Surveyors- Surveyors should be NAMS (National Association of Marine Surveyors) or SAMS (Society of Accredited Surveyors). These 2 organizations have promulgated standards and practices for surveys that have gained the trust and acceptance of insuring companies and marine lenders. The problems with surveys come when owners want to do the survey on the cheap, and hires a local who claims to have X number of years in the marine business.
The absolute worst surveyors I have ever hired were SAMS/NAMS "accredited". Their penchant for evaluating a 30 year old boat against the latest ABYC design guide is responsible for driving up insurance rates. When I called SAMS headquarters and complained about one of them, I was advised that individual members have a great amount of leeway. In other words, the organization has zero control over their members or over standardization. The senior staffer on the phone told me his personal boat would never meet the ABYC standard, and shouldn't be expected to. The SAMS/NAMS "trust partnership" is a pathetic joke...and the joke is ultimately on policy owners who get to pay higher rates. I finally found a top notch (and relatively expensive) naval architect, who has credentials as long as your arm...designer and build supervisor for several custom trawlers, tugs, and barges on the Great Lakes. Does design work for Palmer Johnson and a large shipyard. Years of survey experience. Highly respected. The insurance company was initially hesitant to accept him because he wasn't on a SAMS/NAMS/SCAMS list. Fact is he refuses to be associated with either organization and I understand why. SAMS/NAMS membership absolutely does NOT equate to competence...or common sense.