Module 1

An Introduction to the Yacht and Small Craft Industry and the Role of the Yacht and Small Craft Surveyor

• Yachting safety
• The flag state
• Maritime and coastguard Agency (MCA)
• Marine Accident Investigation Branch
• Recreational Craft Directive
• Classification societies
• The purchase of a yacht
• Inspection
• Negotiation and contract
• Survey
• The law and yachts
• Merchant shipping legislation and yachts
• Marine insurance
• The surveyor and the law
• Health & safety for the marine surveyor
• Safety equipment and safety awareness
• Surveys and survey organisations

Module 2

The Essential Basics of Carrying out a Yacht survey

• Types of survey
• Condition surveys
• Classification surveys
• Statutory surveys
• Fitness for purpose, performance and other types of survey
• Overview of the survey process
• The instruction
• Survey preparation
• Survey day
• The report
• The surveyors bag

Module 3

Report Writing for Marine Surveyors

• The basic of reports
• Preparing for the report
• Terminology vs jargon
• Report types
• Pre-purchase condition surveys (PPCS)
• Hull damage surveys
• Writing the report
• Presenting photographs

Module 4

Running a Successful Yacht and Small Craft Surveying Business

• Defining what a business does
• The business plan
• The value of your time
• Marking your business
• The SWOT analysis
• Finance
• Managing your cash flow
• Basic book-keeping
• Choosing your office

Module 5

Essential Law

• Introduction to the English law and the national legal system
• The law of contract
• The law of tort (negligence)
• Liability in contract and tort
• The expert witness and the law of evidence
• Admiralty law and jurisdiction
• International marine law
• Yacht documentation
• Small craft insurance policies

Module 6

Surveying GRP Yachts

• Basic Fibreglass materials
• Reinforcement
• Building techniques
• Common problems with structure
• Osmosis
• Practical surveying of GRP craft

Module 7

Surveying Steel and Aluminium Yachts

• Types of steel and aluminium
• Welding and weld defects
• Types of corrosion
• Steel hull construction
• Aluminium hull construction
• Ultra sonic thickness measurement
• Typical steel and aluminium hull problem areas
• protecting steel and aluminium

Module 8

Surveying Wooden Boats

• Fundamentals of a wooden boat survey
• Engineering principals of wooden boat building
• Degradation of wooden boats
• Wooden boat survey
• Planking
• Decks
• Damage surveys
• Repairs and modifications

Module 9

Surveying Yacht Engines and Systems

• Engines
• External and internal observations of the yacht
• Drive systems
• Exhaust systems
• Air conditioning
• Water systems
• Fuel system
• Bilge pumps
• The limitations of the surveyor's role

Module 10

Surveying Rigs and Sails

• Rig types
• Mast constructions materials and fabrications techniques
• Rigging
• Health and safety in rig surveying
• Methods of rig surveying
• Common rigging faults
• Sail types
• Sail materials
• Methods of sail surveying
• Common sail faults

Module 11

Valuation Survey

• What is value?
• Valuations and the surveyor
• Aspect of value
• Physical defects and value
• Valuations methodology
• Sources of information
• Depreciation as a method of determining value
• Yacht brokers
• The valuation report

Module 12

Sea Trial

• Preparation for sea trial
• Engine tests
• Steering tests
• Other system tests
• Information capture and reporting