Surveys

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 Nothwest , Northeast, Central and South Florida. Below is an explanation of the various marine surveys 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.
To achieve an extremely comprehensive and thorough survey of the vessel’s systems, an engine survey should be completed, in addition to the hull survey. A complete pre-purchase will allow you to find the value and condition of a vessel so you can make an informed decision on the purchase. The basic survey includes a visual inspection of the vessel as well as thorough inspection of the engine, wiring, plumbing, pumps, hulls, etc. Thermal Imaging is included in the basic survey of the hull.
Also called a ‘Condition and Value Survey,’ this is used by insurance underwriters and financial institutes to help them assess financial risk. This survey inspects and reports on the vessel and its systems including the hull, electrical systems, machinery, etc. Generally tailored specifically to the needs of the underwriter and compares the vessel to similar vessels of same size, class and service. Visual inspection only.
The Boat Appraisal Survey is used to determine the value for selling your boat, for donations, and also for estate settlements, or settling a divorce. The price that a boat is valued at is determined by many things including the condition of the vessel, physical appearance, collision damage, electrical equipment, geographical location, as well as Blue Book value.
Marine damage surveys are performed to assess the complete extent of damages to a vessel resulting from any type of accident. The surveyor reports on the boat’s condition, the probable cause of damage, and will offer recommendations for repair and estimate the cost of such repairs.
Trip and Tow Surveys are done to inspect vessels for seaworthiness, vessel conditions, stability, length, and draft. Inspection consists of the Tow equipment, length of tow lines, shock line connections and the type of hook up from the towed vessel or vessels to the tow vessel, crew capabilities and crew working hours.

Tug Boats

Required surveys for insurance, pre-purchase and sea keeping abilities, depending on the job they may be doing. They can be leased and may be involved as on and off hire. Engine horsepower, length and draft, even stability testing may be involved.

Barge Surveys

Include size of barge, types of product they may carry, liquids, oil, food grade oil, dry cargo, lumber sand, coal and/or cement products. Includes On-Hire, Off Hire, Insurance and Construction, NDT Audio Gauge and Damage Inspection.
Commercial Work boats may be as small as 16′ or several hundred feet long depending where and how they are working. All have USCG requirements, safety draft requirements, and need to be inspected for stability, wiring and fuel engines. Most fall into the pre-purchase and insurance purposes and, in many cases, fall into the on and off hire categories at times.
Commercial Fishing Boats are surveyed for pre-purchase and insurance purposes. They can be small vessels or several hundred feet long depending on the type of fishing, long lining (surface, mid water and bottom), Trawling, Rod and reel or net fishing.

Why choose A&L MARINE SURVEYORS, LLC?

For over 50 years we have been recommended by banks, insurance companies, including LLoyds of London, and attorneys both domestic and international, and most importantly past clients.
A&L MARINE SURVEYORS, LLC. uses ABYC, NFPA, CE, IMO Code of Federal Regulations, and USCG Standards, as well as other International ship classifications, such as RINA PRS, Panamanian for surveys. How long will it take? A thorough inspection cannot be rushed. The time it takes will depend upon the type of survey required, the size of the vessel, engines, equipment, and onboard systems involved, the time for oil samples, wait times on the haul-out, haul-out itself, sea trial, even weather,and the length of the report.
Marine surveys can include engine surveys, oil analysis, galvanic and stray current corrosion testing, ultrasonic testing, moisture testing, as well as other nondestructive tests. Ask what additional charges could be incurred for these and any other services.
Well conducted marine surveys on yachts and vessels provide solid information about a vessel’s condition, but they are not guarantees. Marine surveyors can only report the condition of the areas that are accessible to them at the time of the inspection.
A prospective buyer needs to know the condition and fair market value of the vessel before purchasing it. Most insurance companies and banks require a current survey on older vessels in order to underwrite/finance the vessel. Finally, the most important reason to survey a vessel is to ensure the safety of its passengers and crew. A&L MARINE SURVEYORS, LLC. have been surveying boats in Florida for 50+ years

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.