Pre-Purchase Testimonials

"Hey Steve,

They say hindsight is 20/20 and boy I just found that out.

When I first got your quote a year ago I definitely had sticker shock. I thought why would I spend that kind of money on a boat with just 67 hours on it and also it was being sold to me by the factory as "reconditioned". As it turns out, I should have gone with you.

After owning the boat for 8 months I found out that my engine room had previously had 2.5 feet of water in it. I found this out when I had some work done on the generator and a Cummins technician took off the sound shields (see attached pictures). It's very obvious that there was water in the engine room. I did some investigation and also found other evidence (pictures attached).

I am very disappointed as my return communication with the manufacturer of the boat has been very spotty at best. They are assuming no responsibility so far and I will have to seek legal help. I went with the surveyor that they [the manufacturer] recommended. The boat was surveyed but the surveyor has this in his survey quote. "This survey checks for compliance with U.S. Coast Guard regulations and the American Boat and Yacht Council, Inc. Recommended Standards and Practices. In addition, the general structural condition of the vessel and suitability for its intended purpose will be examined. This survey cannot check for latent defects which could not readily be discovered by inspection without removal of machinery, tanks, sheathing, joiner work, upholstery, bulkheads, ceiling, fascia or other fixed material; or disassembly of machinery, plumbing, wiring or other parts components or systems."

Being new to the trawler world I made a big mistake here. I rushed into this as I was in love with the boat. Now I know better. Feel free to use this experience in any of your marketing literature and let me know if you need any other information.

I am heading down to Fort Lauderdale this weekend for the show and look forward to attending one of your sessions at Trawler Port.

Regards - Steve Reinecke"

"Steve - My wife and I wanted to take this opportunity to personally thank you for the excellent job you did in inspecting, evaluating and then reporting back to us on the mechanical, systems and structural components of the boat we were considering purchasing. Although we did have some fairly high expectations of your services because of our exposure to your contributions to Passage Maker magazine and various other marine/boating related materials, even we were totally overwhelmed with the thoroughness and professionalism of your comments and reporting. We had no idea there could be so much to consider and now after having gone through this process with you, are we ever glad we did. Not only did we receive an independent third party opinion that went way beyond the traditional survey reports, we also felt that your total commitment to us as excited boat buyers, especially ones that might have let their emotions rule the day, kept us on the straight and narrow.

Again, thanks so much and we would not hesitate to use your services again in virtually any capacity associated with our boat."

Regards - Jay and Sharon Shore

"I purchased a 13-year-old sailboat with complex electrical and mechanical systems. It was a high quality boat from a very reputable yard, but had been "sitting" for some time and had a lot of deferred maintenance items. The boat had been surveyed by a marine surveyor prior to purchase, but that survey was primarily for the insurance company and did not go into the level of detail I required.

Steve D'Antonio performed what I would call a "blue water survey," a comprehensive look at each system on the boat, including the hull, mast, rigging, plumbing, electrical, and others. He understood that I wasn't familiar with many of systems and very patiently explained their use and pointed out deficiencies, ABYC compliance issues, and items that should be repaired or upgraded before crossing oceans or extended cruising. Many items were minor; but others could have resulted in the sinking of the vessel, an onboard fire, or other calamities.

Steve produced a very comprehensive report that listed 107 deficiencies that needed to be corrected. He stack ranked the items from the most critical to the "get these done when you have time." Steve impressed me with the depth of his technical knowledge, his professionalism, and most of all, his integrity. He was tenacious in tracking down issues to better understand their cause and provide solutions to the problem.

The bottom line: No one should buy a new or used boat without having Steve D'Antonio look at it."

Walter Conner
Tassell 44
Seattle, WA

"Without Steve D's pre-purchase inspection and his additional after sale advice and support, I would not have attempted buying a boat in the States while I sat in Australia.

