Wooden Sailing Yacht for Sale — Schooners, Ketches and Gaff Cutters, Indonesia to Europe

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.

Wooden sailing yacht for sale listings in October 2026 span Indonesian phinisi hulls on YachtWorld and Yacht Sourcing, and European classics from an 1887 gaff cutter to a 1931 Fife schooner at Wooden Ships and Sandeman. The table quotes the European examples. Rig, timber, age and refit history decide the price.

Buying under sail adds a second survey to the first. The hull still has to be sound, and then there are spars, wire, rope, canvas and the fittings that hold them together. This guide treats the rig as a purchase in its own right.

How does the rig change the boat and the price?

Each rig divides sail area differently. That shapes how many people you need, how many things can fail, and how much the rig may cost to renew. A rig alone does not set crew size, though. Length, sail area, winch layout and any powered handling can matter more.

The price gap between the examples comes from far more than rig. Designer, rebuild quality and the boat's history weigh heavily at the classic end, as our guide to classic wooden yachts explains.

Wooden sloops and smaller wood sailboats also come up in searches, but none appear in our verified examples. Treat smaller boats as a separate market and ask the desk if that is what you want.

What does UNESCO say about the Sulawesi schooner rig?

UNESCO's entry for the pinisi art of boatbuilding, inscribed on its Representative List in 2017, uses the word pinisi for the rig and sail of the famed Sulawesi schooner. In other words, the name began with the sail plan.

Do not assume a tourism boat's rig still works as a sail plan. A listing may show masts on a hull that mostly motors, with sails set for appearance. Ask three things:

• When were the sails last set in open water, and in what wind?
• Is the rig structural and working, or decorative?
• Who on the current crew knows how to handle it?

The answers change what you are buying. A boat that motors all year is a motor vessel with masts, whatever the listing calls it, and it should be surveyed and valued that way.

Which Indonesian sailing listings appeared in October 2026?

The Indonesian examples we read describe size and cabins and say little about sailing performance. YachtWorld's Asia category and Yacht Sourcing's used pages are the main public places we found them.

Lengths ranged from about 15 m on a forum post to 47 m at a broker, and those rows are quoted on our pages for wooden boats generally and for used hulls. We kept the table on this page to the European classics because their listings describe the rig clearly. Indonesian listings often do not.

If you search for a 20 m wooden sailing yacht for sale, bear in mind that a builder-tradition hull and a European classic of the same length are very different boats to own, and the running costs do not transfer from one to the other.

Which UK and European listings were published in October 2026?

Sandeman Yacht Company in Poole and Wooden Ships in Dartmouth both publish classic sailing yachts with public asking prices. The table covers seven of them, and these points help when reading it:

• Two dates mean a rebuild. 1924/2012 and 1931/2003 show the build year and the major rebuild year.
• New hulls appear too. The Falmouth pilot cutter dates from 2020 and is listed in oak on oak.
• Location varies. Boats lay in the Caribbean, France, Spain, Belgium and Cornwall.
• Tax status differs. One listing states VAT not paid, another adds VAT to the price. Those differences belong in your numbers.
• The same boat may have two brokers. The pilot cutter appears at both firms, so one listing does not always mean one seller's agent.

What can you find by rig and size today?

Buyers often search by rig first. Our current examples map onto those searches unevenly, so here is an honest guide to what exists in our data.

Marketplaces with a hull-material filter, such as YachtWorld's wood category, are a sensible next stop for wooden sailing boats for sale in sizes we do not cover. Whatever you find there, the checks on this page still apply.

What should a pre-purchase survey cover on rigging, spars and sails?

Hull surveyors do not always inspect the rig in depth, so ask in writing. The IIMS guidance includes hull, deck and rig in a full condition survey. If your surveyor excludes the rig, hire a rigger.

Keel bolts belong here too. On a ballasted sailing yacht they carry huge loads. IIMS advises that where inspection records are missing, two or more bolts should be withdrawn, depending on the size of the vessel.

Sailing or motor-sailer: which use are you actually buying for?

Be honest about the plan. A wood motor sailer or an Indonesian hull run under engine suits comfort, guests and calm-water cruising. A true sailing yacht rewards skill and asks more of the crew in return.

• Passages. Check tankage, engine condition and rig together. They back each other up.
• Weekend sailing. Smaller rigs with fewer spars cost less time and money to keep working.
• Classic racing. The boat's conformity to its original design may matter to the event, so read the rules first.
• Guest trips. Permits and safety equipment may matter more than sail plan.

A sea trial is the only real test. Our guide to the wooden yacht sea trial shows how to write one into the contract so the rig gets loaded rather than admired.

What do buyers ask about wooden sailing yachts?

These questions usually arrive once a buyer has picked a rig.

What is the difference between a wooden ketch and a wooden yawl?

Both have a mainmast and a smaller mizzen. On a ketch the mizzen sits ahead of the rudder post and does useful driving work. On a yawl it sits aft of the rudder post and mainly helps with balance and trim.

Is a wooden schooner harder to handle than a cutter?

Each sail is smaller and easier to manage, but there are more sheets, halyards and deck stations. A cutter concentrates the load in fewer, larger sails. Length, sail area and winches matter as much as the rig.

Should a hull surveyor check the rig as well?

Ask in writing. Some surveyors include hull, deck and rig, and others exclude the rig or inspect it only from deck level. If it is excluded, hire a rigger before you accept the boat.

Do Indonesian wooden schooners actually sail?

Do not assume so from the masts alone, because some hulls mostly motor. Ask when the sails were last set in open water and whether the crew can handle them, then test the answer during your sea trial.

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.

• UNESCO, Pinisi, art of boatbuilding in South Sulawesi
• Sandeman Yacht Company, classic yachts
• Wooden Ships, sailing yachts for sale
• IIMS, How to survey wooden boats
• YachtWorld, Asia category (search listing, verify on YachtWorld)
• YachtWorld, sailing boats with wood hulls
• Yacht Sourcing, used vessels

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

How do I request a wooden sailing yacht listing?

Tell the desk which rig you prefer, your length range, your planned cruising area and your experience. Reach us on WhatsApp 6281139414563 or at bd@juaraholding.com.

The site publishes no stock list, and every boat we discuss is subject to third-party survey, haul-out and document check.