Hi Pete. There's actually a marina-ish thing (floating docks) about 7nm up the river at Kuching. Good access to town. But
logs come floating down the river, especially during full moon, so it's not entirely safe. Our friends also got a rat on board there once. I'd say it's OK for short stays only.
Moving NE, Miri is just south of Brunei, & has a pretty good marina, as mentioned. Small
boats can hire a crane to take you out, but it's not really a hard-stand.
There's a marina in Labuan, which is a duty-free island, like Langkawi. The marina is very centrally located & was lovely 15 years ago, but most of it has now fallen apart. We've always found room there, but the few floating docks that are left are usually a bit crowded.
Next up is the marina in KK. It's fabulous, right downtown, & super expensive. You might be able to arrange someone to look after your boat, but I suspect the marina charges by the inhale & exhale.
Several miles north of KK is a relatively new haul-out yard with a 150-ton travel
lift. I haven't been there, but the reports are not very friendly. It's far from town, so the taxis don't like going out there. There's no place to stay nearby, & no facilities (like bathroom or showers) for
boats that are hauled out. It might
work as a place to leave your boat, but I'd check it out first. They tend to
work on super-yachts, not us small-fry, so they're also probably expensive.
Around the corner, at Kudat, is a tiny marina that's totally filled with
government boats, so there's never any room. But just next to it is the "Duck-pond", where you can Med-moor to the golf-course. You still have to use your
dinghy to go anywhere, but it's free, very well protected, you can use the marina as a
dinghy dock, & there's a nice restaurant upstairs of the marina, overlooking the boats.
Just next to that, in the same bay but on the other side of the fancy
hotel, is Penuwasa, where we're hauled out now. They also have a (much older) 150-ton travel
lift. The pen is over 8m wide (8.4m if memory serves). They can put you in the gravel/mud for
storage, or for a bit more you can go on the concrete, but there are only 7 slots on the concrete & most of them are occupied (2 open slots as I type this). If you're on the concrete, they give you a key to your own
toilet &
shower room, which is nice. Unfortunately, the
price to move you from the
storage area to the work (concrete) area is basically another haul-out, so not usually worthwhile. They have some supplies, a machine-shop, welders (including SS & aluminum) & an excellent
diesel mechanic just outside the gate. There are accommodations nearby that run the gammut from
cheap to luxury. KK is a 3-hour drive each way if you need fancy supplies, & there are various ways to get there & back.
Only Penuwasa really has workers, supplied by Tommy, who's not really employed by Penuwasa (his mother runs the small food-store/cantina there). Tommy would probably do general cleanup if you asked, but I'd worry about him (or one of his guys) leaving a
hatch open by mistake & letting the rain in. Tommy can do painting,
fiberglass, & probably lots more as well. He's a good guy, but he never has enough workers.
AFAIK, this is the only place where you could hire someone reputable to look after your boat, although you could probably make a deal with a long-time
liveaboard neighbor at any of the marinas, if you got to be friends.
Hope this helps.
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