With Steve's assistance, I was confident I was not purchasing a lemon. The whole process flowed smoothly and now that "Sarettah" is sitting on Sydney waters, (from an Annapolis, Maryland origin) I can now reflect on the immense value Steve added.

Thanks Steve D !"

Michael Silm
New owner of "Sarettah" a 70' Hatteras MY
Sydney, Australia

"I recently retained Steve D'Antonio to help oversee the construction of our family's fourth custom power boat from the same builder in Maine. After carefully inspecting our previous two boats, Steve made me feel very confident about the loyalty that I have for our builder, but more importantly he provided the expertise to help me make better choices for our new boat - especially with regard to selecting all the new onboard systems, and assuring their proper installation.

After commissioning three other lobster style power boats, and one sailing boat, you might think that there is not much for me to learn, but Steve opened my eyes to so many new and better ways to enhance and simplify our next boat (I especially appreciate the simplification - bravo Steve!). Steve's professionalism, and knowledge about "all-things-boats" is worth every penny of his fees. Steve's thoughtful guidance regarding systems selection will save money during construction, and I'm totally confident that the money saved will vastly exceed the fees we have paid to him. Moreover, we'll save money for years to come because we are doing things better from the start. Steve is putting dollars into my pocket!

I highly recommend Steve D'Antonio and I am 100% certain that or new boat will be tremendously improved due to his highly valuable advisory services."

With appreciation,
Glen Farr
38 Calvin Beal
Downeast Cruiser

"I enlisted Steve's expertise for an upcoming new build project with an interest in having his involvement to assist with initial planning, as well as an approximate 12 month construction period. For a fixed fee Steve crafted an 18 month program that provided me unlimited access to his time as was needed by me. While I was an engaged purchaser, I wanted someone whose expertise I could call on for drawing and systems review, ABYC compliance issues, industry contacts, and generally to have a fresh, knowledgeable alternative perspective involved to see things that otherwise may have been overlooked. As so often is the case in complex projects, a discussion about one component can lead to others and Steve was always extremely well versed in all aspects of the project. When I needed detailed information about a particular product or component Steve always had contact information for the best of the best at each company. An introductory email from Steve typically opened the door to a limitless well of quality information regardless of the topic. His respect by his peers is consistently evident throughout the Marine industry. Steve completed his responsibilities with a thorough pre-acceptance inspection of the vessel followed by a detailed inspection report which included high quality photographs of each inspection item. To say that the level of quality of the completed product was better due to Steve's involvement is an understatement. If doing this again, I would never consider it without Steve on the team.

I would strongly recommend that anyone considering a new build, refit, or purchase of most any vessel, regardless of their knowledge, use Steve D'Antonio in some capacity. The benefits will be immediately apparent and the long term boating enjoyment priceless."

George L
Nordhavn 68
MIGRATION

"If any prospective yacht buyer is looking to get an expert opinion prior to parting with their hard earned dollars Steve D'Antonio is someone that I can highly recommend. I recently had a trawler built in China and to make sure all was well with our dream boat we hired Steve to perform a pre-purchase inspection. After two days crawling on hands and knees and countless pictures, a 15 page report was produced categorizing deficiencies into A,B and C classifications (A being the most serious.) With his report (and his reputation in the yachting world ) I was able to get immediate attention from the manufacturer and the major issues were corrected. If I had to do it over again the only thing I'd do differently is have Steve accompany me on the Sea Trial in China, prior to shipping the boat to the US. Repairs are less costly in China and can be quickly performed by the manufacturing company. Now that Steve has such a thorough understanding of my boat I feel confident that any future issues I have can be quickly resolved by email or by phone by his company. As you can guess I am a very satisfied customer and would highly recommend the services of Steve D'Antonio Marine Consulting, Inc. and willing to talk to prospective clients regarding my experience with his firm."

Ray Pagano

Considering the purchase of a boat?

