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Komodo Boat Construction is the editorial concierge for komodo boat construction — Traditional Phinisi and modern yacht builders in Komodo region. Senior specialists curate verified phinisi charters, premium liveaboards, private transfers, and bespoke itineraries across Komodo National Park, Labuan Bajo, and the wider Flores region. Direct booking, transparent pricing, 24/7 in-trip support.
A phinisi refit makes sense when the hull structure is sound and the problem is age, systems or layout — typically 3–9 months of yard time at 15–40% of what an equivalent new build would cost. If frames are undersized, the keel is compromised or extensive re-planking is needed below the waterline, a new build usually wins on both cost and certification risk. All figures on this page are indicative and reconfirmed after survey.
- What it is: structural repair, systems renewal and interior rebuild for wooden Indonesian vessels.
- Who it is for: owners of ageing charter phinisi, buyers of second-hand vessels, and operators upgrading a boat between seasons.
- How long: 6–10 weeks for a cosmetic and systems refresh; 4–9 months for a structural and interior refit.
- Where: Tana Beru and Bira slipways, Batulicin, and regional yards near Labuan Bajo, Benoa and Surabaya.
When does a refit beat a new build?
Start with the hull, because everything else is negotiable. Ulin — Borneo ironwood — is used for keels and lower planking precisely because it resists rot and marine borers for decades, so a well-built 15-year-old phinisi often has more structural life left than its tired interior suggests. Teak decks, bitti frames and the caulked seams between planks age at very different rates, and a survey that separates them tells you whether you are buying a repair job or a rebuild.
| Condition found | Recommended route | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Sound keel and frames, tired interior and systems | Refit | Highest value recovery per rupiah spent |
| Localised plank rot, sound structure | Refit with partial re-planking | Contained scope, predictable cost |
| Widespread rot at frame heads or garboard | Survey deeper before committing | Scope tends to double once opened up |
| Undersized scantlings for intended passenger load | New build | Structure cannot be certified without major rebuild |
| Layout fundamentally wrong for the target charter | New build or conversion | Moving bulkheads on a wooden hull is rarely economic |
What does a refit scope typically contain?
We quote refits as a menu, so owners can stage the work across two off-seasons instead of losing a whole charter year. The bands below are indicative for a 28–32 m vessel.
| Work item | Typical duration | Indicative cost band (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Haul-out, hull wash, survey and defect list | 1–2 weeks | 5k–15k |
| Re-caulking and seam renewal | 2–5 weeks | 10k–35k |
| Partial re-planking below waterline | 4–10 weeks | 25k–90k |
| Frame and rib renewal (sections) | 4–12 weeks | 30k–120k |
| Antifouling and coatings | 1–2 weeks | 6k–20k |
| Main engine repower (pair) | 4–8 weeks | 80k–250k |
| Genset replacement and switchboard | 3–6 weeks | 25k–80k |
| Full electrical rewire | 6–10 weeks | 35k–110k |
| Air conditioning and watermaker | 3–6 weeks | 30k–90k |
| Teak deck replacement | 4–8 weeks | 40k–140k |
| Interior renewal (per cabin) | 2–4 weeks | 8k–30k |
| Rig, mast service and new sails | 3–6 weeks | 20k–80k |
What structural work is involved?
Wooden hull repair follows a fixed logic: expose, assess, replace like with like, refasten, reseal. Planks are removed in runs rather than singly so the hull keeps its shape; replacement stock has to be seasoned to the same moisture content or the repair will move. Caulking is renewed seam by seam and the hull is left to take up before antifouling. Frame renewal is the heaviest item because access usually means removing interior joinery, which is why structural and interior work are almost always scheduled together.
The one rule we do not bend: no cosmetic work goes on top of unresolved structure. A beautiful interior over wet frames is a two-year boat.
What about systems and interior?
Most charter phinisi fail commercially on systems, not on woodwork. Guests notice air conditioning that cannot hold temperature, water that runs out on day three and generators that shut down at dinner. A systems-led refit typically covers repower or engine overhaul, a second genset for redundancy, a properly sized watermaker, a rewire with a modern switchboard and residual protection, and hot water that reaches every cabin. Adding a dive deck, compressor and rinse tanks converts a general liveaboard into a dive-capable one and usually pays for itself faster than any interior upgrade.
Interior renewal is where cabin sizing matters. Luxury phinisi allocate roughly 15–18 sqm to twin cabins, 18–23 sqm to deluxe doubles and 20–30 sqm to master suites. If the existing arrangement cannot reach those numbers, reducing cabin count during a refit often raises revenue rather than lowering it — the logic is set out in our interior fit-out and cabin design page.
How does the survey and defect-list process work?
We do not quote a refit from photographs. The sequence is: haul out, wash and dry the hull; sounding and moisture survey of planking, frames and fastenings; machinery inspection with running hours and oil analysis; systems test under load; and a written defect list ranked as critical, seasonal or cosmetic. Only then does a scope and price get issued. If the boat is being bought rather than owned, the same survey doubles as the pre-purchase report — see class certification and registration for how findings feed the certificate file.
Who is a refit right for — and who should not do one?
Right for: owners with a structurally sound hull and a boat that under-performs its market; buyers who found a good hull with a bad interior; operators who need to be back in service for the April–November Komodo season.
Not right for: anyone buying a vessel without a hull survey; owners on a fixed budget with no contingency — 15–20% is realistic, because wooden boats reveal work once opened; and anyone who needs a specific layout that the existing hull geometry cannot deliver.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a phinisi refit cost?
A cosmetic and systems refresh on a 30 m boat commonly runs USD 60,000–150,000. A structural plus interior refit runs USD 250,000–700,000. Both are indicative and depend entirely on the survey.
How long will my boat be out of service?
Plan on 6–10 weeks for light work and 4–9 months for a full refit. We schedule heavy work into December–March, which is the Komodo wet season and the natural downtime for charter fleets.
Does a refit require re-certification?
Structural work, machinery changes and anything that alters gross tonnage or passenger capacity must be reported and re-surveyed. Cosmetic work does not. We flag which items in a scope trigger survey before work starts.
Can you re-plank a hull without removing the interior?
Below-waterline planking usually can be done from outside. Frame renewal cannot — access requires stripping joinery in the affected compartments.
How often should a working charter hull be hauled out?
Annually, for hull inspection, antifouling and caulking checks. Re-planking belongs to major refit cycles, not to the annual docking.
Can you repower with different engines?
Yes, but engine beds, shaft alignment, propeller sizing and often the stern gear all change. Repower is an engineering job, not a swap, and it should be modelled against the existing hull data.
Do you handle refits away from Sulawesi?
Yes. We work at Tana Beru and Bira slipways, at Batulicin, and at regional facilities serving Labuan Bajo, Benoa and Surabaya. Yard choice depends on the work: heavy timber work goes to Sulawesi, machinery-heavy work often stays closer to the operating base.
Is it worth refitting an old cargo phinisi?
Sometimes, and that is a specific project type with its own risks — see cargo phinisi to liveaboard conversion.
Book a refit survey
Komodo Boat Construction is operated by Komodo Luxury, part of Juara Holding Group, working in the Komodo charter market since 2015 — we refit boats to the standard we would put our own guests on. Send us the vessel’s age, length, last haul-out date and current defect list and we will propose a survey scope.
WhatsApp: +62 811 3823 875 · Email: sales@komodoluxury.com