Frequently Asked Questions

A&L MARINE SURVEYORS, LLC’s survey and inspection services are available to both commercial and private entities throughout the state of Florida, from Tampa to Fort Lauderdale and surrounding areas of Northwest , Northeast, Central and South Florida. Below is an explanation of the various frequently asked questions, the types of boats inspected, and what each inspection entails.

For more information on A&L MARINE SURVEYORS, LLC’s boat surveys and inspection services, contact us at +1 (727) 647-7112.

A&L MARINE SURVEYORS, LLC has been surveying boats since 1970. We have built over 100 boats and we have been registered with the U.S. Coast Guard as a builder since 1976 under the AMS HIN in all venues, including wood, steel, steel, fiberglass, and composites.

Captain Leiner, founder and senior advisor of A&L MARINE SURVEYORS, LLC, didn’t just get into the business to make a few quick dollars. He grew up in the marine industry. His family roots include running, building, repairing and inspecting boats.

We know what we are looking at. We are here to protect you as an owner. We are your eyes and ears. Many brokers will recommend us to you, but it’s important to note that we do not work for them or take ‘kickbacks’ – we will still tell you if it it’s a “bad boat”!
We are the cheapest insurance you can get. Many times, what we find will lead to a reduction in price that is much lower than our fees. So to answer the question – we are not the cheapest surveyor, but we are the most comprehensive, and our prices are very competitive. In the long run, the couple hundred dollars that you think you are saving by going with a cheaper service, you end up losing.

WELL, it just may save your life or your grandchild’s life. A&L MARINE SURVEYORS, LLC. does a lot of litigation and has looked at burned, scarred, and drowned victims due to unnecessary accidents that could have been prevented by a proper insurance survey.

We are the impartial eyes that see what you may have not – what may actually kill you. There is very little difference between an insurance survey or a pre-purchase survey, except sea trial, out of water (unless the insurance company wants, out of water, engine survey and sea-trial, and possibly a full evaluation and this does happen, insurance companies have become stricter in the last few years), engine survey. In addition unless you have an agreed value policy your boat is depreciating.

CONTRARY TO WHAT MANY PEOPLE THINK, BOATS DEPRECIATE. You may think your boat is worth one thing but insurance companies will only pay what the boat is worth and the condition it is in.
Yes we travel. We have traveled all over the world inspecting boats and ships. But remember, we work for you, and travel is an additional cost.

For the most part, we stopped using moisture meter and phenolic hammers as a staple in 1992. We sometimes use them in an area that we think needs to be double-checked, but rarely are they used.

Thermal imaging is more accurate. If there is bottom paint on a boat, you may read false positive with a moisture meter. With a phenolic hammer, if there is a large area of moisture in a hull, there will be no change in resonance and you cannot map it, or even close areas space to space and the more you test with a phenolic hammer the sound may never change, or you hit a stringer which is solid and you believe the is a problem. Years before thermal imaging that was all that was there, except drilling holes in a bottom of a boat.

We do all fiberglass and composite boats with the FLIR INFRARED Thermal Imager, which is very expensive equipment. We have even used it on steel and aluminum boats and it is a great help after NDT testing with an audio-gauge. Very few marine surveyors have the proper tools but you pay for what you get. And trust us when we say this: It’s worth the few dollars difference. A basic standard Thermal Imaging is done on all boats.

If we find multiple severe anomalies, it may be advisable to conduct an in depth heat applied Thermal Imaging. This is normally a one or more days project involving the water line down to the keel. If anomalies are found all the way from the cap to the keel that may involve a longer period the price depends of the hull or what is covered. The pricing depends on the size of the hull, the number of the days and time it takes to read the scans. At minimum a 100 scans will be taken, and on a larger hull may need 200 scans (or more) may be needed.
Yes, you do. At A&L MARINE SURVEYORS, LLC, we have gas and diesel computers that tell about outboards, inboards, and modern diesels. Normal surveys don’t cover these. Without a complete survey, you could be spending thousands more after you purchase the boat you shouldn’t have bought in the first place! We have looked at more low-hour engines and many have the same or more problems as old engines. “IF I DON’T USE LOSE IT NO MAINTENANCE DOES NOT HAPPEN PARTS CORRODE INTERNALLY and FREEZE, HOSES COLLAPSE, Hose clamps rust out, BATTERIES DIE, ALTERNATORS FREEZE, BELTS DRY OUT, TURBOS DIE, GAS ENGINES TURN TO SHELLAC, DIESEL GASKETS DRY OUT.” So bottom line – they all need to be inspected.

