Frames and keels
Tanaberu
Hulls at the stage where quality is still visible.
Seven days across both islands
Bali runs the design and the fit out. South Sulawesi builds the hull. This is the only programme that shows you both.
The hull is not built in Bali
For hardwood vessels above roughly 20 metres the hull is built at the group yards in South Sulawesi, where the joinery lineages are. You should see it.
Three days in Bali cover the studio, the fit out berths and the design sessions. Three days in Sulawesi cover the slipways, the timber stock and the crews who would cut your frames.
The last day brings both halves into one specification and a contract structure.
- Bali and South Sulawesi
- 2 islands
- Six working, one in transit
- 7 days
- Denpasar to Makassar
- 1 flight
Seven days, in order
Internal flights and Sulawesi road transfers are booked for you.
Arrival and brief
Denpasar. A studio session on use, range and rough dimensions, so the Sulawesi days have something to test.
The Bali yards
Benoa fit out berths and the Serangan small craft yards. Systems bays, the travel lift, sea trial routine.
Crossing
Morning flight to Makassar, then the road south. The first yard the same afternoon.
Slipways
Tanaberu and Bira. Keels, frames and hulls at every stage, alongside the crews cutting them.
Timber
Sawmills and stock. Ironwood and teak grading, seasoning, and why it sets your schedule more than labour does.
Back to Bali
Return flight, then a design session that uses what you saw rather than a catalogue.
Specification
Scope, payment stages and contract structure, in writing before you fly.
Six working days and one in transit. The Sulawesi yards are rural and the hotels are simple, which is worth knowing in advance.
What each island is for
One contract, two locations, a different question at each.
Leg
Days
What you are judging
Who you meet
- Leg
- Bali
- Days
- One and two
- What you are judging
- Design capability, fit out, service after handover
- Who you meet
- Naval architect, project manager
- Leg
- South Sulawesi
- Days
- Three to five
- What you are judging
- Hull construction, joinery, timber quality
- Who you meet
- Yard foreman, master carpenters
- Leg
- Bali again
- Days
- Six and seven
- What you are judging
- Whether the specification survives what you saw
- Who you meet
- Studio and commercial team
Owners building in composite can compress the Sulawesi leg, since laminating happens closer to Bali.
The Sulawesi days
What no photograph settles
Three things you can only judge standing next to them.
Timber stock
The sawmills
Ironwood and teak, graded and seasoning on the ground.
The crews
Bira
Master carpenters working largely without drawings, as they always have.
Three, five or seven days
Pick by what you still need to decide.
Factor
3 days
5 days
7 days (our recommendation)
- 3 days
- Judging the yard and getting a number
- 5 days
- Settling the design itself
- 7 days
- Seeing where the hull is actually built
- 3 days
- Denpasar, Benoa, Serangan
- 5 days
- Ubud, the south coast, one working yard
- 7 days
- Bali and South Sulawesi
- 3 days
- One session
- 5 days
- Three sessions
- 7 days
- Two sessions, after the yards
- 3 days
- An indicative range in writing
- 5 days
- An approved general arrangement
- 7 days
- Specification and contract structure
- 3 days
- None
- 5 days
- None
- 7 days
- Denpasar to Makassar and back
Best for
Where you go
Design time
You leave with
Flights inside Indonesia
Owners building in composite can take the five day design week instead. The laminating happens closer to Bali, so the Sulawesi leg matters less.
About the two island programme
Keep reading
See both islands
Tell us your dates and what you want to build. If seven days is not right for your project we will say which programme is.
- Your dates, or the month you are free
- Vessel type, length and material if you know it
- Whether anyone is travelling with you