This being the New Boat issue, and since I’ve owned more new boats than the U.S. Navy, I have (he said modestly) a wealth of wisdom to share.

I’m here to offer the Caswellian Boat Survey Tips, which apply equally to both new and used. These do not cover the usual survey tips about the electrical system, the fuel tank or even the construction. These are vastly more important in determining whether you keep this new boat for one month or one decade. They’re about you. And they’re in no particular order.

Berths: Be sure that you stretch out fully on every berth, not just the one in the owner’s cabin. If you have a significant other,  you should stretch out together at the same time. Is the berth long enough? Don’t forget to add in space for a pillow and the fact that your feet droop when you’re asleep. You don’t want to feel like you’re wedged into the berth. Lay there long enough to get a sense of the mattress. Hard? Soft? Weird seams that are going to irritate you at 3 a.m.?

Shower: Get into the shower. If it has a stall shower, bend over and see if you can retrieve a dropped soap without stepping out of the shower. If it has just a shower curtain to protect the head, pull it around you and imagine yourself soaking wet. Shower curtains have a magnetic attraction to wet bodies that makes the wrappings around King Tut seem gossamer. 

Cockpit: First, if this is at a boat show, go to the floating cocktail barge and get a beverage. Take it back to the boat and sit in the cockpit. And not for just a couple of minutes. It’s going to annoy the sales people, but sit there at least half an hour. What we’re looking for are real-life ergonomics. Can you lean back against the cockpit coaming without losing all feeling after a few minutes? Do you have a place to put drinks and munchies? Some of the finest yachts (Concordia yawl, I see you) have cockpits that ought to be sent to Guantanamo as torture devices for terrorists. Caswellian Rule: An uncomfortable cockpit just ain’t gonna work. 

At the same time, consider the cockpit while you’re sailing. Can you kneel on a seat and reach a winch without gymnastics? Especially if the boat is heeling in that direction? And don’t forget the cockpit when you’re powering or docking. If you must bend too far over to reach the throttle and shift levers, you’re going to entertain everyone at the dock with your disasters. As pilots say, “Keep your head in the cockpit,” which means don’t get distracted trying to find the shift lever. You need to be looking at your maneuvers
without distractions.

Galley: Can you imagine it when heeled 30 degrees? Is there someplace for you to brace your rear? We all understand that there is never enough stowage on any boat under 280 feet, but does the galley have enough drawers or lockers for all your utensils, plus endless amounts of fry pans, pots, kettles, casseroles and even the piddly stuff like baggies and seasoning?

Which brings us to the counters. There should be ample space to lay out a bunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the entire crew. Every counter should have a fiddle to prevent spills, or you’re forever going to be mopping up Italian dressing off the furniture. Is there a cutting board, hopefully as a cover for the sink to create more counter space? Last (and this is a Caswellian absolute), the counter cannot serve as a step to the cockpit. You don’t want to have everything seasoned by someone’s Topsiders or, again from experience, step onto a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Engine: Pop open the covering over the engine. Can you easily touch the oil filter when the engine is hot? Are the various belts accessible? 

Miscellaneous Stuff: Take the time to scuff around on the nonslip decks. Some, if you slip, will remove flesh like a hungry piranha. Others are so mild they barely work. What you want is halfway—easy to clean, very grippy. And be sure you have enough opening hatches and ports. 

These Caswellian Rules should help keep you from making the wrong decisions, and I wish you decades of fun aboard.