Should independent RV Inspections become the norm?

A few months ago, Pam and I were invited by our friends Darren and Kristen to accompany them for a weekend to experience the boat they had purchased.  Darren and Kristen had purchased a Chaparral 260 with a cabin for sleeping. The size and cabin dimensions classified the Chaparral 260 as a weekender. They enjoy owning this boat...sorry, I mean yacht. You see, the specification on the Chaparral 260 also classifies it to be a yacht. Kristen had only one major complaint about the sleeping arrangement on the boat. The beds were not comfortable. Darren and Kristen would convert the table into a bed every night, but the bed was too short. The bed under the stairs was the right length, but there was no way to get out of the bed without waking each other. The Chaparral 260 was just too small for their family.  So, Darren and Kristen started a search for a yacht in the 30 to 35-foot range.  This size boat would give them more cabin space in both length and width while providing better sleeping accommodation.

Darren and Kristen found a boat broker and placed their Chaparral 260 on the market. I enjoyed being on the boat with them and was curious about the process. So, naturally, I interjected myself in searching for a new yacht for them. We were searching as many boat websites as we could find.  There are a significant number of boats on the market. I found that used boat boats in the 30 to 35-foot range are costly.

Darren and Kristen were spending every weekend driving up and down the east coast looking at boats that we found online. They called me one Sunday night to tell me that they found a boat.  I was on speakerphone as they excitedly explained the features of the yacht. Kristen felt this would solve the sleeping accommodation problems. Darren wanted a second motor and a generator. The asking price for the yacht was $95,000, but through some negotiations, the price had dropped to the $80,000 range.  The haggled price was precisely what Darren and Kristen had hoped, and they would both be getting things they wanted in a yacht.  

In the boating world, the cost to buy a boat is high, and boats sit in water.  Water can destroy just about everything, including boats. It is a common practice and recommended to hire a boat surveyor to inspect the boat during the purchase process.  Darren and Kristen asked me to come along to witness the boat survey and video the process.  They thought I could use the video on my YouTube channel Paradise in a Tin Can.  I love these guys for thinking of my channel.

I went with them to shoot the video but found myself completely captivated by the surveyor's thoroughness.  The entire time I was thinking about RV’s. I do not know an RV owner that has not had damage done to their rigs, whether by water, wind, trees, objects from the road, rodents, etc. 

I spoke with the gentleman that was doing the survey. I found out that he is a mechanic by trade and owns a repair shop. His wife is running the shop because he is overwhelmed by the volume of boat surveys. He also has numerous certifications to qualify him to do the surveys. He spent his entire life working on motors and vehicles. He had a partner with him that also has a background in the automotive industry. The survey consisted of an “out of water”  inspection and an “in the water” inspection to include an open water ride. The surveyor explained he could find most of the significant issues and many of the small ones as well.

The surveyor is not associated with the broker. He is entirely independent of the boat sales market.  He goes to the boat and completes the report. The report goes to whoever requests a copy. The survey report usually goes to the person making the purchase and the broker trying to sell the boat. The broker then shares it with the seller.  I believe the survey costs about $600, but that does not include the compression test on the motors. 

On the ride back home, I talked to Darren and Kristen about how impressed I was with the surveyor's inspection and that I could see a need for this to be done for RVs. The boat surveyor found some significant issues with the boat with an estimated $10,000 repair cost and other poorly repaired items. This boat may have needed an estimated $20,000 in repairs over the next few years.    

I had not heard of the boat survey, and I did not know of such a thing being done with RVs. I got home and started searching the internet for a similar service for RVs. I did find a service for RVs. There is a company called the National RV inspector Association (NRVIA). NRVIA has a training facility in Athens, TX. They have an extensive list of items on the inspection routine that cover just about the entire RV.  I have not personally seen a report from one of these inspections. If they perform the inspection as well as the boat surveyor, I can see a place for this service. 

I did not understand why I had not heard of this service prior; however, I now recognize why.  When Pam and I purchased our first RV, we were so excited (at least I was) to be making this step into the RVing world away from tents. I did not think that purchasing a new RV would have problems. We purposely stayed away from used RV’s because it seemed creepy to be purchasing used furniture and beds.  The process of buying new mattresses and cushions was not an expense we wanted to occur from day one. I did not fathom there would be issues on a brand new RV at that time so I did not recognize the need for an inspection.

I now know that even when purchasing a new RV, frequently there will be problems like a slide-out not sealed, a shower door not caulked, a heater not connected correctly under the floor, and a heater that does not work on day one. This list can go on and on. Please understand that I do not think badly about the RV industry.  These RVs are built by hand in locations that push production, especially in this year of COVID.  RV sales went through the roof in the year 2020, which I think is an excellent thing.  An RV is no different than a house. We had a home built, and from day one we found problems and I am still fixing things. 

If you are going to purchase a house, you get a home inspection done. If you buy a used car, you take it to your trusted mechanic to inspect it. The inspections are done to find problems that the seller may not have disclosed.  The seller’s unwillingness to identify the negative information about the property is not surprising as they are trying to squeeze as much money out of that investment as possible. 

I don’t expect an RV to be perfect, but I could get as many of those problems fixed before I make the purchase or know the issues.  I can make a better buying decision. Regardless of the brand, size or style of RV you are buying, it cost a lot of money.  Some people will have additional funds available to make repairs to the unseen problems, but others will not. These unseen problems can cause a family to have a bad RVing experience. 

I think it is a smart thing to hire an RV inspector before making your purchase of an RV, whether new or used.  I do not know what the fee would be for an RV inspection, but if it is in the ballpark of a boat survey, that cost may be approximately $600 or more. An RV inspection could be the best money spent on the RV purchase because knowing is always better. 

During the car ride home from looking at the boat with Darren and Kristen, I made a simple suggestion of keeping the boat they already have and purchase an RV for sleeping. They have since purchased a new RV. Now they truly have the best of both worlds!