Perhaps you have done it many times but this was our first experience, an experience that went very well indeed. What created that outcome? For us it was knowledge and that knowledge was provided in great part by Steve D'Antonio through his Pre-Purchase Inspection service. He spent two days with us going over our potential purchase of a 2002 42-foot trawler. His complete understanding of marine systems and his ability to observe and document his findings both in writing and photographically are of great practical value. With this knowledge you know what you may be getting into and can make better decisions because of that. It helps you evaluate the vessel before you make the decision to purchase and then if you do purchase as we did it gives you a great tool to work with the boat yard, to have items addressed with both you and the yard having clear expectations of each other. Steve responded to all questions quickly and can verbally explain many of the more complicated issues in easy to understand terms. As we went through this experience we heard from our broker, the boat yard and the other surveyors that Steve's report was the most thorough and complete they had seen. He is a pleasure to work with and we believe the cost of engaging him is far outweighed in savings through his observations and his creation of our piece of mind.

Steve & Gail Sabol
MV Summerhouse

It was a few days before Christmas 2007 that we first met with Steve D'Antonio, proprietor of Steve D'Antonio Marine Consulting (SDMC). A couple of months earlier, my wife and I had signed an agreement to buy a new Chinese built trawler and we had enthusiastically handed over our 10% deposit. As time went on, we started to realize that the salesman's promises were not equivalent to the factory's intentions and we started to become extremely concerned. In addition, our continuing requests for more precise specifications were not being answered.

We had remembered seeing an advertisement in Passagemaker magazine for a consulting company that represented clients in boat purchases. We contacted SDMC and Steve was gracious enough to meet with us on a Saturday just a few days before Christmas. As a result, we signed up for SDMC's New Build Consultation program and Steve proceeded to prepare a document containing a number of important questions addressing the construction details of our proposed new trawler. The answers that we received from the factory caused us to realize that we were not likely to take delivery of a boat built to a high quality standard, and with little regard to the standards established by the American Boat and Yacht Council. As such, we took up the option of cancelling the order and received back our deposit.

This was greatly disappointing to my wife and me, but we learned an important lesson. Even though we did not complete the New Build Consultation program with SDMC, we realized that working with Steve opened our eyes to the fact that not all boats, regardless of cost, were built to an acceptable quality standard. We were indeed fortunate that with Steve's intervention, we did not buy this boat!

We re-commenced our search and enthusiastically continued our association with SDMC. Steve offered us the Vessel Selection Assist program which allowed us to review the specifications and features of different potential boats with him. This was primarily achieved through email and phone calls. Most often, the broker's "listings" were limited in details so Steve would help us to develop a list of additional questions for any of the boats that we had interest in pursuing. We found it most interesting that the broker's "listings" often provided details about such items as the type of stereo system and the size of the microwave, but seldom did they provide details of the tankage materials, type of hoses used and confirmation of ABYC compliance with electrical wiring and any other construction aspects. As potential live-aboards, we found this to be quite concerning.

Steve also assisted us with estimating the cost to repair and refit several of the boats that we were interested in. During the Vessel Selection Assist process, we had learned that for any boat that we would eventually decide to buy, the true cost would be the purchase price plus the cost of fixing it. There were some boats that appeared to be good candidates for us to buy and Steve agreed to visit these with us. During the visit, Steve performed an inspection of the overall construction and the boat's systems and provided us with a detailed report of what it would likely take, and cost, to carry out repairs and to add equipment that we felt that we needed. Had we not learned from Steve the realistic costs of "fixing" these boats, we would likely have offered well above a sensible price.

And then the day came. Having digested most of what we had learned from Steve during the eighteen months that we were working with him, we found a boat that we were confident would pass Steve's scrutiny without too much expense in "fixing" it. Steve offered us the Pre-Purchase Inspection program which involved Steve spending two full days at the boat during the inspection period of the contract. We did this in addition to the survey and found that Steve's report went into far greater detail and offered many additional observations compared to the traditional survey. Steve's findings were instrumental in negotiating a price reduction for the boat.

