During my membership on TF I've read Boatpoker's posts and taken his statements as very valuable and informative. I have read much of BP's web site and learned quite a lot. I find BP to be a cut above the typical surveyor. Well, more than a cut above, far above. If he weren't on the east coast I'd use him without reservation.
As one who has always owned older boats, for those that have a problem with surveyors calling out the best current practices, ABYC or other, on insurance surveys of older boats I share your frustration when expected to be held to a standard that did not exist when the boat was built. I suggest a pre survey conversation with the surveyor and ask that the boat not be held to current best practices, but to the best practices at the time she was built. Unless the survory's finding is a serious safety concern. If the surveyor won't agree to that, find another surveyor.
That doesn't mean I don't want to know what the surveyor finds. I just want him/her to leave ABYC references out of the report where not appropriate. But I need the surveyor, not myself to make that call. When I hire a surveyor I am hiring his / her expert opinion. I'll give an example, my previous boat was an early 70's Tolly with propane cooktop, catalytic heaters and refrigerator. The boat may have met best practices when she was built. But the propane system cobbled together out of tees, elbows, couplings and nipples was a dangerous mess by today's best practices. That NEEDED to be pointed out by the surveyor. A less knowledgeable owner would not have appreciated how dangerous the system was and taken it upon themselves to clean that mess up. I removed propane service the the refrigerator, removed the catalytic heaters and brought the supply tanks to cooktop up to current best practices.
Pre-purchase surveys are a different kettle of fish.
On the subject of ABYC being a for profit classification society. Yes, they are. And that is not necessarily a bad thing.
Commercial shipping classification societies are among others ABS, DNV GL and Loyd's Register. ABYC is a recreational boat version of those classification societies and provides a valuable service in building and maintaining safe boats.
On the subject of an insurance underwriter's reliance upon ABYC. Many of the underwriters we use are not solely in the marine business. They depend upon outside experts, the surveyors and ABYC, to help them determine the risk involved in underwriting a boat and her owner. We pay them a rather modest annual fee (premium) to accept a significant risk. In my case I ask the underwriter to assume the financial risk of a potential $3,129,800 if everything goes wrong.
Also there is the personal financial risk to consider. In the event of a major claim I don't want to give an adjuster any leverage to deny my claim. I want to have used a qualified surveyor recognized by the underwriter as reputable to have performed the insurance survey.