Buyers routinely discover that the constraint on a Komodo boat purchase is not finance or
negotiation but calendar. The good surveyors working out of Labuan Bajo are few, the slipways are
fewer, and both are committed weeks ahead in the run-up to the strong season. A deal agreed in
principle can sit idle for a month purely because nobody booked a slot.
Realistic lead times
| Item | Quiet months | Pre-season |
|---|---|---|
| In-water survey, day boat | 3–7 days | 2–3 weeks |
| In-water survey, liveaboard | 1–2 weeks | 3–5 weeks |
| Slipway period for out-of-water inspection | 2–4 weeks | 6–10 weeks |
| Engine specialist attendance | 1 week | 2–4 weeks |
| Oil analysis turnaround | 1–2 weeks | 1–2 weeks |
The slipway line is the one that catches people. An out-of-water inspection is the only way to see
the hull below the waterline properly, and on a wooden vessel it is not optional. If you cannot get a
slot, you are choosing between waiting and buying on an incomplete picture.
Book the surveyor before you find the boat
This sounds backwards and it is the single most useful piece of process advice we give. Contact two
surveyors early in your search, explain your specification and timeline, and get provisionally in
their diary. When a suitable vessel appears you then move in days rather than weeks, which in a market
where good boats sell quickly is often the difference between buying and watching.
What a Komodo survey should actually cover
A generic yacht survey template misses things that matter here and spends time on things that do
not. A properly scoped survey for a Komodo working vessel includes:
- Hull below the waterline, with fastening condition and, on timber hulls, moisture readings
and sounding at the garboard, waterline and any repair areas. - Main engine and gearbox under load, with an oil sample sent for analysis rather than a
visual check alone. - Generator redundancy tested in the real condition — overnight, at anchor, carrying full
hotel load. - Freshwater production and storage, including actual output measured rather than the plate
rating. - Fire detection, suppression and life-saving appliances against the declared passenger count,
with service dates. - Steering, rudder bearings and anchoring system under working load.
- Tenders and davits, inspected as primary equipment rather than accessories.
- Dive systems where fitted, including compressor air quality from the actual output.
- Electrical installation, particularly shore-power and battery banks, which are the most
frequently improvised systems on older working boats.
How to brief a surveyor so the report is usable
An unbriefed surveyor produces a comprehensive report that lists three hundred observations without
ranking them, which is nearly useless in a negotiation. Ask explicitly for:
- Categorised findings — items that prevent operation, items required within the season,
items that are maintenance. - Indicative local rectification costs for each Category A and B item, at Labuan Bajo yard
rates rather than international ones. - A clear opinion on whether the vessel can safely carry the declared passenger number.
- Photographs keyed to findings, which is what makes a defect list persuasive to a seller.
Say this at the point of engagement, not after the report arrives.
Choosing between local and imported expertise
Locally based surveyors know the yards, the parts supply, the typical failure patterns of vessels
in this service, and what a repair genuinely costs here. Surveyors flown in from larger markets often
bring deeper machinery or composite expertise and carry more weight with international insurers and
financiers. On higher-value vessels the strongest arrangement is both: an imported specialist for the
machinery and structure, paired with a local professional for costing and yard liaison. On day boats
and smaller vessels, competent local expertise plus a proper compression test is usually sufficient.
Sequencing survey against the payment schedule
The survey should sit between the reservation deposit and the second tranche, with the agreement
drafted so that findings above an agreed threshold entitle the buyer to renegotiate or withdraw with
the deposit returned. Surveying after a large payment has been made inverts the leverage entirely: you
now own the problem you just paid to discover.
A note on seller-supplied surveys
A recent survey commissioned by the seller is genuinely useful information and worth reading closely.
It is not a substitute for your own. Scope, emphasis and the surveyor’s instructions all shape a report,
and you have no visibility into any of that. Read theirs, then commission yours.
Related reading
- Buying From Exiting Operators: Fleet Sales at the Komodo Gateway
- Licensing a Small Speedboat for Park Work After Purchase
- Komodo Boat For Sale — Phinisi, Speedboats & New Builds
Frequently asked questions
How much does a survey cost in Labuan Bajo?
It scales with vessel size and scope. For a mid-size liveaboard, a full survey with engine specialist attendance and oil analysis is a low-to-mid four-figure USD exercise — trivial against the purchase price and the least costly risk reduction available.
Do I need an out-of-water inspection?
On a timber hull, effectively yes. Fastening condition and planking below the waterline cannot be assessed properly in the water, and those are the items that decide whether a phinisi is a twenty-year asset or a five-year one.
Can the survey be done during a charter?
Partially. Observing the vessel working with guests aboard is valuable, but the intrusive inspection needs the boat empty and available. Plan for both if the seller can accommodate it.
What if the survey finds serious problems?
That is the survey doing its job. Most findings become a priced defect list and a renegotiation. Withdraw when the findings are structural, systemic, or when the seller disputes evidence rather than discussing remedy.
Komodo Boat For Sale is a specialist maritime brand and digital platform under Juara Holding Group. Vessel-sale, construction and refit contracts are issued by PT Komodo Galangan Nusantara; brokerage and charter representation by PT Komodo Bahari Nusantara; boat management by PT Komodo Vessel Management.
Talk to the desk
If you are weighing a specific vessel, send us the listing and the month you want to be operating. WhatsApp +62 811 3941 4563 or email [email protected]. Figures are quoted in USD.