We do not provide copies of our work since we do not use one of the computer generated reports like home inspectors. Most uninformed newer surveyors do provide these, but we do the report specific to the boat we inspect. Each one is different and in 50+ years and 16,000+ reports or surveys we have never had a survey rejected by a bank, insurer, or a court of law.

“JUST THE FACTS”.
As long as it needs to be. We know what is required.
There will be an extra charge if we have to produce it the next day, since that means we have to work late into the night. Some reports may take 6 to 8 hours to properly go through all the information we look at. We photograph numerous items, knowing what insurors, and bankers, we thermal image your hull. Depending on the size of your boat it may take hours to go through the thermal scans, as well as looking at the computer scans of your engine. We will bill accordingly.

Just like lending family and friends money, how many boats have they surveyed? How many boats have they built, totally repaired, diesel and gas engines rebuilt or designed?

Captain Leiner, Senior Surveyor to A&L MARINE SURVEYORS, LLC. has decades of experience designing, building, repairing, and surveying marine vessels. Captain Leiner, has been on family commercial boats, owned his own marine businesses, and learned everything from the bottom up. When it comes to quality and experience, you get what you pay for.

Our Entire Vicinity List

  • Anna Maria
  • Apopka
  • Arcadia
  • Astatula
  • Atlantis
  • Auburndale
  • Aventura
  • Avon Park
  • Bal Harbour
  • Bartow
  • Bay Harbor Islands
  • Bay Lake
  • Belle Glade
  • Belle Isle
  • Belleair Beach
  • Belleair Bluffs
  • Belleair Shore
  • Belleair
  • Biscayne Park
  • Boca Raton
  • Bonita Springs
  • Bowling Green
  • Boynton Beach
  • Bradenton Beach
  • Bradenton
  • Briny Breezes
  • Brooksville
  • Broward
  • Cape Canaveral
  • Cape Coral
  • Casselberry
  • Cedar Key
  • Chiefland
  • Clearwater Beach
  • Clearwater
  • Clermont
  • Clewiston
  • Cloud Lake
  • Cocoa Beach
  • Cocoa
  • Coconut Creek
  • Cooper City
  • Coral Gables
  • Coral Springs
  • Crystal River
  • Cutler Bay
  • Dade City
  • Dania Beach
  • Davenport
  • Davie
  • Daytona Beach Shores
  • Daytona Beach
  • DeBary
  • DeLand
  • Deerfield Beach
  • Deltona
  • Doral
  • Dundee
  • Dunedin
  • Dunnellon
  • EL Portal
  • Eagle Lake
  • Eatonville
  • Edgewater
  • Edgewood
  • Estero
  • Eustis
  • Everglades City
  • Fanning Springs
  • Fellsmere
  • Florida City
  • Fort Lauderdale
  • Fort Meade
  • Fort Myers Beach
  • Fort Myers
  • Fort Pierce
  • Frostproof
  • Fruitland Park
  • Glen Ridge
  • Golden Beach
  • Golf
  • Grant-Valkaria
  • Greenacres
  • Groveland
  • Gulf Stream
  • Gulfport
  • Haines City
  • Hallandale Beach
  • Haverhill
  • Hialeah Gardens
  • Hialeah
  • Highland Beach
  • Highland Park
