Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Q: What sets AAC Marine apart from all other marine surveyors?
A: AAC Marine LLC has been surveying boats since 1971. We have built over 100 boats and we have been registered with the U.S. Coast Guard as a builder since 1976 under the AMS HIN in all venues, including wood, steel, steel, fiberglass, and composites.
Captain Leiner, founder and senior advisor of AAC Marine LLC, didn’t just get into the business to make a few quick dollars. He grew up in the marine industry. His family roots include running, building, repairing and inspecting boats.
We know what we are looking at. We are here to protect you as an owner. We are your eyes and ears. Many brokers will recommend us to you, but it’s important to note that we do not work for them or take ‘kickbacks’ – we will still tell you if it it’s a bad boat!
Q: How much does marine inspection cost?
A: We are the cheapest insurance you can get. Many times, what we find will lead to a reduction in price that is much lower than our fees. So to answer the question – we are not the cheapest surveyor, but we are the most comprehensive, and our prices are very competitive. In the long run, the couple hundred dollars that you think you are saving by going with a cheaper service, you end up losing.
Q: It’s just an insurance survey, the insurance company wants it. Do I really need it?
A: WELL, it just may save your life or your grandchild’s life. AAC does a lot of litigation and has looked at burned, scarred, and drowned victims due to unnecessary accidents that could have been prevented by a proper insurance survey.
We are the impartial eyes that see what you may have not – what may actually kill you. There is very little difference between an insurance survey or a pre-purchase survey, except possibly the engine survey. In addition unless you have an agreed value policy your boat is depreciating,
CONTRARY TO WHAT MANY PEOPLE THINK, BOATS DEPRECIATE. You may think your boat is worth one thing but insurance companies will only pay what the boat is worth and the condition it is in.
Q: Do you travel?
A: Yes we travel. We have traveled all over the world inspecting boats and ships. But remember, we work for you, and travel is an additional cost.
Q: Why do you use Thermal Imaging? Do you charge extra for it?
A: For the most part, we stopped using moisture meter and phenolic hammers as a staple in 1999. We sometimes use them in an area that we think needs to be double-checked, but rarely are they used.
Thermal imaging is more accurate. If there is bottom paint on a boat, you may read false positive with a moisture meter. With a phenolic hammer, if there is a large area of moisture in a hull, there will be no change in resonance and you cannot map it.
We do all fiberglass and composite boats with the Flir Thermal Imager, which is very expensive equipment. Very few marine surveyors have the proper tools but you pay for what you get. And trust us when we say this: It’s worth the few dollars difference.
Q: Do I really need an engine survey if I have low hours?
A: Yes, you do. At AAC Marine LLC, we have gas and diesel computers that tell about outboards, inboards, and modern diesels. Normal surveys don’t cover these. Without a complete survey, you could be spending thousands more after you purchase the boat you shouldn’t have bought in the first place! We have looked at more low-hour engines and many have the same problems as old engines. So bottom line - they all need to be inspected
Q: Can I see a copy of your work?
A: We do not provide copies of our work since we do not use one of the computer generated reports like home inspectors. Most uninformed newer surveyors do provide these, but we do the report specific to the boat we inspect. Each one is different and we have never had a survey rejected by a bank, insurer, or a court of law in over the 10,000 reports we have generated.
Q: How long is the report?
A: As long as it needs to be. We know what is required
Q: I need a survey tomorrow. Is it possible to rush-order an inspection?
A: There will be an extra charge if we have to produce it the next day, since that means we have to work late into the night. Some reports take 6 to 8 hours to properly go through all the information we look at. We photo everything, we thermal image your hull. Depending on the size of your boat it may take hours to go through the thermal scans, as well as looking at the computer scans of your engine.
Q: My friend has a friend who knows all about boats. Is he or she qualified to perform a survey?
A: Just like lending family and friends money, how many boats have they surveyed? How many boats have they built, totally repaired, diesel and gas engines rebuilt or designed?
Jamie Vause and Captain Leiner, senior advisor to AAC Marine LLC, both have decades of experience designing, building, repairing, and surveying marine vessels. Jamie and Captain Leiner, both, have been on family commercial boats, owned their own marine businesses, and learned everything from the bottom up. When it comes to quality and experience, you get what you pay for.