My name is Robert (Bob) Fleck and I am the surveyor for Melfort Marine Surveys, carrying out the majority of the surveys on my own, calling on the services of a colleague when needed for larger jobs, and with a mechanical and electrical engineer on call when more specialised knowledge is required. I have been a sailor since my teens and have worked professionally in the marine industry for nearly 40 years. What happened to the time! I started crewing and then skippering charter yachts before starting my own charter company and sailing school. During the winters I worked freelance in local boatyards. I ran the charter company for over ten years before starting work on a more regular basis in a local boatyard as well as running the sailing school and working as a freelance skipper and sailing instructor. During this period I qualified with a Diploma with Merit in Marine Surveying from the International Institute of Marine Surveying, mentored by the highly respected Maitland Murray of Murray Cormack Associates.. I worked full time as a surveyor for a few years before being asked to take over running the workshop at Ardfern Yacht Centre. Ardfern was the only remaining full service yard in Scotland with a team including boatbuilders, engineers, and riggers and has a UK and international reputation as a centre of excellence, and is the go to yard when sailing in Scotland. After nearly 14 years at Ardfern I felt the time was right to go back out on my own and return to surveying. The decision has been borne out by a regular flow of work, including condition surveys for pre purchase and insurance renewal, and an ever growing client base of the major marine insurance companies, using my services for damage investigation and repairs. I am a member of both the IIMS and the YDSA and, until recently, also acted as assessor for the UHI boatbuilding apprentice scheme in Argyll.

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My aim is to give all my customers clear and concise reports and advice, written in an easily accessible format.