The cost and timeline, from the yard that builds it
Two questions come before every other: what will it cost, and how long will it take. Most answers online are guesses or sales numbers. This page gives you the bands from the yard’s side of the ledger — how a phinisi is priced, what drives the figure up or down, and how long a hull really takes from keel to launch. Every number here is a planning band in US dollars; your boat is quoted after specification.
USD build bands by size and grade
| Vessel | Typical build window | Planning band (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Small wooden boat / day boat (up to ~15 m) | 3–6 months | Low six figures |
| Traditional phinisi hull, boat-grade (20–28 m) | 6–10 months | Mid six figures |
| Yacht-grade phinisi / wooden yacht (28–35 m) | 9–14 months | Upper six to low seven figures |
| Dive liveaboard for charter (30–40 m) | 10–16 months | Seven figures |
| Classed expedition build | 14–20 months | Upper seven figures |
Bands only — every hull is quoted after specification and a drawing set.
What the components are
The figure is built up from real parts: timber (bitti, ironwood and teak, selected and seasoned); labour (the shipwrights’ hours, which dominate a hand-built hull); fastenings and fit-out (bronze and stainless, caulking, sheathing); propulsion and systems (engine, tankage, electrical, steering); rig (masts, spars, standing and running rigging); and interior (the widest variable of all — a working boat and a luxury yacht of the same length diverge most here). Design and supervision sit on top; class and flag are separate.
What drives the number up or down
Length and displacement set the base; grade — boat vs yacht — sets the multiplier. After that: interior level, systems complexity, rig, whether the build is to class, and the owner’s change requests. The single biggest lever is the interior specification, which is why we draw and cost it carefully on the
design desk before committing.
The timeline, keel to launch
A large hull is not quick. Timber selection and seasoning come first, then keel-laying, then the long plank-first shell, then framing, deck, engine and systems, fit-out and rig, and finally launch and sea trials. A 30 m yacht-grade phinisi typically runs 9 to 14 months to launch, with fit-out and trials beyond that. Weather, timber lead times and specification changes move the date; a stage-payment schedule keeps the money aligned to the actual progress.
Turning a band into a quote
To move from a band to a real figure we need a specification: length, use, rig, systems and interior level. Send the desk a brief and we will build up a proper estimate — and when you are ready, a
yard-direct new-build contract. For the investment maths on a charter boat, see the build-to-charter page.
Bulukumba Shipyard is the regency newbuild-and-refit yard brand of Juara Holding Group (established 2015), a sister brand to Komodo Luxury. The yard sits in Bulukumba Regency, South Sulawesi — Butta Panrita Lopi, the land of the Konjo and Bugis panrita lopi master shipwrights who build and restore wooden phinisi hulls, from keel-laying to haul-out.
Talk to the yard: WhatsApp +62 811-3823-875 · email sales@komodoluxury.com. Every hull is quoted after specification; price bands below are in US dollars.