Wooden Yacht Buying FAQ — Sourced Answers on Survey, Flag, Documents and Price

By Wooden Yacht For Sale Editorial Desk

Asking prices, not valuations: prices on this page are quoted as published by third-party brokers and marketplaces, with source and check month. Every boat is subject to third-party survey, haul-out and document check. Nothing here is legal advice.

This wooden yacht buying FAQ answers what buyers and sellers ask: who may hold a yacht in Indonesia, what a survey must include, which documents prove title, how the Vessel Declaration works, what listings asked in October 2026 and how fees are stated. Each answer carries its source or says what remains unverified.

Answers are short on purpose. Each one links to the guide with the full detail. Nothing here is legal, tax or survey advice about a specific boat.

How do buying and paying work?

What order should I do things in? Shortlist, conditional contract, deposit with a stakeholder, survey and haul-out, sea trial, document check, deed, then registration and insurance. The nine-step guide to buying in Indonesia gives the detail.

Is a 10 percent deposit standard? Many plan around it, but MYBA's 2021 Memorandum of Agreement no longer fixes it. The amount is agreed commercially, and a stakeholder must hold it before the sea trial or condition survey.

What hidden costs come with buying a wooden yacht? Survey, haul-out, legal and notary fees, delivery, registration, tax, insurance and whatever the survey finds. Asking prices exclude these items.

Are there wooden yacht auctions? We hold no verified current auction source. Any auction boat still needs a title and condition check.

What should I know about survey, rot and seaworthiness?

What should a survey cover? Sounding, spiking, sample fastenings, keel bolts, frames, floors, seams, decks and bilge, after a haul-out. See our survey checklist.

How often should a wooden yacht be hauled out? We have no verified interval that fits all boats. Timber, bottom paint, water temperature and use all change it, so ask your surveyor. In warm salt water, Cali Coast Marine Services warns that borers can damage unprotected wood within a season if bottom paint fails.

Why do wooden boats leak? Common causes include deck fittings and joints that let in fresh water, dried planks with open seams after time ashore, failed caulking and loose fastenings. A traditional hull may need about 7 to 14 days afloat to swell shut after relaunching, one restoration guide says.

What is a BKI certificate? BKI is Indonesia's classification body and publishes Rules for Wooden Ships (1996). Never assume a boat is classed. Ask to see the certificate and check it covers wooden construction and your use.

Are wooden yachts safe? That depends on the boat and its upkeep. Media counted at least six wooden tourist vessels sunk around Labuan Bajo in 2025. Survey and insurance are the practical answers.

How do ownership, flag and permits work?

Who may be the registered owner of an Indonesian-flag yacht? Indonesian citizens and Indonesian legal entities, per ministry material. Foreign buyers should read our guide to foreign ownership routes, then take the plan to a licensed Indonesian maritime lawyer.

What is a Vessel Declaration? A customs filing for foreign-flag yachts, used for temporary import of up to three years under PMK 261/2015 jo. 123/2017. CAIT and TIP were replaced by this process. It does not allow commercial charter.

What is a Surat Laut, and what is a Pas Besar? Both are Indonesian nationality documents. A KSOP service standard ties Surat Laut to GT 175 and above and Pas Besar to GT 7 up to below GT 175. We hold that at limited verification, so confirm with KSOP.

What are SIUPAL, SIOPSUS and SIUPAR? Emerhub names these as the operating licences for a liveaboard. SIUPAL is the sea transport business licence, and it goes to Indonesian legal entities. A hull-only purchase may not bring them along.

Is there luxury tax on yachts? DJP says PPnBM on yachts is 75 percent, with an exception for yachts used in a tourism business under PMK 96/2021. For import duty, check the BTKI tariff book.

What did prices and listings show in October 2026?

Where are prices shown? In the asking-price table on this page, with source and month. For more examples by length, read wooden yacht price references.

Are asking prices sale prices? No. Sold prices for wooden yachts are rarely public, and asking prices exclude survey, delivery, registration and tax.

Do you have builders or dealers you recommend? We name no builder, surveyor, broker or insurer as a partner. Published sources are named only as sources. Any party you deal with should be checked directly.

How do maintenance, refit and transport work?