The closing took place and we are now out cruising aboard a boat that we feel comfortable, safe and secure on. But Steve is still with us. We signed up for the SDMC Captains' Club program whereby we receive access to Steve's immense knowledge base, either by phone or email. We have access to information regarding such things as operation of our boat's systems, general troubleshooting, decisions on equipment that we are contemplating adding and even the occasional "panic" phone call. Finding that the davit wouldn't operate to place the RIB back on our boat, a phone call to Steve at nine o'clock that evening helped us to fix problem. We intend to set the record for most number of questions ever asked of Steve on the Captain's program. Hopefully, he won't increase his fees to us next year!

John and Paulette Lee

Dear Steve,

After the long journey around the continent we have finally received our new trawler and are enjoying her more every day. Please accept my compliments and gratitude for the comprehensive inspection that you provided prior to our final negotiations and eventual purchase. I remember well the first time we spoke and the initial sticker shock of your fees. After comparisons with the conventional survey conducted at the same time, the list of old adages such as "the best is not cheap" and "you get what you pay for" come to mind. While the conventional survey required for insurance and transport purposes was significantly less money- it was of little value compared to your detailed report of construction flaws (any one of which could lead to catastrophe). By comparison the conventional survey should more properly be termed an "inventory list" as it did not detect 1/10 of the issues you found. By the time I cross off the last of the items I think she'll be ready to cross oceans. For those contemplating such journeys I believe one of your inspections to be more valuable than a life raft or EPIRB. Finally, with the report as a negotiating tool, I was able to more than recover the cost of the inspection and so actually saved money in both the short term and very likely the long run with problems avoided.

With appreciation and highest recommendation,
James Kovats
"Coriolis"

Dear Steve,

I just wanted you to know how important your pre-purchase inspection, report, and follow-up counsel were to the purchase of our "new" boat-a 2001 37 foot trawler. As you know, our boat ownership experience was nil, and this was of great concern given the size of this purchase relative to our present and future net worth. My wife especially took great comfort in both the obvious thoroughness and competence of your report. Further, the report greatly enhanced our ability to have follow up discussions with repair facilities and the sellers, both in negotiating for immediately necessary repairs, and for getting a feel for what additional expenses might be coming down the pike.

As I told you during the inspection, the report of the highly recommended surveyor told us essentially nothing of value in addressing the very real issues of the boat, and what to expect over time. I look forward to getting the items you have identified to this point addressed, and I hope to engage you for a day or two, for an update and review on our way down the east coast next year, along with hopefully ongoing advice on appropriate spare parts lists, maintenance best practices, etc.

Yours
Gary Nakarado

Hi Steve,

Thank you very much for the superior and outstanding pre-delivery inspection that you performed recently on my new 52 foot motoryacht.

My boating began fifteen years ago, after retirement, with the purchase of used 52 foot trawler, followed in succession with three other boats, including the present one. I was determined to avoid most , if not all, of the post delivery mechanical problems that were present with the previous boats. Unfortunately, my past experience with marine surveyors left much to be desired.

For the past four or five years I have been reading your excellent articles in PassageMaker magazine, and then I attended one of your presentations at the 2008 Greenport Trawler Fest. Your experience, depth of knowledge, and pleasant, friendly demeanor led me to seek your help to provide a detailed pre-delivery inspection of my new boat.

Your inspection and subsequent written report, accompanied by hundreds of photos documenting the findings, was simply, without a doubt, the most eye-opening, jaw-dropping, thoroughly professional and complete performance that the thirty year experienced dealer had ever seen. After being, at first, somewhat defensive, he has now become a fan of yours, collecting your writings, learning from your expertise, and, most importantly, applying this newly gained knowledge of the correct equipment and installation to not only my boat, but to others that follow.

