Tall Ships America-Ethics of Marine Surveying

While I was at the Tall Ships America conference, I attended the ethics of marine surveying talk. The speakers were Tim Lokocz Adams of Maine Design Company, and Chris Richmond, a Maine-based marine insurance broker and former schooner captain.  Before this session I knew nothing about what marine surveying was, let alone what a surveyor does.  Although the speakers didn't explicitly define what a surveyor does, I was able to infer what the overall job consists of.

A marine surveyor is a neutral party that has an expertise in inspecting and assessing the overall value of a vessel. If I were to buy a boat I would want to have a marine surveyor inspect the boat before I bought it so I would know that the vessel was in good shape and that I was paying a fair price.

Harbor School, along with other maritime organizations, can utilize marine surveyors to inspect its vessels to insure that they're in good condition and that there are no major issues.