Yacht Brokers, Designers and Surveyors Association
01 July 2005 - 10:30
The Association was originally set up in 1912, and has enlarged and enhanced its operations steadily since then. Applicants are assessed before being admitted into membership, and usually become "Affiliates" before being assessed for upgrading to Associate. Above that comes Full, Fellow, Honorary and Retired. Affiliates may not advertise using the letters or logo of the Association.
The members are grouped into the Association of Brokers, Yacht Agents (ABYA), Yacht Designers and Surveyors (YDSA). YBDSA is the trading company. Our members are professionals, qualified variously by academic achievement and experience "in the field". The Association runs courses and seminars from time to time to assist members with keeping up their knowledge of new technologies, laws, etc. All members are required to carry Professional Indemnity Insurance and to maintain their training.
The Association also has "Subscribers" who are from allied professions of the marine industry - marine engineers, lawyers, insurers, finance houses, testing and analysis houses, and other organisations such as the Professional Charter Association. We also keep in touch with students by providing Newsletters and access to our training courses and seminars at a discounted rate. Students who are not on courses, but are training on their own, are welcome.
Yacht Brokers, Designers and Surveyors Association web site
SURVEYORS
Are you thinking about buying a boat? Have you had a bump in your boat? Do you want to Register it with the Part I British Registry? Has your insurer asked for a survey? Are you involved in a dispute and need an expert witness?
There are different types of survey depending on which of the above you need. The best known is the Full Condition Survey and will tell you the condition of the structure of the boat you are considering buying, from what is accessible to the surveyor. The surveyor will not usually provide an engine survey, as this is the province of the marine engineer, so if you have any concerns about the engines, ask the surveyor or broker to help you find a local marine engineer. Similarly surveyors are not insured (usually) to go up the mast and tell you about the masthead fittings. There are modern rigging testing techniques which will give you information about this. Again, you should ask for a specialist report if you are concerned, or if this is of particular importance to you.
Some surveyors specialise in particular types of boat, such as steel inland-waterways boats, or old wooden boats. The surveyor will ask you for information on the boat before he agrees to do the survey for you. Be clear what it is that you are asking for so that you get what you intended.
Insurers need surveys for accident reports and for when you insure your boat. These are two different types of survey - the accident report may need to be very detailed, giving insurers the information they need to assess the level of damage and whether it is repairable, etc. If, for instance, the accident was due to fire, they will want to know how the fire started. A Full Condition Survey will often be requested before an insurance policy is provided.
For Part I Registration a tonnage measurement is a quicker survey, and does not relate to the condition of the boat, but is a measurement and verification of the boat, and the Register also records outstanding finance on the boat if there is any. As the boat is the security on the finance, buyers should be careful to ensure that any finance is paid up before hand-over, otherwise they inherit the debt! Finance Houses hold the documentation as proof of the security, so if the seller only has copies, ask more questions.
A list of surveyors is found on the Membership List from which you can identify surveyors nearest to the boat. Surveyors with links to our site are clearly identified. YDSA surveyors often travel abroad to survey boats - giving them an almost world-wide coverage. The staff at the YDSA offices try to keep abreast of where surveyors are going to so that jobs in similar places can be put together to help save clients' money in travelling expenses.
In cases where a dispute arises, some of our more senior members are experienced in providing expert witness reports for the Court, and others can act as arbitrators to settle technical disputes.
DESIGNERS
Designers do not just design boats, although they do that too! They also design for re-fits, following accidents … whatever you need.
The designer will provide support throughout the project, including liaising with builders and other contractors, and helping to solve any problems encountered along the way.
Most designers are qualified naval architects, as knowledge of structures, stresses, materials and hydrodynamics are essential to successful boat designing.
We have a small number of designer members, and are keen to encourage more designers to join us and support the work of the Association, so that we can provide services to them in our turn.
Look at the Look at the Membership List to identify a YDSA surveyor to help you to identify a YDSA designer to help you or if you are interested in joining, see our Membership page.
Here is how to contact them:
Association of Brokers & Yacht Agents
Yacht Designers & Surveyors Association
Professional Charter Association
YBDSA (Holdings) Ltd
The Glass Works
Penns Road
Petersfield
GU32 2EW
Tel: (01730) 710425
Fax: (01730) 710423
Email: info@ybdsa.co.uk