Steve, I owe you a debt of gratitude, for the brilliant work you did for me, and the way you have made yourself available to assist in correcting the many problems that you uncovered on my new boat. I will not hesitate to call upon you in the future when the need arises. Thanks again.

Stanley L Demski
MD

Steve:

We just wanted to take a moment to say, your verbal presentation, of the essentials of your inspection report, aboard the 42-foot vessel we are considering purchasing was extremely well delivered. We realize that you were more or less on the "hot" seat with buyer, seller and brokers present, however, you seemed to be very much aware of that and yet able to be forthright in your delivery of information. Your sensitivity to the vessel's current owner did not go unnoticed. You are a valuable asset to the industry and to the potential boat buyer. Thank you for your able guidance during our purchase of this vessel.

Laurence and Robin Lombard

Dear Steve,

I write to thank you for the outstanding and very professional job you did on the pre-delivery inspection of my new 50-foot trawler. It was the best money I spent on the boat. The 97 issues you uncovered during the extensive two-day inspection were as surprising to the boat builder as they were to me.

As you know, these issues ranged from 23 "critical safety items (direct risk of fire, explosion, electrocution, injury or loss of life)" to 33 "important, may compromise safe operation (the vessel may lose power, lose control or flood as a result of this problem)" to 41 "not critical, a nuisance or merely undesirable, but not immediately serious (however, may lead to substantial failures and / or repair costs in the future)."

Fortunately for me, the boat builder agreed with your assessment and recommendations and have now corrected all of the issues brought to their attention by your report. Thanks to you, I now have a much better boat and the builder will benefit from your expertise on all future boats they build.

I don't think I told you before, but the reason I decided to hire you to inspect the boat was a result of my attending your two-day Ships' Systems Stem to Stern seminar last May at the Trawler Fest held in Anacortes, Washington. Your seminar proved to me you really knew your business. Your real-world practical knowledge, gained from many years experience with all types and makes of boats, makes your knowledge superior to anyone in this business.

The only thing I would do differently if I were to commission another boat to be built is to hire you at the beginning of the boat building process to oversee all aspects of construction, including recommendations for all mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.

I also very much appreciate that you expedited your report to me as the builder was moist anxious to start immediately making the necessary changes you recommended. Not only that, but you continued to have dialogue with both me and the builder on issues raised during the inspection.

Respectfully,
Doug Hallat

"My wife and I decided to purchase a used 50 foot diesel powered trawler. Although we had several years experience on our 28 foot Searay Sundancer, we knew that we could not properly understand or evaluate the true condition and potential problems with trawler's many systems without expert help. Also, we wanted much more detail than we would get from an ordinary marine survey. We hired Steve D'Antonio because of his expertise and it was the best decision we made.

When Steve's entire body disappeared into the chain locker we knew we would be getting a thorough inspection. Steve provided us with detailed information on the condition of and potential problems with such things as electrical wiring, connections, fusing, poor bus block locations, inappropriate bolt and plug materials, steering linkage anomalies, window replacement, bilge valves and manifolds, an exhaust installation incompatible with the generator manufacturer's requirements, the use of inappropriate hoses for certain applications, and a myriad of other items, many of which were not even noted in the survey. As important, Steve's report explained what needed to be done to fix the problem conditions and, where possible, cited us to web sites or other sources for the parts or information to do this.

Steve found almost 60 items that we needed to know about-from those that could sink the boat to those that could cause mere inconvenience if not attended to. Comparing Steve's report with the survey showed dramatically how much more information Steve had given us to use in negotiating any final purchase price adjustments and in knowing what really needed to be fixed on the vessel to make our cruising safe and enjoyable with no unexpected surprises.

Steve performed all of his work in an entirely professional and timely way and was happy to answer all of our questions-of which there were many. We unequivocally recommend Steve's service to anyone who is buying a boat, or who just wants to know what the real condition of their boat is!"

