Capt. John Banister, AMS®

754.333.0970

Surveyor@MarineSurveyorFlorida.com

I am an independent SAMS® Accredited Marine Surveyor servicing the State of Florida, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. I also service other locations in and around the United States. I am also a Yamaha Certified Outboard Marine Technician, a Mercury / MerCruiser Certified Technician, and a Honda Certified Outboard Engine Technician. My company strives to accommodate our clients in any way we can and work hard to give them a complete, thorough, and accurate survey. The types of surveys, inspections, and services I offer are:

Pre-purchase Marine Surveys - This is an extensive vessel inspection that is highly recommended and is sometimes required when considering the purchase of any new or pre-owned boat or yacht regardless of its age, condition or manufacturer reputation. The survey will describe the appearance and functionality of the vessel. This survey includes: Structural hull integrity, wiring and electrical components, the drive system, fuel hoses and transfer system, engine or other propulsion modules, electronics and navigation equipment, installed support systems, and onboard safety equipment. Also included in this report is reporting of signs of previous maintenance or the lack of. An out of water bottom inspection and an operational sea trial should also be included. Infrared thermal imaging is included at no extra charge in all pre-purchase marine survey reports. This survey is concluded with an overall condition rating, market value, and replacement values of the vessel.

Marine Engine Surveys - An inspection and evaluation of the vessel's engines so the prospective buyer or boat owner understands the true condition of the engines on board the vessel and what repairs and / or maintenance may be required to get the engines up to good working order. This inspection is very important in determining a more accurate value of the vessel based on the engine's overall condition and performance. Some problems may not be visible or even noticbly apparent during a marine survey until the engine survey is performed. A good thorough marine engine survey can save a significant amount of money if problems are found before the purchase or a complete failure of the engines occur. I can perform engine surveys on most marine gasoline outboard and inboard engines. I have genuine factory training and hands on repair and service experience with Yamaha, Mercury / MerCruiser, Honda, Evinrude, Johnson, and BRP / Rotax. Some of the tests conducted during a marine engine survey are: A thorough sea trial, computerized marine engine diagnostics, compression testing, infrared thermal imaging, engine oil analysis, CAN bus and NMEA 2000 testing, and engine electrical testing. A glimpse of a marine engine survey I have performed in the past can be found here. A complete list of my marine engine certifications and training certificates can be found here.

Insurance Marine Surveys - This survey is performed to assist the insurance carrier in the determination of the risk involved for a particular vessel. Their interests include structural integrity, safety, as well as the vessel's intended use. Many insurance companies require a survey on a particular boat or yacht before coverage will be offered. The vessel's market and replacement values are included in this survey. As a member of SAMS®, all insurance surveys are written to their standards and are accepted by most marine insurance companies in the United States and abroad.

Valuation Inspection - This type of inspection is performed in order to obtain adequate data or information solely for the determination of the market value of the vessel. This inspection is often required for financial considerations, estate matters, charitable donations or litigation.

Damage Inspection - This inspection and investigation is conducted to demonstrate or determine the extent and cause of a reported casualty of a vessel. The resulting report may be used for claim indemnification or protestation. Normally, this inspection is required to assist in the insurance claims settlement process and could include recommended repairs, estimated repair costs, and if requested, possible cause.

Video Presentation - This service is offered for remote clients that who can not be present to see the vessel and is offered to save the prospective buyer the time and expense of visiting the vessel personally. A video of the entire boat will be recorded and converted to a DVD or MPEG format and shipped, emailed or posted online as requested. This method can be very useful in determining if further interest in a particular vessel is desired. The service is considerably less than the cost of a marine survey.

Infrared Thermal Imaging - This service is offered to troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, structural or hull problems by finding abnormal temperature anomalies using thermographic cameras. These temperature anomalies that can be detected and photographed may reveal hidden or suspected problems with malfunctioning equipment or hull deformities. Such problems infrared thermal imaging can detect are: Malfunctioning electrical equipment, overheating wires, malfunctioning bearings, engine heat sources, transmission heat sources, marine air conditioning malfunctions, leaks in tanks where they can not be typically sighted, and fiberglass delamination. This testing can save alot of time and money by finding the root causes for problems on board a vessel. This is also a great resource for a prospective buyer to see things within the vessel that may not be seen by using conventional marine survey methods. Findings and thermographic images are then composed into a professional looking report with a list of recommendations and are sent to the client. We can also record thermal imaging video to view anomalies in real time and edit this video in to a professional looking video presentation. Only genuine Flir brand professional grade cameras are used by a certified level II thermographer. A sample pre-purchase survey report with thermal imaging can be found here.

Marine Engine Diagnostics- This service is a computerized analysis of the engine's built in computer system. A special processor attached to the engine's computer system communicates with engine's ECU and tells the technician valuable information about the engine which includes: The engine's model number, the engine's serial number, actual engine hours, the engine's RPM history profile, the engine's running temperature profile, current and stored fault codes, and a data parameter summary. A report of this analysis can be sent to the Client's email typically within 24 hours after the analysis is completed.

Captain Services- Captain services are provided by U.S. Coast Guard Licensed Master Captains. Captains can also be provided that have towing and sailing endorsements. Some of our captains are PADI® Certified SCUBA Divers. Our captain services include: Yacht deliveries, charter captains, boat training, sailboat handling, vessel safety training, captain companions, and crew services. We provide these services in the United States, Central America, and throughout the Caribbean.

Oil Sample Analysis - This test includes a spectroscopic examination of the oil to determine the levels of metals, additives, and possibly coolant or water. The test will also measure viscosity and the percentage of solids in the oil. The test report will include possible causes of any irregularities. Other engine fluid analysis tests for diesel, gasoline, and engine coolant are also available if requested.

All of our vessel surveys and inspections are non intrusive. We leave the vessel the way we found it.

We offer other consulting services for new boat, yacht, and sailboat owners based on my collective experience and training over the years. Some of these services include: Ultrasonic thickness testing, corrosion analysis, CO (carbon monoxide) testing, engine compression testing, yacht maintenance inspections, yacht construction inspections, and repair inspections for boat and yacht owners. We offer marine service and repair services on most gasoline inboard and outboard engines. We also are experienced in wooden boat and sailboat marine surveys.