Is classification required for a yacht built in Indonesia?

Not for private use — flag-state safety survey is the legal minimum. Classification (BKI, or RINA/Lloyd's arrangements) becomes important for charter licensing, insurance terms and resale value, and must be agreed before keel laying because it drives scantlings and documentation throughout the build.

What is vacuum infusion and do I need it?

A composite method where resin is drawn through dry laminate under vacuum, giving consistent fibre-to-resin ratios and lighter, stronger structures than hand layup. Worth specifying for performance catamarans and weight-critical builds; unnecessary cost for simple heavy-displacement structures.

What law governs a yacht build contract in Bali?

Indonesian law governs construction performed in Indonesia, and the contract should say so plainly. We structure agreements on internationally recognised new-build logic — staged payments, fixed specification, defect liability — and encourage owners to have independent counsel review before signing.

How do I verify build quality during construction?

Through defined checkpoints: timber or laminate verification at keel stage, fastening and moisture inspections, systems commissioning records, and sea-trial protocols — each documented photographically and signed off before the linked payment falls due.

Vela, a delivered vessel, seen from the water

The standard is in the contract

Naval architecture engineered for archipelago seas, classification through BKI, and material specifications that are contractual rather than promotional.

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Engineered for the water it will live in

A yacht that will work between Bali, Komodo and Raja Ampat is engineered for specific conditions, not for a brochure.

Short steep seas in the straits, long swell on southern coasts, shallow coral anchorages, and tropical heat loads that punish undersized ventilation.

Hull forms with proven motion comfort, tank capacities matched to real distances between fuel docks, and stability calculations prepared for survey from the first iteration rather than reverse engineered at the end.

Standard class society: BKI
Arranged where a project needs it: RINA and LR
When class scope must be agreed: Before keel

What to ask for

Class, materials and quality control

Three things an owner should be able to see in writing before signing.

Classification

The independent spine

BKI for Indonesian flag, with RINA or Lloyds arranged before the keel is laid.

Materials

Named, not implied

Ulin below the waterline, teak above, with fastening and moisture standards written in.

Quality control

Evidence, not assurance

Laminate coupon tests, moisture readings and photographic records tied to milestones.

Where the standard is enforced

Each stage produces a document, not just a photograph.

Architecture
Hull form and stability engineered for archipelago conditions.
Class scope
Society and notation agreed before keel, because it drives scantlings.
Specification
Timber grades or laminate schedule fixed in the contract.
Inspection
Fastening checks, moisture readings and coupon tests at defined stages.
Survey
Flag state safety survey, which is never optional.
Records
Photographic evidence tied to each milestone and handed over.

Owners sometimes skip class to save cost. We explain the resale and insurance consequences honestly, and put the decision in writing either way.

What the standard costs

Class and documentation are a line item, and we show it as one.

Standard build, BKI survey: USD 600k to 1.2M
Luxury class, fuller documentation: USD 1.8 to 3M
To class, on owner specification: USD 4 to 8M

Planning ranges in USD, not quotes. Final pricing follows the design brief and specification.

Before you commission

Ask us for the specification

Tell us what you are planning to build and we will send the standards that would apply to it, including where we would advise against class.

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The standard is in the contract

Engineered for the water it will live in