Darrel Peters and Susan E. Lister
2006 50-foot trawler

I purchased a new sportfishing boat from a manufacturer that has a reputation for excellent quality. I hired Steve D'Antonio as a consultant to inspect the boat before I took delivery. Steve found a couple of dozen major and minor items that needed attention, some of which were important safety issues. He then worked very cooperatively with the dealer to discuss how to correct them. Both the dealer and I were impressed by Steve's thoroughness, his knowledge of boat systems, and his professional manner of communicating. I recommend Steve's services to anyone who is buying a new or used boat.

Frank Batten Jr.
Norfolk, VA

"I met Steve D 4 years ago while my boat was in a yard he then managed in Virginia. Within a year, I found myself calling him for advice on all of the tough boating related questions that I had. He always had the right answer!

This spring I bought a new boat from a very high quality production boat manufacturer and decided, for the first time, to hire a professional to go over the boat's mechanical systems. The first person who came to mind was Steve, now with his own consulting business. Steve and I spent one very full day going over the boat stem to stern, through sea trial and haul out. I was shocked, that within a ten page report, he identified over fifty problems in the basic build of the boat! The manufacturer agreed with virtually every item he identified and fixed the problems prior to delivery. The important part for me is that most of these were items neither a surveyor nor I would have identified, and many of them were significant safety issues.

I have over 40 years experience in and around boats, but I will never buy another vessel, new or used, without Steve's guidance."

W.K. Harris
Norfolk, VA

"Steve: I am sorry to say that we need to postpone your inspection of my new vessel. They are doing very good work, but perhaps they are being extra careful because they know that you are coming to check their work."

Frank B.
Norfolk, VA

Steve:

I would like to thank you for your very thorough and detailed report on my new 48-foot motor yacht.

As you know, this purchase represented a substantial financial investment on my part. Not only did your report reassure me that what I was buying was what had been represented, it also gave me a valuable tool with which to negotiate the modifications, corrections and changes you suggested, all at the builder's expense.

Having read your articles in "PassageMaker" over the years it is obvious that your reputation in the boating world is second to none, particularly on the technical aspects of boat building, systems and mechanics etc. Most of us boat owners know enough to generally get us into trouble. Therefore, I felt I needed someone with your reputation and expertise in my corner when buying my next boat. My only regret is I should have done it sooner, when buying my first boat.

Again, many thanks for your valuable help.
Ron Thompson

"After taking Steve's D'Antonio's PassageMaker University course on Ship's Systems we asked him to help us choose our new boat. We looked at several trawlers together and Steve pointed out the positive and negative aspects of each boat in great detail. He also provided a thorough written report on each vessel.

With Steve's help we felt confident that there were no "hidden issues" with the boat that we finally chose. We also used items from his report in the purchase negotiations. Hiring this guy to consult on a new boat purchase will pay big dividends in knowledge and peace of mind."

John and Dianne Kernan
San Diego, CA

"A note of thanks for your time and expertise on our behalf, your services as an advisor have been invaluable. We'll certainly call on you for assistance with our next project. Many, many thanks."

LC and Robin Lombard
Taftsville, VT

"In a perfect world all doctors, lawyers and boat industry representatives would be knowledgeable, honest and ethical. This is not a perfect world. Unless you are extremely experienced in all aspects of buying a boat you enter the boating world at your own peril.

Steve, you provide a service that has been missing from the boating industry for the duration of my 30 odd years of buying, owning and selling boats. Your 20 years of experience and your eye for detail allows you to focus on things that may appear minor on the surface but could represent significant safety and cost issues down the road. But Steve is an additional cost, some might say….how do you justify that? It is always difficult to apply a finite value to something that did not happen but most logical thinking people understand that prevention is paramount to risk management.

Your competent assistance and counsel in the selection and purchase of my trawler was invaluable! There is little doubt in my mind that over the long haul you saved me far more than your fee. And how do you place a value on peace of mind? Rest assured that I will be calling for your assistance again in the near future."

R. Burt Prater, MD