FAQs
We at Boat Squad want this to be an enjoyable experience for all. We are posting these FAQ’s here for your review but encourage you to contact us if you have any doubts about your possible purchase of services and or reports. We are boaters too and we like talking boats!
What is the difference between your inspections and a survey?
Our inspections are specifically designed to be informative in nature for the purpose of a pre-purchase inspection or for a sellers listing purposes. In a survey, the surveyor is required to become intimately aware of the vessel being purchased for the purpose of pre-purchase, insurance viability or insurance integrity or continued insurance coverage. We are able to offer a low cost, high quality report because we are not bound by certifications required by national surveyor associations or the insurance companies and therefore we can operate at a different level. Our service to you is to see wether the boat or vessel is even worthy of consideration. After that, you can continue with a surveyor and its substantial price increase should you choose that vessel, any other or not without a large out of pocket expense. But don’t be fooled by the cost. Our inspectors, many of which do surveys as their main form of income, also work for us as inspectors in between surveys. Others are ABYC technicians, advisors and maritime professionals whom have an extensive resume on nautical subjects and when we receive an order, we look at the list of inspectors available in that area and send the most qualified inspector for that vessel or craft. For instance, we will not send a jet ski inspector whose prior accomplishments are working on jet-skis to inspect a sailboat. We try to keep everyones expertise in check.
How soon can I expect my report or services to be completed?
Inspectors are on the road all day during regular business days. We do everything in our power to deliver a full report from “click to download” in approximately two business days. There are many factors that can hinder this timeline. Weather, sellers not available, listing not ready to be seen etc. We will communicate with you when ever there is a delay and you can also see our progress as you log in to the dashboard. We strive for communication, so you should always know what is going on.
What if I must cancel a report or service?
We start working on your report as soon as you click on a service. Once you order our services, we are unable to refund your payment due to several factors. It would be very difficult for us to start to determine how much effort and what expenses we have already incurred due to a client changing their minds, making another decision or any other factor that may come into play. We are not heartless though. We will gladly try to work with you in changing the vessel to another listing or wait until another listing of interest appears for us to do a report. You can also write to us and explain your circumstances to see if you qualify for a refund.
I have already bought my plane ticket, can I get an expedited report?
If our report is important to you and to your decision on wether to purchase the vessel or not, we implore you to not purchase a ticket prior to receiving our report or at least make your plans flexible. Things on the ground can be very fluid and we can have certain unexpected delays like weather or a seller communications not fast enough for us to move quickly. We do strive to make the report as quickly as possible and after the inspector visits the vessel, we recommend you make arrangements with the seller to give you time to receive the report. Usually by the next day.
Can I place an order during holidays or after hours?
Yes! We encourage you to use our online services as a front line for purchasing an order. Because you are going to fill your user information to access your dashboard, it is best to keep everything thing internet based.
Can I get a verbal report?
Yes! Our inspectors will be on the road throughout the day, but our expeditor will gladly call you for an additional fee and thoroughly discuss the vessel with you. We have this as an add on since it does require our expediter to communicate with you, the seller and the inspector. As such these things require time and we are trying to be as streamline and inexpensive as we can be. Additional request will cost additional time and expense. We strive to be efficient and therefore keep our reports as high quality as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience of the extra expense.
Are reports specific to flaws and issues or what can I expect in a report?
Reports are very specific to what is there, not so much on what is not unless it is required by U.S.C.G for safe navigation or regulation. The saying ‘a picture says a thousand words” is our best buddy. Most listings do not have great HD pictures and usually just a few at that. We will be very discreet with a seller looking over our shoulders, but we will take as many pictures of the good as well as the bad to give you a comprehensive representation of what is there. The reports tend to be more factual in writing, not so much when it comes to descriptions of what to do or how to fix it. That would be up to you, your mechanic or painter etc. Please look at one of our sample reports and you will see what I mean.
You are based in South Florida, do you charge a milage fee?
On the rare occasion we cannot reach the vessel or its location easily, we might charge a milage fee to compensate our inspectors long drive to and from the inspection site. Is these circumstances, our expeditor will reach out to you prior to approving your report or service for your approval or disapproval whichever the case may be. We are growing quickly though and as such, we have inspectors in many areas of Florida.
Do you do sea trials?
If you are interested we can discuss doing a sea trial, but that is closer to a surveyors duties that our main purpose. As Boat Squad grows, we expect to include sea trials and transportation via land and sea to your destination. Please inquire about your particular needs to see if we can accommodate them.
Will you do compression checks on engines?
