Phuket v Langkawi

[hoppy]

What are the pros and cons of keeping an Australian registered yacht in Phuket & Langkawi ?

My understanding is that I can keep my yacht in Malaysia indefinitely tax free and Thailand is not that easy, but I have no idea of the rules for there.

[hoppy]

I should mention, I'm looking for a location to base the boat whilst living in Aus, so visas length for me is not an issue.

I did find some good info on Langkawi here
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...se-154703.html

[TOT]

I guess it depends on what you actually want to do once you reach your boat???

We found the Thai waters much clearer and better winds than the Langkawi waters (to be fair it could be the time of year that impacts the winds) but not the clarity of the waters l don't think.

It will be much easier to keep it in Malaysia than Thailand l would think.

We found RLYC to be not very nice due to its location and the water movement was very rough during tides changes.

Rebak marina is a great little spot and if you are docked in the marina you are able to use the resorts facilities.

You need to look up Rebak Marina as if you need to get to Langkawi you need to catch a ferry.

Telaga seems like a good Marina and is in Langkawi with Customs, Immigration and Harbour Master all located next to the Marina (very simple).

Again l guess it depends on what you actually want to do once you reach your boat???

We have done the trip from Singapore to Phuket several times, my comments are based on these experiences.


SV TOT
Wayne 😃

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by TOT

It will be much easier to keep it in Malaysia than Thailand l would think.

My question is more about this than the cruising grounds itself.

Phuket has a big advantage to me because I know I can fly there direct from Melbourne, which is where I'll be living and working. I understand that Malaysia is a relatively easy place to keep a foreign boat and that Thailand is more of a challenge. I'm just not sure how more challenging.

BTW What is Singapore like for keeping foreign registered yachts owned by non-residents?

[Zven]

I wonder what decision Hoppy made, in the end ...?
In short, foreigners are not allowed to keep boats permanently in Thailand.
In Malaysia it is not a problem at all.
I'm at Langkawi at the moment, and found it to be a great place to keep a boat.

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by Zven

I wonder what decision Hoppy made, in the end ...?
In short, foreigners are not allowed to keep boats permanently in Thailand.
In Malaysia it is not a problem at all.
I'm at Langkawi at the moment, and found it to be a great place to keep a boat.

I ended up shipping my boat to Australia and now she is tied up 4 km from home. Whilst the weather and the sailing grounds can't compete with Asia, I love that I can go to the boat so easily.

FWIW after I started this thread my cousin bought a boat that was based in Phuket. He sailed it to Langkawi to do the ownership transfer and then took it back to Phuket a few months later. He then sailed it to Aus during the Cyclone season so it can also be near him.

[Pelagic]

Sure would be nice to get the actual facts as I am considering both places as a new base instead of Subic.

1....How long can you keep a foreign registered yacht in Phuket?

1a.....How long must you leave before returning?

2....How long can you keep a foreign registered yacht in Langkawi?

2a.....How long must you leave before returning?

[Zven]

Pelagic,

1... 6 months. Can be extended to 12 months, for a fee ... but no more.

1a... I've never heard of a minimum leave requirement. It seems common to make short hops back and forth.

2... indefinitely, to my knowledge.

2a... N/A

Thailand also has some weird requirements that captain/ crew cannot travel freely but must post a bond if they leave their boat in country. Sorry I don't know the details about that. There are other threads about it.
Oh and then there is the requirement that foreign boats, but not local ones, must use AIS at Phuket at all times.
Phuket and Langkawi are near each other... and there are beautiful cruising grounds in-between. The marinas in the area all seem to have ample space. You might wish to just hang out a bit around there, for a year or two, before any need to decide for the long term.
There are also other options nearby: Krabi in Thailand, and Penang in Malaysia.

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by Zven

2... indefinitely, to my knowledge.

2a... N/A

It's a year or three since I was cruising in Malaysia. But I think better answers would be:

2. as long as your own visa is in order.

2a. If your visa is a tourist visa (aka social visit pass usually with a term of 90 days), then Malaysian Immigration prefers you to be out of the country for a number of days (rather than returning after a few hours or 24 hours) before renewing your tourist visa. You can apply for and buy various other categories of visa (investor visa, my second home visa) that allow residence for years.

Originally Posted by Zven

There are also other options nearby: Krabi in Thailand, and Penang in Malaysia.

Penang is a much more interesting place (a more interesting and lively economy, a genuine society) than Langkawi. But anchorages, marinas, and available berths in professionally managed marinas are quite limited.

If you are after a professionally managed marina, the nearest alternatives to Langkawi are probably Marina Island Pangkor (near Lumut) and Admiral Marina Port Dickson (near Kuala Lumpur).

The big advantages of Langkawi over most other ports in Malaysia are that:

(1) Langkawi is a duty free port. You can import goods easily. Retailers can do likewise. And partly because of that,

(2) cruisers have visited it for years, so

(3) Langkawi has a few professionally managed marinas and several retailers who cater to cruisers with goods and services.