Survey & due diligence
What Gets Checked Before You Sign
A wooden hull hides different things than a steel one. Independent survey, sea trial, and a documentation trail — this is what we insist on, and what a finding does to the price.
- Always
- Independent survey and sea trial
- 3 documents
- Survey · refit invoices · crew notes
- Condition
- Of sale, not an optional extra
- Audited
- Documents checked before transfer
Quick answer
Every vessel on our books is inspected on the water before it is listed, and no buyer should close without an independent survey — hull, rigging, mechanical and electronics — plus a 2–4 hour sea trial under both sail and engine.
- A finding is grounds for renegotiation, not cancellation, in most cases.
- Maintenance log integrity is the single most decisive factor in what a hull is worth.
- We use Bali-based surveyors with specific phinisi experience, not general marine surveyors.
The survey
Four Disciplines, One Report
A phinisi survey is not a Western yacht survey with different paperwork. Ironwood and teak planking, a gaff schooner rig and traditional fastening all need someone who has seen a hundred of them.
Hull
Ironwood frames and teak planking, fastening condition, caulking, garboard and keel, evidence of past repair behind joinery
Rig
Two masts, gaff schooner rig, standing and running rigging, sail inventory and condition, deck hardware
Mechanical
Twin marine diesels, gensets, shafts and bearings, steering, service history against hours claimed
Electrical & electronics
Three-phase distribution, house bank, bridge integration, watermaker, black and grey systems
SOLAS safety equipment
Required on any vessel intended for commercial charter; certification currency checked, not assumed
Documentation trail
Dry-dock records, engine service, hull inspections, ownership chain and any outstanding encumbrance
Surveying a wooden hull takes more on-vessel time and more expert judgment than a yard-documented steel one. The desk quotes the survey cost against a named vessel; the USD 8–18k figure that used to sit here had no source and was retired.
Sequence
How Due Diligence Runs
From shortlist to signature, and where each cost falls.
-
Before listing
Our own on-water inspection
We physically visit every yacht we list, usually on her current charter routing, and we record the owner’s actual willingness to negotiate. This happens before a vessel reaches our book, at no cost to any buyer.
-
5 available
Inspection trip
Labuan Bajo for operating vessels, South Sulawesi for yard visits. A broker attends every inspection and takes photo and video notes you keep regardless of outcome.
-
Condition of sale
Independent survey
Independent marine survey, sea trial and document audit — written into the standard contract rather than negotiated deal by deal. Hull, rigging, mechanical and electronics.
We share the surveyors we trust; you appoint whoever you prefer.
-
2–4 hours
Sea trial
Under sail and under engine. Handling, rig loads, engine performance at load, systems behaviour away from the dock.
-
Findings priced
Renegotiation, not cancellation
Survey findings are normal on a working wooden hull. They become refit credits and contingencies rather than a reason to walk, in most cases.
Every listing is priced in USD with the cost basis itemised, so findings are argued against line items.
-
3 milestones
Contract and staged payment
Payment is staged against milestones — offer, survey, transfer — with the beneficiary matching the contracting entity at every stage.
That last clause is the one protecting a foreign buyer paying into Indonesia.
What comes with the listing
The Paper Trail You Should Expect
Every vessel on the book is drawn from the same shipyards and operating fleet the group charters each week, which is why this documentation exists at all.
- Survey
- Records
- Refit
- Invoices
- Charter
- Revenue
- Crew
- Notes
- Class
- Status
Prior surveys on file
What was done, when, for how much
Where the vessel has been earning
From the people who ran her
What lets a lender price the asset
A refit-reserve ladder by hull age (USD 50k–1.2M) used to sit here. It was scaled off the retired prices and had no source. Ask the desk for the reserve on a specific hull.
Next in this silo
Alongside Due Diligence
Surveyors
Ask for the Surveyor List
We will tell you which Bali-based surveyors we trust on a wooden hull and which we do not, and we will schedule the survey around the vessel’s charter calendar rather than against it.
Or call +62 811-3941-4563
- Surveyors appointed by you, not by us
- You keep every inspection note regardless of outcome
- Findings priced into the deal memo as refit credits