About Interface Marine

Interface Marine Yacht Surveyors & Marine Consultants – France

Phil Duffy

Principal Surveyor

With over 40 years of experience in the maritime industry, Phil has developed a diverse and comprehensive skill set, having served as both Captain and Engineer on a wide range of vessels—from small boats to large yachts—across both sail and power, worldwide. In addition to his hands-on experience, Phil is an MCA-certified trainer in Maritime Studies and Safety, an author, marine valuer, and expert witness.

For more than 20 years, Phil has worked as a full-time marine surveyor, specialising in everything from small crafts to large superyachts.

Outside of his professional work, Phil is passionate about restoring his classic 1972 sailing boat.

Phil Norris

IIMS Yacht Surveyor

Phil has over 30 years yachting experience including Captain of superyachts. He is a qualified marine engineer and speaks English, French and Italian. Phil specialises in high-speed craft including Arneson and Jet drive systems.

A keen cyclist, when not working Phil can be found riding his bike in the hills of Provence.

Hugh Bristow

Electrical & GMDSS Surveyor

Hugh has over 40 years’ experience in the marine world including the Merchant Navy. He is a qualified marine electrician and radio surveyor, he has surveyed some of the largest superyachts afloat. Hugh is a certified Lloyd’s of London service provider.

When not working Hugh can be found out on his sailboat in the warm Mediterranean waters.

Horst Meissel

16:54 17 Apr 25

Thank you to the team at Interface Marine. From the first contact, their communication was friendly and efficient. They performed not one, but two comprehensive yacht surveys for me, including oil sample analysis, ensuring that no detail was overlooked. Their reporting was thorough and professional.I appreciated their availability for follow-up advice, making sure I had all the information needed to make the right decisions before finalizing the buy.I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Interface Marine Yacht Surveyors to anyone in need of reliable and knowledgeable yacht surveyors. A truly exceptional service!

Rolf Janßen

17:24 10 Apr 25

I had a survey with Phil for checking a used boat from a french dealer. I got an reply and a confirmation for the requested day the next day after my E-mail.During the survey he found a lot of problems with helped me for further negotiations regarding the price and help me to make the correct decision. He had also a lot of tipps and hints what I can do and where to get it. I learned al lot from him as he has many many years of experiences.I got a feedback directly after the survey and the report within 72h together with the oilsamples.If you are more familiar with the english language than french, Phil is the right contact anyway.He and Tracy in the office are very helpfull, friendly and answers all my questions more or less immedately.Thank again für your support and your help.

Arne Holtz

14:18 25 Aug 24

We contacted Tracy and Phill with only minimal lead-time for a survey of a 40ft catamaran.The response was quick and the whole process was very friendly, reliable and professional. Tracy organized everything and even reacted to short time changes in schedule.They also helped with other stuff around the purchase of the boat and it was simply a great experience.Thank you very much for all your help and extra work. We loved, working with you.

Bernd Meyer

08:58 28 Oct 23

Earlier this year I bought my dream boat in Frejus and exported it to Australia. I only had a week in France to inspect and purchase the boat so I needed a surveyor for a pre-purchase survey at very short notice. Interface were kind enough to accommodate me (even though it caused them some scheduling difficulties). They did a great job and very quickly prepared a thorough survey for a very reasonable fee. Communications likewise were great and the fact that they are native English speakers simplified everything. Since some work needed to be done to the boat before it could be exported and as I had to return to Australia before these works could be undertaken I also asked them to perform a second quick check on the boat on the day that it was to be picked up from the shipyard. The tricky aspect was that this had to happen in a very narrow time window and that Phil already had commitments. I was very glad that Phil was so kind to reshuffle his schedule to make this possible (more than once!). Exporting a boat from half around the world is a bit nerve-wracking and having Interface’s support allowed me not to worry all the time. I felt Phil and Tracy genuinely wanted to support me. Half a year later, my boat has finally arrived in Australia and I’m very happy with the outcome. Thanks, Phil and Tracy for helping to make this possible. I really appreciate it. If I ever need a surveyor on the Cote d'Azur again, I will certainly be in touch 🙂

Niall Reihill

18:29 19 Jul 23

Would highly recommend Interface Marine to deal with, the service is second to none, they provide a very in-depth and professional service. We dealt with them from Ireland and Tracy was extremely helpful and guided us through the whole process and went above and beyond to assist us. I know they cater for quite large vessels but we were very happy to hear that no vessel was too big or small to them. Great company to deal with it.

Brian Marples

14:35 06 May 23

I recently purchased a Conam 48 Chorum based in the south of France and employed the services of Interface Marine to carry out the pre-purchase survey. Couldn't have made a better choice. Tracy Duffy kept me up to date on the progress at all times and Phil Duffy was exceptional in his approach the the survey. The report was very extensive and clear to understand, which helped with negotiations around the purchase. The after sale service was second to none. After purchase I needed to have a few items serviced prior to a long journey for the boat, but was struggling, due to being stuck in the UK because of work. Tracy and Phill went above and beyond to help and arranged people to carry out the work with their numerous contacts. They were also available with advice when this new boy to boating needed his hand holding. All in all a highly recommended business. Thanks for the superlative service.

Alan Cooper

15:35 17 Nov 22

Tracy and the two Phil’s were extremely helpful, by firstly accommodating my timeline and then changing their schedule to accommodate the weather window, with a forecast of imminent rain and wind.The survey document is well presented with the important issues being highlighted. It will be an important document for fixing and ongoing maintenance. I feel confident now that I had made the correct boat choice. The whole process took less than a week to conclude which gave me peace of mind in going forward with the purchase. Thanks, Tracy, Phil, and Phil. The team are all wonderful and fun to work with. I knew that I was in very capable hands with years of experience. Thank you, Interface Marine YACHT Surveyors.

Kerem Ayaz

09:55 03 Jun 22

What a great team!Tracy has been extremely helpful during the whole process, from organizing the two surveys at two different locations, to remaining flexible and making the team available to fit our tight schedule.Thanks to Phil’s attention to detail and thorough survey, we were able to find many small defects and potential problem areas, and were able to get them fixed pre-purchase.Overall, we were very pleased with the thorough, well written and swiftly delivered survey report for our 15 year old 44ft yacht.I will happily recommend your services to anyone looking to get their potential yacht a pre-purchase survey.Many thanks, Tracy and Phil!