Documentation

Make sure your original documentation and/or state registrations are onboard.  Have the owner manuals and logbooks available during the survey.  Logbooks should detail all movements of the boat, repairs, servicing, fueling, etc. 

Get Underway

Run your engines. Make sure that your engines start easily, don’t overheat, and don’t produce excessive smoke. You will be required to run at WOT, open up the engines to ensure that they get full revolutions and do not overheat at WOT.  Also a good time to check for any unusual vibrations.

Fuel

Make sure you have enough fuel to seatrial but do not fill the boat with fuel.  Replace primary and secondary fuel filters before the seatrial, this will help with smoking and achieving full rpms. Fuel filters should be replaced after 1 year or 200 hours.

Oil

If your oil is over 1 year old or over 200 hours, change it.  If you change your oil before a survey make sure to put at least 5 to 10 hours of use on it.  Never change the oil in your engines or generator the day before a survey, surveyors will know and freshly changed oil just before a survey raises suspicions.

Odors

We sometimes become used to smells.  It is always great to avoid questions from odors by cleaning bilges, treating grey and black water tanks, remove any standing water and clean your air conditioning return air filters.

Seacocks

These are one of the most overlooked items and always end up on a survey discrepancy list.  Insurance companies require them to be working for safety reasons. Operate all seacocks to making sure they open and close with ease.  If not loosen them and lubricate.  Replace any rusty hose clamps while doing this.