Wooden Yacht Survey Cost — What Drives the Quote and How to Budget for It

By Wooden Yacht For Sale Editorial Desk

Wooden yacht survey cost is quoted per foot in published 2026 guides, with older wooden or complex boats at the top of the range, haul-out billed separately and insurance surveys quoted on their own. This page prints no amounts, because Indonesian surveyor rates have no public source. It explains what moves a quote instead.

The international figures are available in the guides listed under our sources, if you want a reference point. They were written mainly for other markets, so they may not transfer to a port in eastern Indonesia. Use them to test whether a quote is roughly sane, and use a written quote to budget.

How do per-foot quotes work?

Most published guides multiply a rate by the length of the boat in feet. Global Yacht Guide frames its 2026 figures this way, and notes that older boats can cost more because the surveyor may recommend extra checks.

Indonesian listings often give length in metres, so convert before you compare:

Ask which length the rate applies to: length overall, length on deck, or registered length. On a boat with a long bowsprit, those can differ meaningfully.

A per-foot rate also hides time. IIMS suggests that a thirty-foot traditional yacht in reasonable condition may take up to two days for a full condition survey of hull, deck and rig, possibly with a return visit. Larger boats take longer, so a very low quote on a large hull deserves a question about what it leaves out.

Why is haul-out a separate bill?

The yard charges for it, not the surveyor. Global Yacht Guide's calculator treats haul-out as a per-foot charge billed apart from the survey fee. In most contracts the buyer pays for an inspection haul-out, but that is a matter of contract wording, so write it down.

Ask the yard for a quote that lists each of these:

• Lift or slip, and the return to the water.
• Pressure washing and any scraping needed to reveal the planks.
• Chocking and days ashore, including the extra daily rate if the survey overruns.
• Permission for your surveyor to remove fastenings or open areas.
• Who is liable for the boat while she is in the yard.

Location can make this line larger than the survey itself. IIMS recommends allowing the boat at least a week in the yard for flexibility. A remote anchorage may lack a slip for a large hull, in which case a tow or a passage must be added to the plan and the costs.

How does an insurance survey differ from a pre-purchase survey?

They answer different questions. A pre-purchase survey helps you decide and negotiate. An insurance survey helps an underwriter decide whether to take the risk. World Yacht Insurance lists insurance surveys as a separate per-foot figure before haul-out, and tells owners to get underwriter requirements in writing.

Before you pay for a survey, send the surveyor's details to your insurer or broker and ask whether the surveyor and scope will be accepted. Lorrendraaier's guidance suggests getting that confirmation in writing beforehand. Our guide to insuring a wooden yacht in Indonesia has more.

How do you find and vet a surveyor in Bali or Labuan Bajo?

We name no surveyors here, because we could not verify individual credentials in Indonesia. IIMS, SAMS and NAMS publish information about the profession, and you can check any claimed membership directly with them.

Ask each candidate:

1. How many wooden hulls of this construction have you surveyed recently, and where?
2. Do you have any connection with the seller, broker or yard? Ask for this in writing.
3. Which tests will you perform: sounding, spiking, fastening samples, keel bolts?
4. Can I see a redacted sample report for a comparable boat?
5. What is your professional liability cover, and to whom is your duty owed?

Experience with the type matters most. A skilled fibreglass surveyor may be no use at finding hidden decay in a planked hull. In Labuan Bajo, Superyacht Guide describes a marina with maintenance support, but check what lifting capacity exists before you assume a haul-out can happen there.

What does "classed" mean for a wooden boat, and does it replace a survey?

A vessel is classed when a recognised society has assessed it against technical rules and continues to survey it. US federal rules describe how recognised societies must run surveys and plan reviews. Tasneef's 2026 yacht rules show that class rules can cover wooden hulls specifically.

For Indonesia, BKI published Rules for Wooden Ships in 1996, which a technical study from the 2020s still refers to. We could not verify when class is required for a wooden tourist vessel, so ask BKI or KSOP in writing. Two cautions apply:

• "Built to class" does not mean "currently in class". Ask for the current certificate and the survey status.
• Class does not replace your own pre-purchase survey. It answers a different question for a different audience.

What should a survey quote itemise?

A one-line price is impossible to compare. Ask for the following:

• Boat name, length basis and location.
• Scope: hull, deck, rig, machinery, electrics, safety gear, sea trial attendance.
• Named tests, including fastening samples and keel bolts where possible.
• Number of days on site, and the rate for any extra days.
• Travel, accommodation and local transport.
• Any specialist subcontractors, such as an engine or rig specialist.
• Report language, format and delivery date.

The scope checklist itself is on our wooden yacht survey page, so you can attach it to the quote request.

How do you budget the survey into your offer?

Treat survey money as something you may spend more than once. If the first boat fails, you will pay again on the second. Three habits help:

1. Keep the survey, haul-out and travel in your budget before you make the offer, so a bad result doesn't tempt you to accept anyway.
2. Have a short first look done before a full survey, if the boat is far away and you have doubts.
3. Tie your offer to survey results in the contract, with a stated period and refund terms for the deposit.

The survey is where you find out something expensive while you can still walk away. The money only helps if you are prepared to act on the report.

What do people ask about survey quotes?

These answers explain the shape of a quote. Published per-foot figures sit in the linked guides, and Indonesian rates are a gap we have not closed.

How much does a wooden boat survey cost?

Published 2026 guides quote per foot, with older, wooden or complex boats at the top of the range. Those figures come from international guides. We have no public source for surveyor rates in Indonesia, so get a written quote for your boat and location.

How much does a boat survey cost in Indonesia?

We could not find a public rate card or a neutral price survey for Indonesia. Ask at least two surveyors for a written quote that names the boat's length, location, scope, travel and report date, then compare those rather than any headline rate.

Is the haul-out included in the survey cost?

Usually not. Published guides treat haul-out as a separate charge, billed per foot by the yard and generally paid by the buyer unless the contract says otherwise. Ask about relaunch, chocking, pressure washing and days ashore as well.

Can I reuse a pre-purchase survey for insurance?

Sometimes. Ask your underwriter in writing before you commission the survey, including whether the surveyor is acceptable and how recent the report must be. A survey written for the buyer may need extra content, such as a value statement, to satisfy an insurer.

Why does a wooden hull cost more to survey?

It usually takes longer. A surveyor has to sound planks and frames, spike doubtful timber, sample fastenings and open panels, and IIMS warns against haste on wooden boats. Time on site and specialist experience are what you are paying for.

Which sources support this page?

Checked by the desk in October and November 2026. A source being listed does not mean the source agrees with us or has reviewed this page, and limited-verification items deserve a second look before you rely on them.

• Global Yacht Guide, yacht survey cost guide (third-party guide, 2026)
• Global Yacht Guide, survey and haul-out calculator (third-party guide, 2026)
• World Yacht Insurance, survey requirements (third-party guide)
• IIMS, How to survey wooden boats
• SAMS and NAMS as published surveyor bodies, IIMS home page
• Superyacht Guide, Labuan Bajo Marina
• Study citing BKI Rules for Wooden Ships 1996
• Tasneef, Rules for Yachts, Part A, January 2026
• US eCFR, 46 CFR Part 8, recognized classification societies
• Lorrendraaier, vessel survey and insurer acceptance

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

How do I get help budgeting a survey?

Tell us the boat's length, location and your timing, then read the wooden yacht buying steps. Send a buyer brief on WhatsApp 6281139414563 or at bd@juaraholding.com.