During my search for a Shark, we developed what you might call a 10 minute survey, a way to look at a used boat quickly, in a semi-orgainzed way, primarily to determine if the boat is worth adding to a list of "possibles."

We developed the survey for a simple reason it's tempting to squander time on surface details when examining a boat. It's also inevitable that you overlook some essential features if you spend time inspecting the back of the instruments.

The 10-minute survey, of course, is no substitute for a thorough survey by a professional surveyor. It is usually required for financing or insurance.

We initially spent a lot of time on cosmetics- gelcoat, paint, teak, trim, interior joiner work, upholstery, and so on.

After several boats, however, we decided to exclude cosmetics altogether. Not that cosmetics are unimportant, but because you get a fair impression of such things at a glance.

It's very tempting to spend time on big ticket items such as the outboard engine. But in a boat laid-up on land, there is little you can tell beyond the first glance whether the engine is a rusted hulk or well maintained, or whether the electronics are newish or old.

Concentrate on the basic structure; you're better off with a good boat that looks a little shabby from sitting at the dock too long than a race abused boat that looks good cosmetically.

Obtain an equipment list before you visit the boat, and use it as a guide to which equipment, if any, you want to check. Make clear that the list specifies the kind as well as the number of items, example "12-h Danforth" and "15-pound Bruce" not just two Anchors.

The 10 minutes of looking should be spent mostly on the basics, the hull, deck, and interior structure. Our total equipment was flashlight and a small two headed mallet, the kind with one rubber-tipped head and one tipped with hard yellow plastic.

Most of the boats we looked at were out of the water. Obviously for a boat afloat, the checklist would change.

Take a quick walk, once around the boat. Move fast, looking at the topsides, then the bottom. If you notice anything, it'll be a fault of some sort. Get a general impression of the structure and its condition, plus potential problems such as patched holes, gouges, hard spots at bulkheads in the topsides, gel coat blisters, unfairness and other features below the waterline. nearly all boats had some rust acme on the keel save for the ones with an epoxy faired keel. If you see anything questionable, "sound" the hull, tapping it with the plastic tip of the mallet. It takes a bit of experience to know what good fiberglass sounds like, and you'll undoubtedly get sneers from some brokers, along with mutterings about "tire kickers."

"Sound" every two feet of the deck with the plastic hammer. Move rapidly, from the bow down one side and up the other.

We did not look at a single used boat without some give on the deck, due to delamination so again look only for gross problems.

As elsewhere in the boat, look primarily for structural soundness, forcing yourself to take only quick looks at surface matters inside.

Here are the critical things to look at: . hull/deck joint . the way the bulkheads are fiberglassed to the hull and the way the interior components are glassed to the hull and bulkheads . chainplate and forestay connections . keel bolts . underdeck backing bases for cleats, winches etc. . through hull fittings cockpit drains and hoses

In the interior work aft from the bow, crawling head first into every compartment possible, contorting yourself as much as necessary to see what is hidden. A good flashlight is necessary, especially in a laid-up covered boat. Work rapidly, trying to see every spot in the hull. In the process, note the surface details as well, but look at the structure first. When you end up in the lazarette be sure that the bulkhead between it and the cabin is totally sealed. If anything was consistent, all the work no matter the age or builder as done well The only exceptions were boats where the owners had done considerable reconstruction themselves. The wiring in most boats was hit and miss.

At the end of the 10 minutes, walk away from the boat or otherwise tune out the owner/seller for a minute or two.

We first rated the boat on a scale of one to ten relative to the boats that we already had examined. A plus for boats that were measured, for this gave us the weight and some assurance that it conformed to Shark Class Specifications. We'd try to separate the individual structural elements of the hull, deck and interior, identify pluses and minuses, and estimate the cost of repair. Then if the boat was at least in the top half of those we'd examined, we'd turn our thinking to the details of overall finish and furnishing by spending a little more time on the cosmetics inside out.

We didn't find the perfect boat, but that's mostly because the boats we really wanted we couldn't afford, and the boats we could afford we really didn't want.

We paid more than we expected, what we bought was a structurally sound, cosmetically good looking boat, that had been cruised for most of its years, admittedly it was a tad over weight. The keel had some acme and was not faired at all but with time, work and money we will bring it to the boat we envisioned.

We think the 10-minute survey helped us find a good boat at a bargain price.