Hull and Machinery Surveyors Flashcards

A surveyor inspects a 30-year-old fiberglass vessel and finds the transom deflects noticeably under hand pressure. What is the most probable cause?

Answer: Core saturation and structural delamination in a cored transom

Transom deflection in an aged vessel strongly suggests the core material (typically balsa or foam) has become saturated and has lost its structural contribution, causing laminate delamination.

Which of the following is the correct procedure when a surveyor discovers a vessel's bilge pump discharges overboard through a through-hull fitting below the vessel's load waterline?

Answer: Accept if the discharge hose has a vented loop

ABYC H-22 allows bilge pump discharge below the waterline provided a properly installed vented loop prevents siphoning; a functional vented loop makes the installation acceptable.

When a surveyor performs a survey for insurance purposes and discovers an undisclosed prior grounding repair, what is the professional obligation?

Answer: Disclose the finding in the report to the client (insurer or owner per engagement)

SAMS ethics require complete and accurate reporting of all material findings regardless of who commissioned the survey; non-disclosure of a structural repair history constitutes a professional violation.

On an inboard gasoline-powered vessel, ABYC standards require the engine compartment blower to run for how long before starting the engine?

Answer: 4 minutes

ABYC A-24 and general boating safety practice require running the bilge blower for a minimum of 4 minutes before starting a gasoline inboard engine to purge potentially explosive vapors.

A surveyor assessing a steel workboat notes the frames are wasted to 40% of original thickness but the shell plating is still near-original thickness. What does this pattern suggest?

Answer: Internal condensation and coating failure is driving corrosion preferentially at the frames

When frames corrode faster than shell plating, it typically indicates that internal surfaces lack adequate coating or cathodic protection, allowing condensation-driven corrosion to attack structural members from inside.

Which condition during a sea trial would most likely indicate a bent propeller shaft rather than a damaged propeller blade?

Answer: Vibration that increases proportionally with RPM

A bent shaft creates an out-of-balance rotation that increases linearly with RPM, whereas blade damage typically causes RPM-specific harmonic vibration or cavitation noise.

Under SAMS standards, which of the following best describes the surveyor's responsibility when the scope of a survey is limited by the owner (e.g., no haul-out authorized)?

Answer: The limitation must be clearly stated in the report and findings are qualified accordingly

SAMS standards require surveyors to document all survey limitations in their report so that readers understand the scope of the inspection and the basis for any qualified findings.