In the UK, private yacht work goes to surveyors whose reports insurers and buyers trust, and in practice that means membership of a professional body. Two of the main ones for yachts are the International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS) and the Yacht Designers and Surveyors Association (YDSA). The general route, from boat trade to first survey, is in how to become a marine surveyor.
The IIMS qualification
The IIMS says it's the only professional body of its kind that awards its own marine surveying qualifications. The Professional Qualification in Yacht and Small Craft Marine Surveying is studied by distance learning. You pass four core units and four specialist units of your choice, from ten, and have two years to finish. Four more specialist units take you to the Advanced Professional level. The IIMS calls both equivalent to a level 4/5 qualification.
It suits people who already work with boats and want the surveying side in a structured form, while they keep working in their trade.
YDSA membership
The YDSA covers surveying and design of craft under and over 24 metres, excluding ships and cargo vessels. Members get a code of practice, a sample survey report pack, a standard survey contract and an insurance scheme. Membership involves assessment and feedback on the reports you submit, so your report writing is judged before you're admitted. Its Articles require members to hold professional indemnity insurance, and the YDSA ends membership if a member is found without it.
Two kinds of work open up from there:
- Coding surveyor. To carry out compliance examinations on small commercial vessels under the UK codes, you need to be an Accredited YDSA member, or at an equivalent level with another certifying authority, and follow its application process.
- Measurer for registration. Tonnage and measurement surveys for registration need YDSA membership first.
Boat Safety Scheme examiner
On canals and rivers, boats need a Boat Safety Scheme examination. Examiners train through the BSS New Examiner Training Programme: around 16 online modules, two weeks at the BSS field craft training centre in Norwich, gas and electrical training, and a field assessment. The BSS invites people with practical experience of marine engineering or boat systems to apply when an intake opens.
It assumes you know boats already. The BSS lists marine engineering and boatbuilding qualifications, from City & Guilds certificates and NVQs to HNDs and degrees, as significant for the role, and says the programme doesn't teach boat construction or marine engineering. Examining builds the habits of surveying, and many examiners survey too.
A UK example
Martin Smyth studied Ship Science at the University of Southampton after technical college. His first job was in a design office, as a junior draughtsman who also made models, where he learned the practical side of boat design. Now self-employed, he surveys "just about anything that floats", and damaged cargoes too, with the occasional design commission. More paths like his are in how surveyors got into the job.
Practical steps
- Get hands-on time with boats, in a yard or at sea.
- Start the IIMS qualification, or ask the YDSA what it needs to see from you.
- Work alongside an experienced surveyor and keep copies of your reports.
- Arrange professional indemnity insurance before you take paid work.
- Apply for membership, then decide whether coding or BSS work fits.