Are wooden boats hard to maintain? They need steady attention to leaks, ventilation, paint, caulking and fastenings. Rot usually starts with trapped moisture. Our guide to what drives wooden yacht maintenance covers this in more depth.

What are the disadvantages of owning a wooden yacht? Regular upkeep, a harder survey, specialist repair skills, and insurance that needs written confirmation. Fewer buyers may also be comfortable with the material. Against that, many owners simply prefer it.

How can a wooden yacht be moved overseas? By delivery under its own power or sail, or as deck cargo. Each stresses the hull in its own way. See shipping a wooden yacht overseas.

How do selling and the desk work?

How does the desk work for sellers? Send your specification, last haul-out, documents and asking price, and the desk compares it with published listings and prepares a sourced summary. See the page for selling a wooden yacht.

What does the desk charge? Any fee and who pays it are stated in writing before any agreement. Brokerage contracts sit with PT Komodo Bahari Nusantara, and construction, repair, refit and vessel-sale contracts with PT Komodo Galangan Nusantara.

Which questions can we not answer yet?

We would rather publish a gap than fill it with a guess. In our research the following had no verified public source, and these remain open:

• How long a wooden hull lasts in years, and how fast it depreciates.
• Annual maintenance cost, and insurance premiums for wooden boats in Indonesia.
• Broker commission specific to Indonesia.
• PNBP amounts and an official timeline for a change of name.
• Import duty for HS 8903. Check the BTKI tariff book.
• Sea distance and time between Bulukumba and Labuan Bajo or Bali.
• Registration fees for Langkawi, Labuan, Singapore or Poland.
• Foreign yacht import statistics.

If you hold a primary source on any of these, send it to the desk and we will check it.

Which questions do buyers ask most often?

These are the most common questions of all, answered in a form you can quote.

Are wooden boats a good buy?

A sound one with good records can suit an owner who accepts the upkeep. A poor one can cost more than it is worth. We have no verified data on resale, so judge the specific boat through a survey.

How long do wooden boats last?

We have no verified public range. It depends on timber, climate, fastenings and maintenance. A yacht built in 1887 was on the market in October 2026, but it had been heavily rebuilt, so age alone proves little. Ask the surveyor.

What should I check when buying a wooden sailing yacht?

Check everything a motor yacht needs, then add spars, chainplates, standing and running rigging, sails, the mast step and keel bolts. Load the rig in a sea trial. See our guide to wooden sailing yachts.

Can a foreign buyer own a wooden yacht in Indonesia?

No single answer fits. Registration runs through Indonesian citizens and entities, Emerhub describes a PT PMA route for commercial use, and foreign-flag temporary import exists for private use. Take your specific plan to a licensed maritime lawyer.

Does this site own the boats it discusses?

No. The site is a guide and listing-request desk under Juara Holding Group. It is not itself a contracting party. All boats discussed are subject to third-party survey, haul-out and document check.

What documents prove title to an Indonesian yacht?

Ask for the Grosse Akta or registration deed, transfer history, mortgage status, Surat Ukur and nationality document, then have a lawyer or notary check originals. See our title documents guide.

Which sources support this page?

These are the sources behind the facts above. Where a source is a commercial consultant, a snippet or a third-party guide, the text says so.

• IIMS, How to survey wooden boats
• Boatmere, Surveying a wooden hull
• Cali Coast Marine Services, wooden boat maintenance guide
• Master Mariners, wooden boat restoration
• MYBA E-MOA 2021 form
• Study citing BKI Rules for Wooden Ships 1996
• IDN Times, 2025 Labuan Bajo vessel incidents (media)
• Kemenkeu DJBC, temporary import of foreign tourist vessels
• KSOP Cirebon service standard, tonnage thresholds (limited verification)
• Emerhub, Liveaboard business in Indonesia, March 2026 (commercial consultant)
• DJP, yacht luxury tax exception, July 2021
• YachtWorld research, commissions and escrow

Written and checked by the Wooden Yacht For Sale Editorial Desk.

How do I send a question or a buyer brief?

If your question is about a specific boat, send a buyer brief through WhatsApp 6281139414563 or bd@juaraholding.com. Corrections to this FAQ are welcome by the same route.