerous times, and prepared vessels for inspection, to meet the strict ORC race regulations. He won the 650-mile Bermuda Race from Marion, MA aboard the Swan, DAKOTA, in 1999.

Doug is available for consultation at reasonable hourly rates for simple phone communication, or for a complete vessel inspection and written analysis of any particular boat that you may be considering for purchase or offshore use.