Surveyor recommendation needed MD area - Pete Fallon or others?

[DanielM]

Guys, I’m flying up to look at a Bertram 38 in Solomns Maryland in a couple of weeks. Wondering if anyone has a surveyor they could recommend in that area.

Thanks

[Tony Meola]

Dan

Not sure who is down there, but Boat US usually has a list you can select a surveyor from.

[DanielM]

Tony, Thank you. I might try that, or Google.

The seller sent me his last two surveys from two different surveyors, so I could use one of them.

I was just wondering if one of the faithful happened to be local and had an opinion. Maybe shorten the search. If not, I’m fine doing the typical source research.

[neil]

I have a freind down that way,he and his family are hundred yr old bay men I will ask him tomorrow he will know who to ask

[DanielM]

Thank you Neil. I’ll PM you my contact info.

[neil]

Dan I spoke with him ,he will call me today and I will post the info here I don’t do pms

[DanielM]

No problem, posting here is best. Might help someone else along the way. Thanks

[Carl]

Daniel-

Denis is a good friend of mine, smart like nobody's business, and you will not find a more honest person. The down side is he a bit of a trip from MD, although he did go to MD to check out the Cummins motors for me. If Neils person does not pan out, maybe a backup.

If you tell him I gave you his info he probly won't charge you more...lol kidding.

[neil]

Daniel here is what I have for you,coast 2 coast marine 240-305-5047. Or 3cs marine 904-495 5279 you got the number from wade murphy hope this helps

[DanielM]

Guys, Thanks for the contact info. It helps to have some local knowledge.

Neil, 3C marine did the last survey in 2022. I’ll probably give him a call.

Heading up the end of January to take a look. It’s a private owner 1970 wide body with 6cta 450hp Cummins so it checks the boxes I wanted. Seems to be in pretty well-kept shape.

I’ll let y’all know how it turns out.

I haven’t been that far up in the Northeast since the 2010(?) Greenport Rendezvous. Can’t believe it has been that long. I sure picked a great month for a Southern boy to head up. Oh well.

[neil]

Daniel it is not to bad up here but it is winter time,good luck I always wanted a 38 special

[Carl]

Local knowledge and knowing the surveyor works for you are real important.


Being up here at the end of January will have you appreciating home more.

Good luck Daniel.

[DanielM]

I guess I shouldn’t whine too much, we’re going to have a low of 20F down here on the coast tomorrow night and my hometown Amarillo up in the panhandle, where my family lives, will be 3F. So it does get a little cold down here as well at times. Just doesn’t hang around much.

Neil, my neighbor on the next canal over from my shop has a B38 express. I haven’t been out on it with him yet. The old Detroit’s have been giving him fits, but it’s a nice boat. But for my purposes I like the large cabin on the sport fisherman.

[DanielM]

Guys,

I figured I’d update this with a little learning I had with this prospective purchase. The TLDR version - I didn’t get it done. Inability to insure in South Florida killed the deal.

I had been looking for the last few years for a 1980s B35 or a1970s B38 widebody. After I sold my fishing cabin on the bay a few years ago, I wanted to either fix up one of my offshore project boats in the shop or buy a B35/B38 that was complete and running. (BTW, my wife thinks like Carl, she was lobbying for “why don’t you just buy one that is actually running this time” lol)

The B38 in Maryland finally fit the bill. It had the 6CTA Cummins I was hoping for. They were kind of high hours but appeared to be pretty well maintained by the seller as he had owned the boat for ~20 years. It had been on the market last year but he didn’t get what he was asking and had taken it off the market. I contacted him and we came to a pretty good agreement on price so I went to look at the boat, and while it’s a 54-year-old boat with some expected concerns, it fit the bill and I was ready to pull the trigger on it pending the survey. I didn’t get that far due to insurance issues.

I have a small place in the Florida Keys and I was going to keep the boat there but it turns out as of mid-2023 there are no underwriters left that will insure a boat that size and age without excluding tropical storm / hurricane ‘named storm’ coverage. So, while I could insure the boat, there would be no coverage in any named storm. This included liability, fuel spill mitigation, and salvage/wreck recovery. A hard stop for me. This was even with a reasonable hurricane plan, unless the boat was moved to a Cat 5 rated boat storage building. Which is not actually possible given the number of boats vs. the number of boat dry storage units. Especially in the Keys. The underwriters don’t have much love for the older classics.

