The Marine Butler Ltd. - North Saanich, British Columbia

Rob M.

I have not had a survey done yet by Dale but I just called to ask about one and he was incredibly generous with his time and very honest and open. Gave me some very good advice about insurance and dealing with older boats that I really appreciated. If/when I need a survey I will be coming back to Dale

Corinna B.

Highly Recommend The Marine Bulter!

Having recently moved to Vancouver Island, my husband and I decided to change-up our lifestyle and enjoy life more. One of our goals was to explore this beautiful region and discover all it has to offer. We decided to purchase a boat.

However, as we are “newbie” boaters, we felt it necessary to seek assistance from a professional surveyor. Someone who knows boats and the industry. We contacted Dale at The Marine Butler and found his experience and expertise to be an invaluable resource.

Not only did he help us avoid a “poor choice” on the first boat we seriously considered. Dale’s pragmatic, “no-nonsense” approach was instrumental in guiding us through the decision process on the boat we ultimately purchased. He also dedicated several hours of instruction time (at no charge), teaching us how to drive the boat.

We highly recommend The Marine Butler’s services if you are planning a boat purchase. The peace-of-mind it brings, is well worth it.

Peter M.

My wife and I started looking for a boat about 21 months ago. We looked at a thirty foot boat in a local marina, having never operated anything over 22 ft. before. We had been told by friends with experience in buying boats, that we would, sooner or later, require the services of a marine surveyor if we were serious about owning a boat.

We started looking online for surveyor services and were bewildered by the array of professionals offering up their skills. But, before too long we happened across this very clever logo, advertising the Marine Butler.

I gave Dale Loveday a call and we talked about what my wife and I were trying to accomplish with our intended boat purchase.

Over the ensuing 21 months, my wife and I found many boats of interest, up and down the island and several that we actually made offers on. Each time, Dale was called in to do the mechanical, structural and sea trial portions of the survey. Each time there were sufficient problems with the boat, that the deal was called off. Dale was very good in identifying significant issues early on, so that we didn't have to go through a full survey on a boat he didn't think was going to pan out for us.

Along the way we gained enough knowledge of the boats we were interested in, that we undertook a trip into Washington State - boat hunting. When we found a likely prospect, it was Dale that made the trip down to Anacortes to do the in-water exam. Again, however, it was not to be.

By the time spring 2019 arrived, sellers had started jacking up their prices for the coming boating season and my wife and I took a rest from the search. It wasn't until this fall that we started looking again and found another boat for Dale to survey. Unfortunately, this one too, had insurmountable problems.

Quite discouraged we let the search drop. But, Dale kept looking on our behalf. Soon, he directed my attention to a boat that was an "out of the box" choice for us as it didn't match many of the main criteria we had been using in our search thus far. But, it was a winner on a lot of other counts and has turned out to more than satisfy all of our needs.

We completed the deal (finally got to pay Dale for a full survey) and Dale drove the boat back from Richmond for us.

We are now happily anticipating becoming familiar with our new purchase and joining the many other boaters that enjoy our local marine recreational resources.

We would highly recommend Dale Loveday and Marine Butler for their top level of personalized and professional services.

Shaun N.

Mike provided a very thorough inspection and assessment of a recent sailboat boat prior to purchase. He worked closely with the owner to coordinate an on water survey and a half lift hull inspection. Mike has a very easy going and trustworthy personality, and a high level of marine knowledge. All of these traits were very helpful to bridge the gap when negotiating the final purchase price. I would highly recommend Mike and the services of the Marine Butler.

Patrick A.

Dale is extremely professional and knowledgeable. He just did a complete survey, mechanical inspection and joined us on a sea trial. His knowledge and know how found things that I could never have discovered and saved me from purchasing a boat that is not right for me.

I would not hesitate to recommend The Marine Butler Ltd services. I will certainly be using them again.

Patrick Alexander

Ron K.

We have just purchased our first aft cabin trawler and with the knowledgeable help of Dale and Mike, we are very happy with our new purchase. Both Dale and Mike stepped up on multiple occasions to help make our purchasing experience easier and more informed, ensuring we didn’t make any regrettable choices. We would highly recommend The Marine Butler.

Bonnie C.

This is the first time we have had a boat surveyed before purchase. Dale was sensitive to our time frame and produced a fantastic report which gave us the info needed to complete the purchase with confidence.The best part was his recommendation to double clamp all through hull fittings and in so doing we found that one was very close to failing. Thanks for a job well done, on time and on budget. Keith and Bonnie Coulter

Brian H.

I have used the services of the Marine Butler for more than 15 years in the capacity of surveyor as well as providing repair and maintenance services for my 40 foot Bayliner. The services provided have been completed with excellent quality and at a reasonable cost. When we had issues with the boat 300 kilometers away from home port Dale went over and beyoud all expectations to source and send the necessary repair parts. I would higjhly recommend Marine Butler to anyone requiring the services they are able to provide.