ACMS recommends the following content and procedure of a C&V Marine Survey to its members. The following pages are not an actual survey report, but a sample of what you can expect from an ACMS survey report and how the report information is acquired. Clients and Underwriters need to know There are several types of marine surveys available. We will be addressing the C&V marine survey. Clients, finance companies, and lending institutions have, over time, indicated what information they expect to find on a C&V marine survey report. More importantly, you, as the client can review this sample of the procedure that will be used to generate your C&V report and procedures that ACMS recommends. Many insurers and lenders require a (haul out) and (In water test) of the vessel. Prior to the survey, you should check with your insurer or lender if they require a (haul out) and (in water test). The following pages are an example of the procedure and the information you can expect from the C&V marine surveys provided by our members. All members do not use she same presentation format, but do provide the suggested information that clients and underwriters need. If your survey report is not accepted by an insurance or finance institution, chances are it does not comply with their standards. That means there is not adequate information in the report for the underwriter to make an educated decision regarding the condition and or value of the vessel. The marine surveyor should be kind to the underwriters and clients and present a document to them that includes all the information they need and is in a decent format. The format of a marine survey should be written in reasonable sequence and in language that is understandable by the average person. The underwriters prefer paragraph type written reports rather than the line-item format. Many of the line item reports I have reviewed simply indicate the presence of items without a good description or advice about the functionality and condition of the item. Incidentally, it is appropriate to use marine terminology when it should be used. It is also proper to work in a fair amount of every day English when possible. There is a sequence and description of information that I have compiled after speaking with underwriting and financial institutions over the past many years indicating what they would like to see on an acceptable survey report. The information that follows in this example, is current, and reasonably complete. The following paragraphs include the necessary information and sequence of the report format that we have garnered from various underwriters over the past many years. Please note that this example is adjusted to suite a standard power vessel of approximately thirty-five to forty feet in length. A good example would be a thirty-five feet long Sea Ray sedan. This example does not include a fly bridge. Most underwriters like to see a fair number of photos that they can use to verify what is being presented on the survey report. The Survey information suggestions: Page one - Cover page: Always use normal size font with single spacing. Do not try to cram eight pages of text and photos into a twenty page report. Header: The survey report header should include the following information: your name and the name of your company, address, phone number, and email contact information, web site name and URL address, logos, and credential logos. Date: Client: Name and address Subject: Vessel, Manufacturer, Model, Size, Year, and Name on vessel. Dear Sir: Paragraph one: Type of survey: C&V, Condition and Value, primarily used for the purchase of insurance and/or re-finance by the current owner of the vessel. Page one should include a photo, complete side profile of the vessel. Page one should include the disclaimer. The disclaimer should not include language that would absolve a surveyor from liability due to inaccurate, misleading, or missing important information. Be advised that if your report is poorly written, or mis-represents, or omits obvious important information, the surveyor can be held responsible. Page one: bottom of page (last paragraph) should include a description of the vessel, including, “Name of Vessel” type and date of manufacture, model name, length, displacement, hull number, and Official number. Many lenders and insurers ask for a photo or rubbing of the hull number to be included. Page 1 go to Page 2