About Us
Founded in 1998 and built on generations of seafaring experience, Starboard Marine Surveyors has grown into one of the most seasoned and trusted marine surveying firms on the West Coast.
What began as Steve’s transition from a lifetime of commanding vessels around the world evolved into a family-run business enriched by decades of offshore deliveries, vessel management, rigging, teaching, and hands-on craftsmanship.
Over the years, our surveyors have brought together more than half a million combined sea miles, deep technical knowledge, and a shared commitment to integrity and precision.
From wooden boat restoration to transoceanic navigation, from rigging shops to academic programs at sea, the company’s foundation rests on real-world maritime experience—applied every day to help boat owners make informed, confident decisions.
Andy Schwenk – SAMS Surveyor Associate (SA)
Andy Schwenk is a USCG Master 100 GRT, a SAMS Surveyor Associate in Yacht and Small Craft, and a certified ABYC member with extensive training in marine standards. With more than 54 passages between the West Coast and Hawaii—including his first, in 1982, navigated by celestial and RDF—Andy brings a lifetime of practical seamanship to his work. Raised in Anacortes, WA, he grew up running charter power and sail vessels through the San Juan and Gulf Islands, later working for Catalina and Nordic dealers before serving four years in the U.S. Army Rangers and returning to maritime work. He went on to own and operate a sailboat rigging shop for two decades, teach Marine Technology at the local community college, and complete dozens of power and sail deliveries from 30 to 80 feet. Known for his meticulous eye and hands-on expertise—“if it has engines or sails and it floats, Andy has been in the bilge and on the bridge”—he lives by the belief that, “Boats aren’t what I do; it’s who I am.”
Email Andy or phone 360-770-7035
Rick Whiting – SAMS Accredited Marine Surveyor (AMS)
Rick grew up in the U.K., where he began sailing at age seven, quickly progressing from building and racing dinghies to competing aboard keelboats in long-distance offshore events. His racing résumé spans the Atlantic, Bermuda, the Pacific, the North Sea, and the English Channel, along with extensive passages along the coasts of Mexico and Central America. His cruising and delivery experience ranges widely—from the Caribbean and South America to Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, the Pacific Northwest, and the coast of Maine. A former USCG Master 100 GRT with a sailing endorsement held for more than 20 years, Rick also brings eight years of yacht brokerage experience, a strong background in wooden boat restoration, and a liberal arts education culminating in a master’s degree in cinema. A member of SAMS as an Accredited Marine Surveyor and of ABYC, he now applies his deep practical knowledge to yacht and small craft surveying while living aboard his floating home in Sausalito.
Email Rick or phone 415-740-2924
Ben Wedlock – Retired September 2020
Ben’s life on the water began early—he stepped aboard his first sailboat at just ten days old and completed his first transatlantic passage before his first birthday, spending his early childhood aboard the schooner Te Vega while his parents operated her as a school-ship. Raised in Essex, Massachusetts, he spent summers guiding kayak tours and, after high school, set off on his own 26-foot wooden sailboat for Central America, beginning a lifetime of working and living afloat. His maritime path includes shipwright work on the schooner Isabella, instruction at OCSC Sailing, and several years designing and fabricating renewable fuels equipment, all alongside more than 30,000 sea miles in small cruising boats. After completing a four-year voyage from San Francisco to Boston via Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands on an engineless 28-foot boat, Ben joined his father as a marine surveyor in 2015 and became a member of the Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors. As of fall 2020, he has stepped away from surveying to focus on building his next cruising vessel in preparation for his upcoming sailing adventures.
Steve Wedlock – Retired September 2015
Born on the coast of Maine in 1948, Steve built a remarkable maritime career spanning more than 400,000 sea miles, serving as captain of vessels up to 3,000 GRT and holding a fifth-issue USCG Master Oceans license for motor, steam, and sail. After graduating from Tilton School and Brown University, he went on to captain vessels worldwide, lead academic youth programs at sea, direct historic maritime organizations, manage commercial operations, and even oversee vessel construction and yacht-related ventures abroad. In 1998 he brought his extensive seagoing and management experience to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he surveyed boats and yachts full-time, ultimately purchasing a survey firm and guiding it until his retirement in 2015. A former member of SNAME and a NAMS-Certified Marine Surveyor, Steve has inspected countless vessels and applied decades of lessons learned to his craft. Since passing the business to his son Ben, he now spends his time traveling and pursuing his passion for photography.