  • Hillcrest Heights
  • Hillsboro Beach
  • Holly Hill
  • Hollywood
  • Holmes Beach
  • Homestead
  • Howey-in-the-hills
  • Hypoluxo
  • Indialantic
  • Indian Creek
  • Indian Harbour Beach
  • Indian River Shores
  • Indian River
  • Indian Rocks Beach
  • Indian Shores
  • Indiantown
  • Inglis
  • Inverness
  • Islamorada
  • Juno Beach
  • Jupiter Inlet Colony
  • Jupiter Island
  • Jupiter
  • Kenneth City
  • Key Biscayne
  • Key Colony Beach
  • Key West
  • Kissimmee
  • LaBelle
  • Lady Lake
  • Lake Alfred
  • Lake Buena Vista
  • Lake Clarke Shores
  • Lake Hamilton
  • Lake Helen
  • Lake Mary
  • Lake Park
  • Lake Placid
  • Lake Wales
  • Lake Worth Beach
  • Lakeland
  • Lantana
  • Largo
  • Lauderdale Lakes
  • Lauderdale-by-the-sea
  • Lauderhill
  • Layton
  • Lazy Lake
  • Leesburg
  • Lighthouse Point
  • Longboat Key
  • Longwood
  • Loxahatchee Groves
  • Madeira Beach
  • Maitland
  • Malabar
  • Manalapan
  • Mangonia Park
  • Marathon
  • Marco Island
  • Margate
  • Mascotte
  • Medley
  • Melbourne Village
  • Melbourne beach
  • Melbourne
  • Miami Beach
  • Miami Gardens
  • Miami Lakes
  • Miami Springs
  • Miami
  • Minneola
  • Miramar
  • Montverde
  • Moore Haven
  • Mount Dora
  • Mulberry
  • Naples
  • New Port Richey
  • New Smyrna Beach
  • North Bay Village
  • North Lauderdale
  • North Miami Beach
  • North Miami
  • North Palm Beach
  • North Redington Beach
  • Oak Hill
  • Oakland Park
  • Oakland
  • Ocala
  • Ocoee
  • Okeechobee
  • Oldsmar
  • Opa-locka
  • Orange City
  • Orchid
  • Orlando
  • Ormond Beach
  • Otter Creek
  • Oviedo
  • Pahokee
  • Palm Beach Gardens
  • Palm Beach Shores
  • Palm Beach
  • Palm Shores
  • Palm Springs
  • Palm bay
  • Palmetto Bay
  • Palmetto
  • Parkland
  • Pierson
  • Pinecrest
  • Pinellas Park
  • Plant City
  • Plantation
  • Polk City
  • Pompano Beach
  • Ponce Inlet
  • Port Orange
  • Port Richey
  • Port St. Lucie
  • Punta Gorda
  • Redington Beach
  • Redington Shores
  • Riviera Beach
  • Rockledge
  • Royal Palm Beach
  • Safety Harbor
  • San Antonio
  • Sanford
  • Sanibel
  • Sarasota
  • Satellitre Beach
  • Sea Ranch Lakes
  • Sebastian
  • Sebring
  • Seminole
  • South Bay
  • South Daytona
  • South Miami
  • South Palm Beach
  • South Pasadena
  • Southwest Ranches
  • St. Cloud
  • St. Leo
  • St. Lucie Village
  • St. Pete Beach
  • St. Petersburg
  • Stuart
  • Sunny Isles Beach
  • Sunrise
  • Surfside
  • Sweetwater
  • Tamarac
  • Tampa
  • Tarpon Springs
  • Tavares
  • Titusville
  • Treasure Island
  • Umatilla
  • Venice
  • Virginia Gardens
  • Wauchula
  • Webster
  • Wellington
  • West Melbourne
  • West Miami
  • West Palm Beach
  • West Park
  • Westlake
  • Weston
  • Wildwood
  • Williston
  • Wilton Manors
  • Windemere
  • Winter Garden
  • Winter Haven
  • Winter Park
  • Winter Springs
  • Yankeetown
  • Zephyrhills
  • Zolfo Springs

