Welcome to Maritime Surveyors

Hi, I’m Ross Hubbard, SAMS®-AMS, marine surveyor and owner of Maritime Surveyors. My office is located in Southern California in Channel Islands Harbor about an hour north of Los Angeles, California.

Ventura, Channel Islands, and Santa Barbara Harbors are known as gateways to the beautiful, unspoiled, California Channel Islands right off of our coastline. The Channel Islands are a truly special area that should be on your short list of “must sees”.

Maritime Surveyors serves the entire Southern California coastline with emphasis on our local areas of Ventura, Channel Islands, Santa Barbara, and Marina del Rey, California.

BACKGROUND

I have been a full time marine surveyor for the past 11 years and have surveyed well over 3,500 power, sail, and commercial boats and I am proud to be an accredited marine surveyor (AMS) with the Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors (SAMS). The culmination of over 30 years of boat ownership (sail and power), repair, and inspecting boats serves me well to be noted as a seasoned marine professional.

My boating background is diverse, having worked in boat management, maintenance, boat repair, brokerage and marine surveying. I also have many continuing educational training hours through American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) Seminars, and Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors (SAMS) continuing educational credits and certificates.

CFR (Code of Federal Regulation) ABYC (American Boat and Yacht Council) , and NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) standards and regulations are used as guidelines in my inspection.

And what I feel most deeply about is my family history which is marked by many generations of boat and ship builders and commercial waterman. So I guess you can say it’s in my DNA.

PASSION

My passion is boating and inspecting boats. I’ll make sure that I go over your boat “with a fine tooth comb” like I would for myself or a family member. I take professional pride in being known as a “very thorough” marine surveyor and I think that is exactly what I think a marine surveyor should be. Otherwise, what is a marine surveyor needed for?

Your safety is important to me and I don’t want to leave anything out. I am a naturally curious person and I want to know what’s going on with your boat or the boat that you are thinking of purchasing. I need to know everything I can about the boat I’m inspecting so that I can give it a fair and honest appraisal.

Oh yeah, I’m also someone who has followed the age old advice of “Do what you love and you’ll never feel like your working“.

I’M FULLY ACCREDITED & CERTIFIED – NOT ALL MARINE SURVEYORS ARE

I am fully accredited by the Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors (SAMS) with a designation of Accredited Marine Surveyor (AMS). That means I belong to the largest and most respected marine survey association and that I have proven myself with experience and testing through SAMS. The SAMS-AMS designation is what lenders, insurance companies, and other marine professionals respect and look for when reading a survey report and dealing with a marine surveyor.

I am also a member of American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC). The ABYC literately writes the standards for boating – whether it be boat building, inspection, repair, electrical, you name it. I am the only marine surveyor in my area that is a member of ABYC that is also standards certified.

I WORK FOR AND YOU ALONE

I don’t supply any information about you, your boat, transactions, or anything else to anyone and I won’t “go along to get along” with yacht brokers, lenders, or anyone else for “referrals”. I will not deliver or supply any reports or information to anyone else without your permission. My marine survey practice is diverse enough that I don’t have to worry about getting “referrals” that are paid with “conflicted interest”.

I take my responsibilities to you seriously and make every effort and then some to ensure there is never a conflict of interest. I tell you this because the marine survey profession is not regulated. This situation is not to my liking but I don’t see any change coming soon for universal regulation or standardization, so it is as some folks say, “is what it is”. So, if you decide to hire me or any other marine surveyor, you owe it to yourself to know what position your marine surveyor takes when it comes to your privacy.

APPROACH

My approach to marine surveying is pragmatic – I take a practical, real-world approach to surveying your boat. I use my background in repair and maintenance to spot problems before they happen. Your survey report will be easy to understand without knowing or learning technical terminology. The more you know, the better we all are.

LET ME KNOW HOW I CAN HELP

I hope that you will give me a call or email me if you have any questions and to book an appointment with me to survey your boat. I’d appreciate the opportunity to earn your business and make sure I do an excellent job for you. Please stop by the testimonials page to hear what some my clients have to say.

REFERENCES

If you want a referral for a marine surveyor, ask a boatyard or other marine professionals, they’ll let you know who loves doing their job and is good at it and who is just going through the paces. I look for and report the positive and negative aspects about the boat. Each boat is different; I don’t have any preconceived notions or prejudice about the manufacturer or type of boat I am inspecting. I survey powerboats and sailboats in nearly equal numbers.

Professional, full time, marine surveyors should be competent to inspect both sail and powerboats.

Business References

• Anacapa Isle Marina – Jenni Fisher, Manager
• Ventura Isle Marina – Jeri Dunham, Manager
• Ventura Harbor Boatyard – Dale Morris, Owner
• Bellport Anacapa Boatyard – Brad Hawes, General Manager
• Boatyard Electric – Marine Electrician, Mike Chernosky, Owner
• Shipshape Marine – Yacht Maintenance, Lee
• Steve Allport – Marine Electrician, Owner

Client References

• Upon Request – For Client Privacy

MEMBERSHIPS

• Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors® (SAMS) AMS Designation
• American Boat & Yacht Council (A.B.Y.C.) Member with Standards Certification
• “The Exchange” – Professional’s Journal