Many moons ago, when I had much more time on my hands to delve into areas of interest, or pertinent industry issues, I took on an investigative feature into conflicts of interest within yachting, and more specifically, yacht construction.

Speaking to various anonymous stakeholders, it became clear that most of the negligence and malpractice came from bad eggs – anomalous individuals and businesses that were not reflective of the industry’s status quo.

This is an issue that continues to improve, as the industry becomes more professional, accountable, and transparent. But even so, I personally believe it is still somewhat hamstrung by conflicts of interest in certain areas. Now, most of these are relationships are entirely legitimate, but I still feel they can, at times, hamper the efficacy of a project or purchase. The topic of commissions – the who, why, when etc. – is a perennial hot potato, as is the concept of ‘full service’ companies, and both are worthy of deeper discussion and dissection in their own right.

But my rambling above is, in a very roundabout way, relevant to surveys. Because surveyors are vastly underrated, underused and [mis]understood by client teams.

In my humble opinion, the good ones (and all of the contributors to this report are recognised as ‘good ones’ in their field) offer a degree of impartiality and objectivity that is hard to find. I’m certainly not saying that the interested parties are acting in bad faith – far from it – but as the commentaries over the next three pages will outline, there is immense value in enlisting third party in what can be such a subjective sphere.

If you wish to read the chapter in full,  click here to download your complimentary instalment from The Superyacht Buyer Report.

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Hampshire Marine

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