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Marine Surveyor for Yachts & Small Craft

Professional Pre-Purchase, Insurance, Damage & Appraisal Surveys

Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors - Click Here

(817) 688-4673 - Jmseckman@hotmail.com

About Us

Capt. John Seckman, AMS® — a SAMS® Accredited Marine Surveyor and USCG 1600-ton Master based on Lake Texoma.

SAMS® Accredited Marine Surveyor (AMS®)
USCG 1600-Ton Master / 2nd Mate Unlimited
ABYC Member
Mariner since 2007 · Surveying since 2015
Graduate of Texas A&M Class of 2007 - BS in Marine Transportation
USPAP Compliant

Why Boat Buyers Choose Southern Marine Surveying

Capt. John Seckman, AMS® — a SAMS® Accredited Marine Surveyor and USCG 1600-ton Master based on Lake Texoma.

Accredited, not just "experienced". The AMS® credential from the Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors is earned through vetted reports, testing, and continuing education — and it's the credential banks and insurers recognize.
A working mariner's eye. Capt. Seckman has run vessels professionally offshore since 2007. He inspects boats the way an owner-operator does: as systems that have to work underway, not checkboxes.
Reports you can act on. Findings are ranked and explained in plain English, so you know what's a deal-breaker, what's a negotiating point, and what's routine maintenance.
Straight answers, fast turnaround. Free quotes by phone, honest scheduling, and reports delivered promptly after the inspection.

Service Area

Capt. John Seckman, AMS® — a SAMS® Accredited Marine Surveyor and USCG 1600-ton Master based on Lake Texoma.

Service Area

Southern Marine Surveying is based in Pottsboro, Texas on Lake Texoma and travels throughout Texas and Oklahoma — with Arkansas, Missouri, and Florida available case-by-case. Frequent survey locations include:

Lake Texoma
Dallas – Fort Worth
Lake Lewisville
Lake Grapevine
Lake Ray Hubbard
Eagle Mountain Lake
Lake Travis & Austin
Lake Ray Roberts
Joe Pool Lake
Cedar Creek Lake
Galveston & Clear Lake
Freeport
Port Aransas
Oklahoma lakes
Lake of the Ozarks

Marine Survey Services

Pre-Purchase Surveys

The most thorough inspection we offer: hull, machinery, electrical, and safety systems, with fair market value. Know exactly what you're buying — before you buy it.

Insurance Surveys

Pre-Purchase Surveys

Condition & value surveys that satisfy underwriter requirements for new policies and renewals. Typically two to four hours aboard.

Damage Surveys

Appraisals & Valuations

Independent assessment of storm, collision, fire, or grounding damage, with cause and scope documented for hull & machinery claims.

Appraisals & Valuations

Documented fair-market-value appraisals for financing, refinancing, estates, donations, and divorce settlements.

What a Survey Catches Before It Costs You

Rotten Transoms & Stringers

Damaged wooden boat hull on a trailer with peeling and worn areas.

Water-saturated coring in the transom or stringers is structural failure in progress, and one of the most expensive repairs in boating.

Failed Bilge Pumps

Rotten Transoms & Stringers

Engine room with green hoses and fuel filters.

Broken or unsecured bilge pumps and float switches are the difference between a nuisance leak and a boat on the bottom.

Cracked Hoses & Thru-Hulls

Rusty and leaking pipe connection with visible corrosion and fluid leakage.

A cracked raw-water hose or compromised thru-hull fitting below the waterline is a sinking waiting for a timeline.

Delaminated Fiberglass

Cracked Hoses & Thru-Hulls

Close-up of a damaged blue boat hull with peeling paint and cracks.

Percussion testing the hull and decks reveals delamination and rotted coring that looks perfectly fine on the surface.