Vessel Purchase Advisory
Pre-Purchase Boat Inspection — Gold Coast
An objective technical assessment of the vessel you're about to buy, in writing, before you commit.
Vessel Purchase Advisory
An objective technical assessment of the vessel you're about to buy, in writing, before you commit.
The boat looks immaculate. It started first turn and ran beautifully for forty minutes on the broadwater.
That tells you it runs. It doesn't tell you what faults are stored, how the charging and cooling systems behave under load, what condition the gearbox oil is in, or what maintenance has been deferred. Most of what determines the next two years of ownership isn't visible from the helm on a nice day.
Gold Marine Solutions has no brokerage or commission interest in the transaction. Our findings aren't contingent on the vessel proceeding to sale, and you're under no obligation to use us for any repairs that follow.
We also understand what a finding is likely to involve in access, parts, labour and rectification — so the report gives you more than a fault list.
Engine and gearbox mechanical inspection, engine mounts, leaks, accessible hoses and belts.
Electronic diagnostics where the equipment supports it, stored fault and code history.
Wiring, charging and starting systems, earthing and bonding, gauges and alarms.
Fuel systems, cooling systems, strainers, anodes.
Bilge condition and function, through-valves and seacocks, steering and controls, generator systems where fitted.
We use thermal imaging where operating conditions allow to identify abnormal temperature patterns across cooling, exhaust, electrical and mechanical systems. It supports the wider inspection and gives the report clear visual evidence where relevant.
A service-history folder can be extremely useful, but it can be difficult for a buyer to know how well the records actually match the vessel in front of them.
This review closes that gap. We compare what the documentation says — recorded hours, equipment details, serial numbers, part references, maintenance intervals, claimed service items — against what's actually aboard and reasonably checkable: vessel identity, installed equipment, operating hours, and physical condition where it's relevant.
What you get back is a list of discrepancies, gaps, inconsistencies and claims that aren't supported by what could reasonably be observed or checked. A service record listing a raw-water pump replacement at 1,180 hours reads differently when the pump fitted appears original to the engine.
We report what was compared and what we found. We're not document examiners and we don't determine whether paperwork is authentic — that's not what this is. It's a consistency check between the records and the vessel, and the conclusions are yours to draw.
A written Gold Marine mechanical report. Findings are grouped by priority, so what matters immediately is obvious:
Each finding carries the observation, its priority, the recommended rectification, and whether we can quote or coordinate that work for you.
The vessel is given an overall condition summary:
| Good | No significant technical concerns identified within the inspection scope; routine maintenance may still be due. |
| Good with maintenance required | Generally serviceable, with identifiable maintenance or rectification items requiring attention. |
| Significant rectification required | Known defects or maintenance backlog requiring material corrective work. |
| Major technical concerns | Serious faults or unresolved conditions warranting rectification or further investigation before a purchase decision. |
A complete assessment needs the vessel operated properly — engines run, systems put under load, a sea trial where that's possible — and that depends on the seller's cooperation and the vessel being in a state to run. Where it isn't, we inspect everything reasonably accessible and record the rest under Inspection Limitations: what couldn't be operated, accessed or assessed, and why.
We don't draw conclusions about systems we couldn't test. An item under Inspection Limitations hasn't passed and hasn't failed — it hasn't been assessed, and you should read it that way. If you want us to return later to complete loaded testing, we'll quote that attendance separately.
Written reports are normally issued within two business days of inspection. Laboratory results and third-party reports may follow separately.
Base pricing is by vessel length and assumes one propulsion engine. Engine count, a generator and overall complexity affect the final quote.
| Vessel length | Base price |
|---|---|
| Up to 24 ft | $395 + GST |
| 25–34 ft | $550 + GST |
| 35–44 ft | $700 + GST |
| 45–54 ft | $875 + GST |
| 55–64 ft | $1,050 + GST |
| 65–79 ft | $1,350 + GST |
| 80–100 ft | from $1,650 + GST |
| Additional propulsion engine | +$250 + GST each |
| Generator inspection | +$150 + GST |
| Triple/quad installations, multiple machinery spaces or unusually complex vessels | Quoted on vessel details |
Documentation & service-history review — $395 + GST.
Oil sampling, haul-out, structural or hull surveying and any third-party services are separate.
You're under no obligation to use us for anything that follows. Plenty of buyers take the report and handle the work themselves or through their own people, and that's a perfectly good outcome.
Where you'd like one, we can provide a repair quotation after the inspection. That's the cost of putting the vessel right — it isn't a suggested adjustment to the purchase price, and we don't write reports to be used that way.
If you do want help, we already know the vessel — the systems, the defect list, and which items are urgent versus which can be planned. Most owners find that easier than starting again explaining the boat to somebody new, whether it's working through the rectification list or putting the vessel onto ongoing technical management.
Gold Marine provides technical and mechanical purchase assistance. We don't carry out structural hull surveying, vessel valuation, brokerage or insurance certification, and we don't perform AMSA statutory surveys. Depending on the vessel you may also want a haul-out, a hull or structural survey, a PPSR search or oil sampling. Gold Marine can help coordinate appropriate services where requested.
Gold Marine combines a mechanical trade qualification with marine 12V and 24V electrical diagnosis, electronic diagnostics and thermal imaging, working across the Gold Coast and South East Queensland.
Recent work includes a pre-purchase mechanical survey on a Princess V50.
Send us the vessel details — length, engine configuration, generator, where it's berthed and the deadline you're working to — and we'll come back with a quote and a time.