How long has the yard been building?

The technique goes back generations in this region; many of our craftsmen are third or fourth generation boat builders. Ask us about specific vessels and we will show you what we have delivered.

What standards do you build to?

International classification practice for structure and safety, plus Indonesian maritime registration and survey. Commercial charter vessels also need a SIUPAL licence.

Can I see work in progress?

Yes. Visits to the slipway are welcome by appointment, and seeing a hull mid-build tells you more than any brochure.

The yard

Master Boat Builders of Labuan Bajo and Flores

Generations of shipwrights, working to modern engineering and survey standards.

Start Your Project

Generations of shipwrights: 4
Largest hull launched: 38m
Vessel classes delivered: 3
Typical build programme: 10-18mo

Labuan Bajo Boat Builders is a working shipyard in Flores building custom phinisi, liveaboards and wooden vessels, using traditional Konjo and Bugis technique held to current marine engineering and survey standards.

Hulls built on our own slipway, not subcontracted out.
Ironwood and teak selected in person, from suppliers we can name.
Design, construction and interior trades all in house.

A yacht at anchor in a sheltered bay at first light

Decades of Hands-On Experience

The phinisi is a living Indonesian tradition rather than a heritage exercise, and the people building your hull learned the method from the people who taught them.

That knowledge sits mostly in the hands: how a plank should take a curve, which timber goes where, what a hull will do in a swell. It has been refined at sea rather than in a design office.

Around it we run naval architecture, structural calculation and the safety work a vessel needs to pass survey and stay in it.

How we work

The Depth Behind a Hull

Four areas where a yard either knows what it is doing or does not.

Timber Selection

Ulin ironwood, teak and merbau chosen for structural role, not availability.

Naval Architecture

Lines, structure and stability calculated before the keel is laid.

Standards

Work carried out against international classification practice and Indonesian maritime requirements.

Sea Trials

Engine trials and stability checks on the water she will work in.

Standards We Build To

Classification practice

What it covers: Structural and safety standards for the hull
Who sets it: RINA, Bureau Veritas

Indonesian maritime

What it covers: Registration, survey and operating licence
Who sets it: Kesyahbandaran

Commercial charter

What it covers: Licensing for paying passengers
Who sets it: SIUPAL

Traditional method

What it covers: Hull form, joinery and planking technique
Who sets it: Bugis and Konjo shipwrights

Feature	What it covers	Who sets it
Classification practice	Structural and safety standards for the hull	RINA, Bureau Veritas
Indonesian maritime	Registration, survey and operating licence	Kesyahbandaran
Commercial charter	Licensing for paying passengers	SIUPAL
Traditional method	Hull form, joinery and planking technique	Bugis and Konjo shipwrights

Classification and licensing bodies are named here because the old page named them. Which of them applies depends on the vessel and how it will be operated; we will tell you which ones your project needs.

Why Owners Come Here

Three reasons that keep coming up in first conversations.

Where we are
Komodo National Park is the cruising ground, not a delivery voyage away.
What it costs
Lower than Bali or Jakarta on comparable work, because the timber and trades are local.
Who does it
A concentrated pool of experienced wooden vessel builders, in one place.

Naval architects and master craftsmen run each build together, with one point of contact throughout so decisions do not get lost between trades.

Frequently Asked Questions

Come and See the Yard

The quickest way to judge a boat builder is to stand in the shed. Arrange a visit, or send us your brief.