Boat Refit in Asia

[Sailomat]

Hello there, I have to do a completely refit of my 40 years old ketch. Electric must be completely new, teakdeck and interieur as well. Which place / boatyard would you recommend in a Radius of 1000 miles around
the Philippines ?

[wingssail]

Within your range, other than the Philippines itself, you are largely limited to Hong Kong possibly somewhere in Taiwan. We did work in Discovery Bay in Hong Kong, but Hebe Haven is the mecca in Hong Kong and there are many services available there. (Look in Noonsite)

As for the Philippines, we did quite a bit of work on Subic, some in Cebu and some in Manilla. There are some experienced boat workers in each place, probably the most in Subic, some in Manilla and Cebu (Carmen). The biggest issue after finding some experienced workers will be getting supplies. There are few chandleries, with limited stock, and imports are subject to 40% duty plus bribes. That being said, there is a lot of boat building and refurbishment going on in various places in PI. If you are resourceful you may find that this is an inexpensive place to do it but you will have be very self reliant, even to finding the right place and people. Don't expect a marine services guide.

Of course you would be better off in Singapore or Phuket Thailand but with the extensive list you alluded to I wonder if it would be safe to venture that far.

I think some other people, Jon Hacking, for example, would have some good references.

[daletournier]

Phuket is the best by a long shot. May not be the cheapest anymore.

[sailasia]

Philippines runs on 60Hz, everywhere else is 50Hz. Just a note to think about when putting in new electric and AC equipment.

[Pelagic]

The problem in the Philippines is that there are not enough yachts to support a yacht maintenance infrastructure.
As a result, no inventory of marine materials, no loyalty of tradesman who must flit from job to job where someone can supply them with tools.
Those companies that exist on a project to project basis, know they have a monopoly so overcharge, delay and spend little time on management.

Bottom line, go where there are many boats, a large Charter presence and you will find a far better value than Subic or Cebu.
I love the Philippines, but that's the sad truth and I will do my future work between Langkawi and Phuket

Check out Follow the Boat video blog who has done a lot of work in that area

[leonsk]

I live on Phuket and have for 17 years now. Did total refit of my 32-ft sloop 15 yrs ago and have done major work with friends boats, currently on Hallberg-Rassey 48. Your needs could be met here but not many good workers these days and chandlery shops are mostly for the powerboats. Boat Lagoon is nice place but not really for the work you are wanting. Rattanachai yard is rail based haulout and they do some serious ocean trawler fishing boat refits. The other marinas here are not really for serious overhauls even though they will claim miracles. I would consider this but recommend a fly-in checkover 1st, visiting the other places also.

Some 20 years ago I had major work in Trinidad, including teak deck, and think it may still be good there

[nhschneider]

There are two excellent blogs that detail refits in Phuket : One is written by Bruce and Alene on the trimaran, Migration http://brucebalan.com/migrations
and the other was mentioned previously, http://www.hackingfamily.com. Both offer a wealth of information.

Good luck, fair winds and calm seas.

[hatteras53]

My wife is a Filipina and I truly love the Philippines BUT I would honestly not have any major work done there as someone else has already mentioned in this thread. You need to go elsewhere so sorry to say shipmate. Shipmate Michael

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

Check out Follow the Boat video blog who has done a lot of work in that area

This.

[sailcrazy]

We lived and worked in Subic for more than 10 years, and had our boat there all but the first year. We did have some work done there, and there are/were a few good craftsmen around ....but the supplies and parts are the hard issue to resolve. I was lucky, and was able to travel Asia, pick up bits and pieces, and bring them back with me. When we retired, we sailed to Singapore, then Penang and Langkawi, and on to Phuket. We spent almost a year on the hard at Boat Lagoon, had a new deck and caprails, a new standing rig, and lots of smaller work done. When we left in 2012, we were very happy with the work done and price we paid for it all. We rented one of the apartments there at the marina, and were on-site every day. I would highly recommend it, from our point of view. By the way, we deck-shipped on a freighter out of there to Marmaris, Turkey, spent nearly 4 years in the Medd, and are now in the Caribb. From our experience, I would definitely NOT recommend doing your refit work in Subic, and would highly recommend Phuket, unless things have really changed. Langkawi would be another good place to check out!

[jean francois c]

Originally Posted by Sailomat

Hello there, I have to do a completely refit of my 40 years old ketch. Electric must be completely new, teakdeck and interieur as well. Which place / boatyard would you recommend in a Radius of 1000 miles around
the Philippines ?

You can try Kudat in sabah, North Borneo. No duty on imported equipment as long as "yacht in transit". very competent peoples for wood, electricity/electronic and so forth. Done several time and no problem.
could contact me at jfcmarines@gmail.com for more info/address.

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by jean francois c

You can try Kudat in sabah, North Borneo. No duty on imported equipment as long as "yacht in transit". very competent peoples for wood, electricity/electronic and so forth. Done several time and no problem.
could contact me at jfcmarines@gmail.com for more info/address.

Hi ....you are the first person I've heard with haul out experience in Kudat.

Thinking of doing my next drydock there in May

I will send you an email about the contacts you have
but can you tell us a bit more about the place?
Lift capacity (I'm 42 tons)?
How is their english speaking?
Do you need to bring all the bottom paint? etc.etc
Thanks in advance

[jean francois c]

Hi,
The traveling has a capacity of 150 T.
Your draft is important.
You can have your boat staying on cement with a personal shower/toilet room.
Electricity available.
many yachties stay on board during the time of dry dock.
most of them speak English. they have a god team of worker for general work, polishing, painting .
you can have an electrician/electronic to do those work.
You have my email si do not hesitate in contacting me
Cheers
JF

[Jubilee39]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

Hi ....you are the first person I've heard with haul out experience in Kudat.

Thinking of doing my next drydock there in May

I will send you an email about the contacts you have
but can you tell us a bit more about the place?
Lift capacity (I'm 42 tons)?
How is their english speaking?
Do you need to bring all the bottom paint? etc.etc
Thanks in advance

I also did a haulout in Kudat, Very pleased with the outcome. I contracted Timmy to paint the hull. He has a very good hand in spraying but had never used a Linear paint. I supplied the paint (Imron) sourced in Kota Kinabalu. he had a team sanding and fairing. Long story short he had bad luck. First side sprayed excellent, second side major run. I was paying time and materials for his team not him so they prepped again. More bad luck, wind and rain unexpected ruined the second attempt, third try was fine. He kept a sense of humor throughout and only was going to charge the agreed price but I did compensate him to a degree that he was happy.
I had machine work done by the yard, Excellent work.
Had refrigeration holding plates done by a Chinese shop off the yard, Disaster. The yard helped me make new ones.
I had supplies shipped in From the US by the postal service. it took awhile but all arrived.
I would use this yard again, definitely. One big plus is if you pay the higher rate you get a small cabin with shower and sink. They say not for storage but allowed me to use it for storing small parts.

[Pelagic]

Great info Jean & Jubilee and most encouraging

I cleared out of Kudat in 2004 towards Subic, very friendly town and easy formalities back then.

Re their Time & Material charges for painting ...if you can remember...

What was their labour rate in MYR day rate for
Paint Assistant
Paint foreman?
Haul out charges?
Day rental on cement hardstand
What year was those rated based on

Thanks again