Douglas Gould
Surveyor Associate, SAMS®
Standards Accredited, ABYC
USCG 100T License
843-655-3653
I'm like you. I'm a boat owner. My current boat, Water Torture is depicted in
the line drawing at the top of the page. She was my home for 10 years, and
still is every summer. I've been driving, owning, cruising, sailing, repairing,
maintaining, working on or operating boats most of my life. I've earned my
living working on or operating boats since 1991. Feel free to read my resume.
Modern production boats up to about 50' hold very few mysteries for me. I am
confident in my ability to do a thorough pre-purchase survey on a Taiwanese
built trawler or a domestic express cruiser.

Writing is another passion of mine, and I believe that a good survey has to be
well written, rather than just a list of the equipment on board. I am a member of
Boating Writers International, Inc. For examples of my writing style, read some
of my recent articles. To see what my survey reports look like, click Sample
Survey above.

As you may have learned, surveyor's business cards are beginning to look like
the door of a refrigerator with those plastic magnetic letters scattered by a
pre-schooler: ABYCAMSNAMSSAMSIAMIUSCG...and so forth. And
many will point out that having all those acronyms on your resume doesn't
guarantee you will get a great survey. I too have a small menagerie of letter
that follow my name. Here is what it all means:

Surveyor Associate (SA), Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors: An
Associate Surveyor means I'm an entry level surveyor who is fully qualified to
perform surveys within my specialty, which in my case is Yachts & Small Craft.
Surveyor Associates are expected to be working towards achieving the AMS
designation, which requires a number of years prior experience as an SA. I
was accepted into SAMS® in January 2007. The SAMS logo links to their
web site.

American Boat & Yacht Council, Standards Certified and Marine
Systems Certified: I am a member of ABYC, and being Standards Certifed
and Marine Systems Certified means that I have passed a test proving my
intimate familiarity with their standards. I received my Standards Certification
in 2006. Click here to learn more about ABYC Certifications..


USCG 100T License: That means I have a captain's license issued by the
US Coast Guard, technically called a Master's License. I am qualified to
operate commercial vessels up to 100 gross tons (about 100' boat), powered
by motor, steam and sail, in "Near Coastal Waters". My license is also
endorsed for commercial assistance towing. I have held this license since
1991. Click the image at left to see a full page view.
Swiss Ladder 120
120 foot "range support vessel" operated under civilian
contract for US Navy fleet training exercises. Powered by 4
16V92 Detroit Diesels turning 4 screws. Cruise at 20 kts, top
speed about 24 kts.
Micheal G
105 foot crew/supply vessel operated for SoCal Ship
Services. Powered by 3 12V71 Detroit Diesels turning
3 screws. Cruise at 10kts, top speed about 13 kts.
Harbor Five
17 foot center console patrol boat, operated for
Isthums Harbor Department. Powered by 70hp
Evenrude outboard motor. Top speed about 25 kts.
Some of the vessels I've run (in no particular order)
SafeSea Block Island
32 foot custom tow/rescue vessel operated for Safe/Sea
Marine Rescue Services. Powered by 2 Yanmar 315hp
diesels turning two Hamilton 271 Jet drives. Cruise at
30kts, top speed 38kts. Can tow a 25' Bayliner at 20 kts.
Water Torture
40 foot Marine Trader Sedan. My current
personal yacht. Powered by 120hp single
Ford Lehman. Cruises at 7.5kts, top
speed 8.5 kts.
Reliant
22 foot custom built towboat, operated by my
company, Santa Monica Bay Towing. Powered
by 1 Cummins 220hp diesel turning a single
Merc #3 outdrive. Cruise at 17 kts, top speed
20 kts, tow at 6 kts.
Tauha
41 foot Ta Chiao ketch (CT-41). Was my home
and cruising yacht for 6 years. Cruised much
of southern California coast, and one round
trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Powered by
ketch sailing rig and Isuzu 60hp auxiliary diesel.
I managed to pick up a few nice racing trophies
back in high school. I raced with the Brookhaven,
Bellport Bath, Bottle & Boating Society on
Bellport Bay, Long Island, NY. Fond memories...
My Qualifications & Experience