Pick how you price, by length or by the hour, and add the extras. The calculator gives the surveyor's total, shows the yard's haul-out apart and copies the breakdown for an email.
The starting figures
The dollar figures start from Wilson Yacht Survey's published rates in Florida: $25 to $32 per foot for a pre-purchase condition and value survey up to 50 ft, $60 per oil sample with a survey and $0.73 a mile for travel. Better Boat's guide puts the rule of thumb at $20 to $25 per foot and haul-out fees at about $10 to $20 per foot.
The euro figures follow the hourly model a French surveyor describes to Bateaux.com: about €100 an hour on board, about €80 an hour writing, 2 to 3 hours of each on an average boat, and travel at about €1 a kilometre. He puts the average expertise at about €1,000 with travel.
Change every number to your own. Nothing you type is stored.
By the foot or by the hour
The surveyor in the Bateaux.com piece sets out the trade-off. A price per metre is fixed and clear from the start, but a basic 10 m sailing boat and a well-equipped one of the same length cost almost the same to survey. By the hour, the price follows the work. The calculator lets you try both on the same boat.
The hours nobody sees
On the hourly model, writing takes as long as the inspection. That's the part of a quote you can shrink. With Axsail you talk through the boat as you inspect it, and the findings, readings and photos come out as a draft report minutes after the walk-round. Fewer writing hours means a lower quote or more surveys in the week.
What to send with a quote
The boat survey cost guide lists what moves the price and what a client should send to get a quote in one round: make, model, length, engines, hull material, location, survey type and deadline.