Thermal Imaging & Inspection

A&L MARINE SURVEYORS, LLC. survey and inspection services are available to both commercial and private entities throughout the state of Florida, from Tampa to Fort Lauderdale and surrounding areas of Nothwest, Northeast, Central and South Florida. Below is an explanation of the various marine Thermal Imaging & Inspection performed, the types of boats inspected, and what each inspection entails.

For more information on A&L MARINE SURVEYORS, LLC’s boat surveys and inspection services, contact us at +1 (727) 647-7112.

AL MARINE SURVEYORS, LLC. Thermal ImagingThermal imaging (sometimes referred to as thermography, thermal scanning, infrared imaging, or infrared thermal imaging) is the means and by the knowhow by which we can see the infrared portion of the light spectrum. Every object gives off some amount of thermal radiation so thermal imaging is ideal for observing temperature anomalies that are abnormal in machinery, electrical equipment, and even in solids such as wood, aluminum, steel, and fiberglass. Thermal imaging does not require light to see thermal radiation (think of the old movie “Predator” or the new movies and t. v. shows which show people inside buildings or running towards a building at night) so thermal cameras can see in absolute darkness. Thermal imaging is used widely in law enforcement, security, the military, air and sea navigation, surveillance, firefighting, private industry, medicine, and science.

The tool used for thermal imaging is the thermographic camera, which is similar in appearance and operation of a portable digital video camera. I prefer using the Flir® brand infrared cameras. Flir® was recently purchased by internationally known Teledyne and is now labeled FLIR-TELEDYNE. The infrared camera works by sensing electromagnetic waves within the light spectrum wavelength between approximately 0.9 and 14 micrometers (visible light that can be seen by the human eye is between .4 – .75 micrometers).

A special lens on the infrared camera focuses the infrared light emitted by all objects in view.

The focused light is scanned by a phased array of infrared detector elements. The detector elements create a very detailed temperature pattern called a thermogram. It only takes about one-thirtieth of a second for the detector array to obtain the temperature information to make the thermogram.

This information is obtained from several thousand points in the field of view of view of the detector array. The thermogram created by the detector elements is translated into electric impulses.

The impulses are sent to a signal processing unit. The signal processing unit is a circuit board with a dedicated chip that translates the information from the elements into data for the display.

The signal processing unit sends the information to the color display monitor on the camera, where it appears as various colors depending on the intensity of the infrared emission. The combination of all the impulses from all the elements creates the infrared image. These impulses will also record surface temperatures of the image taken. Infrared cameras can be adjusted for optimum imaging by manually setting the distance to the object, humidity, and air temperature before the image is taken. Special software that we have can also adjust the thermographic image, search, and label exact temperatures outside of the spot size ratio (the center crosshairs on the infrared image), adjust the thermal tuning scale, and crop and edit the image based on how small the thermal anomaly may be.

I only use Flir® brand high-definition professional grade infrared thermal cameras in my marine surveys, engine surveys, and inspections. My cameras are calibrated yearly, infrared thermal imaging cameras with a minimum of 320 x 240 pixels with an image frequency of 60Hz. They can detect a minimum of 43,200 individual temperature shots per digital or video image. The minimal thermal range of the cameras I use are between -4 degrees Fahrenheit – 1,202 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees Celsius – 650 degrees Celsius) which means I can see thermal anomalies in cold temperatures (such as freon hoses in marine air conditioning systems and refrigeration systems) and in extremely hot temperatures (such as overheating turbochargers and overheating exhaust manifolds in engines).

Each infrared thermal image I take is properly tuned based on the environmental conditions at the time of each shot of the inspection and will give the exact distance in feet or meters to create a more accurate scan for the inspection, this upgrading with this special software it helps to reveal thermal anomalies accurately. Having been trained by Flir® and as an ITC® Level Three Certified Thermographer, certified to teach thermal imaging, I know how to properly take, tune, and interpret infrared thermal images to determine if there are abnormalities in the thermal images or video taken of hull composites, engines, electrical systems, or marine components. I further understand how these systems work and what normal running temperatures are in many different engines and systems on board vessels from years of professional training in addition to my master’s degree in mechanical engineering and over 50 years of experience as a surveyor, thermographer and running boats and rebuilding engines. As you can see, there is a difference in the work I offer versus the untrained surveyors who are out there imaging with small cellphone, and or cameras meant to detect a clogged drain.

There are numerous benefits to thermal imaging in many industries. Specifically in the marine industry some of the advantages are:

  • No contact is needed. This keeps the user out of danger.
  • It is two-dimensional. Thermographic temperatures can be measured at one point or a hundred or more points on a single thermographic image.
  • It is real time. It allows fast scanning and recording of stationary targets. Objects cannot escape their own radiation.
  • Thermal patterns can be seen. This helps significantly reduce the time and money spent on a technician or mechanic that would have to spend hours to disassemble and troubleshoot a component or go through miles of wiring on a boat or yacht to find the problem. The thermographic image can find the temperature anomaly quickly.
  • Enhances the marine survey report. If desired, thermal imaging can be included in the survey report on components such as engines, transmissions, electrical equipment, electronic devices, tanks, and hulls to look for heat anomalies that can determine if malfunctioning components, leaks, previous fiberglass repairs or delamination exist within the vessel.
Thermography can sense heat that may prevent an electrical fire. Thermal imaging can detect leaking fuel or water from tanks that may prevent an explosion or water damage to the interior of the vessel. Thermal imaging can detect temperature anomalies in the engines or transmissions that can prevent much more costly engine or transmissions repairs in the future. Thermal imaging can detect patches under the gel coat from previous damage, trapped water under laminate, delamination of the hull, or a void the new repair did not properly bond to. Obviously, thermography is an important component of a boat survey. Make sure you hire a surveyor qualified to do the job right who has the documents to show he or she is certified to conduct the proper testing.