I fully understand the reasoning for this, given the claims from the last few storms. Up until this year coverage was available but pricey. But now not available for a 50-year-old boat, independent of surveyed condition and appropriate hurricane plan/prep.

This applied to Monroe County Fl specifically, but I think included at least a few of the most southern counties. Insurance here in Texas is still doable, and the current owner has it insured in Maryland without issue, but Southern Florida it is not available without the windstorm exclusion.

So, if any of you guys are in Southern Florida be sure and read your insurance dec pages very carefully. One break point I heard was 30’ so my CC30 might be ok but a B31 probably not.

Looks like I’ll need to go smaller. In the end it may just be that the Good Lord looking out for me. While I’ve been lusting for a B38 it’s a lot more boat than I have ever owned. Maybe he just saved me some pain, I have to look for the silver lining. I’m taking my bay boat over this spring so we’ll be on the water. It’s good for all the inshore and very close off shore short runs.

Anyway, thanks for the surveyor suggestions, guys. I contracted with 3C Marine. He seemed knowledgeable and easy to work with, and based on the previous survey he did, I think thorough. But we didn’t complete the new survey.

BTW the National Mall in DC is pretty cool if you ever have several hours to kill up there. I never thought I’d see the Washington and Lincoln monuments in person, so the trip up was not a complete bust.

[Carl]

Daniel- My dads insurance carrier in Florida dropped his 28' 1966 Hatteras this year, after many many years of coverage and zero claims.

Seems like when my business insurance dropped us, they said we were 7 miles from the Coast. I told them it's an Island, the island is only 7 miles wide, everything would be too close to the coast, they agreed...still dropped us, but did agree, it was their way to drop every business on the Island. Two years later Sandy hit, the business was fine...aside from no electricity on most of the Island but no water issues. I think they work those numbers and realize it's gonna get really expensive deciding to cut a portion of the customer base loose. Old boats...some love them more than those with new boats, others have em cause they can be cheap...especially when not in best of condition. Non-running boats don't make the trip inland to secure areas or have the means to pay for secure locations. Just my thoughts...as I believe they are running numbers and getting worried.

That said, bigger boats are nice, but in Florida I am not 100% sure. Finding dockage is getting tougher and much more expensive, as you said insurance...but also it's just so darn hot. I think I would opt for a smaller, quick boat to get out, fish, hit the beach, maybe a dock n dine and get back.

I think this was just a long winded way of saying sorry for your having a change of plans.

[DanielM]

Yep. I understand the reason for the old boat issue. I don’t know how many folks I’ve known over the years that had (or bought) an old boat in the marina and then wound up praying a hurricane would get it so they would get out from under it. And many did. Just hurts the folks that actually have a good hurricane plan. My old Chris Craft went through Hurricane Rita in the middle of the canal secured with multiple lines with no problems, they can make it if you prepare. I just figured I pass on the changing landscape for our old boats. I could still get coverage, although pricey, just no named storm coverage.

I was wanting a cabin for over night trips but a day boat is really the better set up for there. I bought an old project Bertram 26 years ago for that purpose but never did anything with it. It looks like it’ll get some love. Now that I’m retired it’s time to “Fish or cut bait” on some of my old project boats. And the other break point that I learned is that 27’ is the delineation between a ‘boat’ and a ‘yacht’. At least with some of the underwriters. The 26 is a 1984, under 27’ and a trailerable boat. So it should fly. Even then I still may not be able to get named storm coverage but I can get it out of the way easier. I just need to put it back together.

BTW I’m an unusual Florida snowbird. I switch back and forth from ‘hotter than h*ll” to “just D*mn hot”. My place in Florida is actually a little more pleasant than my place in Texas in the summer due to proximity to the coast. Generally, the place in Fl is a little less hot and humid then it is at home. Still dang hot though without a doubt.

[Amberjack]

I switch back and forth from ‘hotter than h*ll” to “just D*mn hot”.

I was talking with Captain Patrick by phone from Seattle years ago and I asked him how the weather was down there in Texas. His reply "Beautiful in the morning, beautiful in the evening and hotter'n hell the rest of the time".