Buyer’s guide
Acquiring a phinisi is unlike buying a Western yacht. From picking a Bira shipyard to flagging the vessel, this is the playbook our brokerage runs with every buyer.
Quick answer
Buying a phinisi runs in ten stages: decide the use case, set total capital, choose between a working hull and a turn-key vessel, shortlist and inspect, survey, offer, contract, ownership structure, flag registration, then crew and first season.
Stage one
Cabin count, beam and systems all follow from what the vessel is for. Each of the three below points at the hull on the current book that actually fits that use.
Stage two
The book runs USD 153,000 to USD 682,000. Pick the hull first, because what it costs to own follows from what it is, not from a percentage rule.
5 cabins, 12 guests, Mitsubishi 6d16, 5,000 L water
7 cabins, 20 guests, Mitsubishi 6d16, 8,000 L water
10 cabins, 20 guests, 9.5 m beam, water maker, radar
16 cabins, 30 guests, 50 tons water, radar and AIS
8 ensuite cabins, 21–25 guests, jacuzzi deck, ironwood and teak
This section previously carried a six-line capital schedule — survey USD 8–18k, refit reserve USD 200–600k, PMA USD 8.5–15k, crew USD 18–30k, provisioning USD 40–90k — and the claim that a USD 2.5M phinisi needs USD 3.0–3.4M committed. Every figure was scaled off the retired prices and none had a source. Ask the desk for the current cost schedule and it replaces this section.
The process
Each stage has a decision, a cost and a timeline. Nothing here happens in parallel by accident.
Three profiles
Private cruising, charter operation or hospitality asset. The three above drive every specification decision that follows.
USD 153k–USD 1.12M
Acquisition plus survey, any refit reserve, flag, ownership structure, crew and first season. The desk itemises the cost basis on every listing it publishes.
USD 153k or USD 553k+
A working hull — VIP II or VIP III at USD 153,000 — is sound and operating, and priced for a buyer who intends to refit to their own standard rather than pay for someone else’s. A turn-key vessel from USD 553,000 arrives with the cabins, water maker, radar and finish already there, and with an operating history you can audit. New builds are quoted per project.
Working hulls trade far below turn-key builds. That spread is the single biggest lever on what you pay.
5 available
Every listing is drawn from the same shipyards and operating fleet the group charters each week, so each arrives with an operating history that can be verified — survey records, refit invoices, charter revenue where relevant, and crew notes.
You keep the photo and video notes regardless of outcome.
Condition of sale
Independent marine survey, sea trial and document audit are conditions of sale in the standard contract, not optional extras. Findings are grounds for renegotiation rather than cancellation in most cases.
Cost basis itemised
Every listing is priced in USD with the cost basis itemised, so an offer is argued against line items rather than against a headline. Sellers expect dignified negotiation; aggressive lowballs end conversations.
3 milestones
Payments are 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.
PT PMA or bareboat
Foreigners buy through the correct structure — typically an Indonesian entity, a PT PMA, holding the flag, or a bareboat arrangement. The desk walks buyers through the compliant routes with counsel before any deposit moves.
Indonesian flag
The PT PMA holds the flag, which is what permits in-country charter. Counsel confirms the route before any deposit moves.
Managed charter
Many buyers place the vessel into managed charter with the group’s operations team — the same crews, standards and calendar that run its own fleet. Indicative net yields for professionally managed vessels run 6–14% a year.
Indicative only and never guaranteed. A written projection with a downside case is prepared per owner.
Next in this silo
Stage zero
Tell us the use case and the ceiling and we come back with the hulls that actually fit — five are available today, from USD 153,000 to USD 682,000. Two offices, Bali (Seminyak) and Labuan Bajo.
Or call +62 811-3941-4563
