Hi Dan With 6 surveys under my belt this past year, I must be the most experienced guy on the List on this subject. In the end, a good surveyor is really cheap, and I don't have a single regret about the costs involved. Each of the deals I walked away from saved me money and grief, and on the one I closed, he saved me several times the total cost of all 6 surveys, because his report gave me grounds to negotiate a against a faint possibility that might - or might not - become a significant problem in the distant future. I was also lucky in having a good broker and an ethical seller. I actually only used 2 marine surveyors, one in Seattle, and one in both Vancouver and Victoria. I used 5 different mechanical surveyors for obvious reasons. In each and every case, I got a separate oral but full debriefing from both surveyors about all the major findings immediately after the survey, including rough estimates of cost to repair. The mechanics faxed only a page of terse comments on each finding within 48 hours, often hand-written. Interestingly, none found any major engine problems on any of the 6 boats, but lots of potentially expensive minor ones such as hoses, raw water pumps etc., and one mechanic did discover that on one of the boats, the engine-transmission combinations were completely different. Halfway through the Seattle boat, the surveyor recommended I walk, and when he charged me for only half a survey, I told him I wouldn't need a report. In the other 5 cases, I have formal, detailed surveys that run 20 to 30 pages each, and them by mail in about a 7-10 days. On the first boat I had surveyed and rejected, a broker told a subsequent prospective purchaser that he might be able to save some money by buying a copy of my report. (The owner, another honorable seller, had disclosed the general nature of the findings to the broker and re-priced the boat accordingly.) I then phoned the surveyor to ask if might re-sell a copy. He said that the survey was my property exclusively, to do with as I pleased, and he certainly had no objection to my selling it. In light of my experience, your surveyor's conduct is at least curious and inappropriate, but hopefully will prove to be nothing more than a misunderstanding e.g. that the broker was to pass a sealed envelope on to you. However, I'd withhold payment until I checked his professional competence and integrity just in case you have to have the boat re-surveyed. Until you get credible reassurance, you will wonder whether he was working for you or the broker, i.e. whether you can trust his findings. Start by asking the local Power Squadron officers and go from there. I know that it's a real disappointment to have to wait even longer for something you really want, but this is one of the bigger expenses of your life. As noted above, good/good surveyors are cheap. On the other hand, bad ones can prove incredibly expensive. Hope it works out quickly and successfully. Cheers, Garrett