Typical Areas Included in a Damage Survey and Outputs

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• Incident description (owner’s statement, witness accounts, log entries)
• Location, access, lifting/haul-out requirements
• Environmental conditions during incident (wind, tide, grounding chart datum, collision speed, etc.)
• Photographic documentation (overall, mid-range, close-ups, serial numbers)
• Verification of vessel identity (HIN/CIN, builder’s plate, engine serials)

 For Sailing & Motor Yachts

• FRP/Composite hull: delamination, core shear, water ingress, osmotic blistering, laminate buckling
• Aluminium hull: deformation, denting, plate buckling, cracking (HAZ areas), weld discontinuities, galvanic attack
• Steel hull: plating deformation, denting, wrinkling, coating failures, corrosion, weld condition
• Timber hull: plank separation, fastener corrosion, frame distortion, rot
• Keel/hull interface (grounding compression, matrix failure)
• Keel bolts, backing plates, keel stub integrity
• Internal structural members (floors, bulkheads, frames, longitudinal stiffeners)
• Longitudinal alignment after collision or grounding (sightlines, bonding failure)
• Transom structure (especially after stern impact or heavy weather slamming)

• Deck core integrity (impact, compression, water intrusion)
• Coachroof, cockpit, coamings—cracks, distortion
• Windows/portlights (frame separation, glass crazing, seal failure)
• Pulpit, stanchions, guardrails—damage from lateral loads
• Chainplates and anchorage reinforcement areas
• Mast step area and deck reinforcement block (for sailing yachts)

  Sailing Yachts

• Keel (fin, bulb, stub) deformation, cracks, grounding scars
• Rudder stock, blade condition, delamination, water ingress
• Prop shaft alignment, stern tube, P-bracket/bearings
• Sail-drive leg condition (impact marks, seal leakage)

Motor Yachts

• Propellers (blade bends, tip cavitation damage, impact marks)
• Shafts (run-out, coupling condition)
• Struts/P-brackets, shaft bearings
• Rudders, quadrants, linkages
• Trim tabs, stabilizer fins (hydraulic ram damage, hinge plates)

• Structural bulkheads (tabbing, adhesive bonding separation)
• Interior joinery distortion indicating hull movement
• Sole boards, stringers, bilge compartments
• Tank supports, partitions, mounting brackets
• Water ingress paths and contamination of materials (foam cores, insulation)

Engines / Gearboxes

• Engine alignment post-impact
• Engine mounts (shear, compression, detachment)
• Turbocharger, intercooler, seawater pump, exhaust system
• Oil, coolant, and exhaust leaks attributable to shock loading
• Vibration assessment after shaft or prop impact

Drive Systems

• Propeller strike assessment
• Gearbox casing cracks, flange deformation
• Stern gear alignment, flexible couplings
• Saildrive/sterndrive bellows, seals, and housings (possible water intrusion)

Auxiliary Machinery

• Generator mounts & casings
• Hydraulic systems (pipes, manifolds, rams, stabilizers)

• Distribution panels, breakers, fuses (short-circuit from flooding or impact)
• Battery banks (movement, thermal damage, electrolyte leakage)
• Wiring harness damage, chafe, arcing
• Navigation electronics, radar, AIS, autopilot, depth sounder transducers
• Lightning-strike evaluation (full continuity and equipment test)

• Tiller/quadrant integrity
• Cables, rods, hydraulic rams
• Emergency steering arrangements
• Autopilot drive units and mounts
• Feedback sensors alignment

• Mast (compression buckling, cracks, corrosion pitting, electrical burn marks)
• Boom/gooseneck, vang, spreaders
• Standing rigging (wire deformation, terminal damage, toggles, chainplates)
• Running rigging (blocks, clutches, winch bases)
• Sail condition if incident involved dismasting or high-load event

• Fuel tanks (deformation, weld seams, baffles, leaks)
• Fuel lines, filters, water separators (impact or contamination)
• Freshwater system damage (tanks, pumps, pipework)
• Black/grey water tanks and hoses (rupture, contamination from flooding)

• Cylinder locker integrity
• Regulators, hoses, solenoids (mechanical damage or flooding)
• Pressure testing after collision or fire incident

• Burn patterns, smoke contamination
• FRP rresin heat degradation
• Aluminium strength loss due to heat
• Electrical insulation loss
• Cabin soft furnishings contamination
• Air-quality/safety determination before re-entry

• Source tracing (through-hull failure, shaft seal failure, breach)
• Condition of watertight bulkheads & compartments
• Impact on stability, reserve buoyancy, free surface effects
• Testing of all seacocks and through-hulls
• Bilge pump operational testing

• Condition/functionality after incident
• Liferafts, EPIRBs, firefighting equipment, alarms
• Handrails, guardrails, padeyes and jacklines

• Moisture meter (FRP hull)
• Percussion sounding
• Thermal imaging / infrared scanning
• Ultrasonic thickness measurement (UTM) for metal hulls
• Run-out measurement (shafts)
• Bore-scope internal cavity inspection
• Electrical continuity/insulation resistance testing

• Extent of damage
• Direct structural and secondary consequential damage
• Required repairs, methods, materials, and specifications
• Recommendations aligned with ISO, ABYC, manufacturer data, and good practice
• Assessment of seaworthiness post-incident
• Estimated cost of repair (if requested by insurer)
• Statements for insurer on cause, extent, and probable sequence of events