No, unfortunately, we do not use any tools to disassemble or remove any parts of the engine or vessel for the purpose of inspection. We will note any noises, oil leaks or unusual sightings that catch our attention. We will also look at the condition of the belts and outer peripherals of the engine compartment. A lot can be said for basic maintenance and we do check the color of fluids, gaskets and other known tell tales of lack of maintenance.
Can the inspector just call me to schedule the inspection? I know the seller.
No, we need the sellers name, address and phone number to schedule the inspection. It is best to insure direct communication with the seller in order to avoid confusion. Please add the listing if you can so we can follow up with what is being said about the vessel as well as we can view all possible contact information.
How do I pay for the service and what happens next?
We are a pre-pay service and as such, you pay for the service requested prior to us putting our inspectors in motion. Once you click for a particular service, we run that through our expediter to insure we can provide you with the required reports and schedule the inspector to visit your listing. Once that inspection happens, we update your dashboard with any information we have at the time and review your report for consistency and insure we upload all of the photos before we then notify you that your report is ready. If for whatever reason you have purchased a report we cannot fulfil due to being the wrong service or we are unable to service that area, we will contact you to see if you wish to change the listing or require a refund.
Can I be present for the inspection?
No, we do not allow for a client to be present during an inspection. Only the seller must be there. The inspectors work through the boat using a special program that keeps them focused and on track to insure they do not miss anything that is on that list. Any distractions would create an unnecessary liability and privacy issue with our inspectors that we cannot ignore. Should a client be at the vessel for the inspection, then they have forfeited the inspection as per our terms and conditions and not eligible for a refund. Sorry.
How do I view my report?
Reports are posted on our website. Once you log in with your own, self made credentials, you will be able to view, download, print any of the parts of the report or pictures you wish. We will hold the report on your dashboard for 60 days. After that, it will be removed from the system and we do not keep a copy so you might wish to do so.
Can I change the vessel I ordered a report on?
No, please insure that the vessel you send us is the vessel you wish for us to report on. Once you click on a service we immediately start to work behind the scenes to get your report as quickly as possible. Should the vessel sell prior to an inspector communicating with the seller, usually within the next business day, then we will gladly hold your credit until you find another listing.
But can I speak with the inspector himself?
No, for logistical reasons as well as privacy concerns you will not be able to speak with the inspector directly. All communication must be though Boat Squad and or the expediter.
What if the seller does not show up?
The inspector will make a preliminary appointment with the seller in order to view the listed vessel. As the time gets near, the inspector will reach out again to the seller to tell him they are on their way. Should a seller not be there for the appointment, the inspector will wait and try to communicate with the seller for a period of time (circumstances change like weather) but eventually he has other reports to do. So a photograph will be taken to show that he was at the proper place and time and will notify the office. We cannot offer a refund on an appointment that the seller could not make. We will only offer refunds in the event our inspector could not show up. Please read our terms of use for further information. I will add that we will do everything in our power to communicate with the seller and you to insure there wasn’t a laps of communication or a misunderstanding. We will not, under any circumstances, enter a property or view a vessel without the seller being present. Our inspectors have a NO TOUCH policy so that we cannot become responsible for anything that may break or go awry during an inspection. We also cannot enter a property without proper permission to do so.
I am not sure which report to choose. What should I do?
Once you click on a service, our very next step is to review your request prior to processing. This insures that we will be able to deliver what you are asking for us to do. If there is any questions at this point in the process, we will contact you to insure that you are comfortable with any changes we see might be required. During the sign in process, you will provide us with the listing you are interested in and we will look it up to insure that we are providing you with the proper report or service.
Will you look at boats listed on Ebay?
Yes! However we recommend you give us plenty of notice so that we can get that report to you as soon as possible. We recommend at least a three day window to insure we can get everything done in time for you to make an educated decision.
What warranties or guarantees do you offer?
None. We cannot guarantee or warranty something that is not ours nor do we have ample opportunity to review, research or test any engine, system and or electric device to its limits. We are there to report what we see at the time of the inspection. Sadly, sellers will try to trick our inspectors and we do our best to find deficiencies that normally go unnoticed. We are a first look “do I want to continue to pursue this vessel or not” which allows you to view multiple vessels from a distance or at once so that you can focus your attention on the best choice available to you.
Will you haul the boat if it is in the water?
No, we prefer to view boats that are out of the water so we can do a delimitation check on the hull, but we will not haul a boat that is in a slip or in the water. We will report how the waterline “looks” to see if basic maintenance has been done.
What else should I ask?
Anything you want! Feel free to contact us if you feel that you are not seeing what you need. We will try to help you any way we can.