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Old 05-03-2009, 05:40   #1
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Traditional Wooden Boats in SE Asia

Hello everyone,

I've seen a couple of threads on this subject but no firm answers for what I hope to do. I live in Singapore and am appalled at the price of sailing cruisers (compared to the USA) and the limited availability.

I've seen many varieties of traditional wooden boats, and am thinking that I could easily convert one into a sailing cruiser of 30-45 feet. I've seen threads on having them built in Malaysia and Indonesia, but no clear guidelines on how to do this.

So here's the question(s):

1. Can someone give me practical advice on where to go to look into having a boat built?

or 2. Can someone help me know how to go about looking for a currently built boat that can be renovated?

Thanks!
Steve
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Old 05-03-2009, 09:33   #2
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Sorry I can’t help you but can reinforce what you’ve found.

I don’t know why, but used boats of conventional construction seem very expensive in Asia.

I was in the Philippines a few weeks ago and was looking at some very used, fairly small open runabouts and was amazed at how much they were asking?
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Old 04-08-2010, 15:01   #3
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burong.info

Try Kuala Terengganu in Malyasia. burong.info
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Originally Posted by lejie View Post
Hello everyone,

I've seen a couple of threads on this subject but no firm answers for what I hope to do. I live in Singapore and am appalled at the price of sailing cruisers (compared to the USA) and the limited availability.

I've seen many varieties of traditional wooden boats, and am thinking that I could easily convert one into a sailing cruiser of 30-45 feet. I've seen threads on having them built in Malaysia and Indonesia, but no clear guidelines on how to do this.

So here's the question(s):

1. Can someone give me practical advice on where to go to look into having a boat built?

or 2. Can someone help me know how to go about looking for a currently built boat that can be renovated?

Thanks!
Steve
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Old 04-08-2010, 15:12   #4
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MAHASAGAR BOATS - QUALITY WOODEN & FIBREGLASS BOATBUILDER FOR WORK, FISHING, PLEASURECRAFT - SINCE 1969

There are still quite a few traditional boat builders in India.
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Old 04-08-2010, 17:35   #5
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I'm going out on a limb and guess there is not a well-developed "yacht building" industry in Asia yet, but Asia is where the money is. Low supply, high demand (relatively) equals higher prices. Go sniff around Florida right now - everything is "on sale" but the showroom is empty....
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Old 04-08-2010, 23:52   #6
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What a great project - certainly do-able. Has been done before, but usually building a traditional "looking" boat for the tourist industry - one or two 'replicas' about though.

Where to do it? My choice would be Malaysia - but not on the Malacca side though - go a bit off the Bali / Malacca / Phuket route and you'll get a better deal. Terengganu was mentioned earlier, I'd add Kudat - good timber builder there. Maybe KK - Anywhere where there are locally built fishing fleets.

Personally, I'd shy away from a conversion unless you know quite a bit about timber boats. The reason being that you will most likely be buying an old working boat - with the emphasis on old........but you might get lucky
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Old 05-08-2010, 00:08   #7
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I just bought my contemporary US-built boat in Jahor Bahru, Malaysia for less than US prices. Via yachtworld listing. So it's not so unlikely.
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Old 05-08-2010, 01:28   #8
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Wont it be difficult to get the ballance right if you convert a non sail designed hull to sail?
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Old 05-08-2010, 02:12   #9
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I think you should talk to this guy - he's built a couple and has some good links on his site.

Christoph Swoboda
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Old 05-08-2010, 04:25   #10
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Quote:
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I'm going out on a limb and guess there is not a well-developed "yacht building" industry in Asia yet, but Asia is where the money is. Low supply, high demand (relatively) equals higher prices. Go sniff around Florida right now - everything is "on sale" but the showroom is empty....
Taiwan (Tayana, Tashiba, Baba, Young Sun, etc. etc.) in particular has been a center of yacht-building for 30-40 years. Hong Kong (Cheoy Lee) and Japan (Mariner, etc.) also have their share of yards.
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Old 05-08-2010, 04:46   #11
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When I was in Sulawesi I heard the best boats were built in Poso, because of the local wood available there. All through SE Asia they build boats right on the beach, but wood boats quite often need to be hauled up and rebuilt, recaulked, etc.
Boats are cheap as dirt right now in the USA, especially in the gulf or any fishing area.
In the tropics I would think steel.
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Old 05-08-2010, 05:07   #12
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Taiwan (Tayana, Tashiba, Baba, Young Sun, etc. etc.) in particular has been a center of yacht-building for 30-40 years. Hong Kong (Cheoy Lee) and Japan (Mariner, etc.) also have their share of yards.
Tayana still going very strongly and there is, and has been for some time, a whole load of small operations in Asia quietly building boats Phuket Sports 8, Firefly's etc. The new generation is now the likes of McConachy's in China, Greenmarine in Thailand etc - top end boats, carbon construction. SE Asia is no longer the backwater of boatbuilding. Just starting the mass production end - J-Boats China and the like.

Watch this space for the Bene/Hunter/Jenneau/Bavaria genre of boats to get into production.........
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Old 05-08-2010, 06:29   #13
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Tayana still going very strongly and there is, and has been for some time, a whole load of small operations in Asia quietly building boats Phuket Sports 8, Firefly's etc. The new generation is now the likes of McConachy's in China, Greenmarine in Thailand etc - top end boats, carbon construction. SE Asia is no longer the backwater of boatbuilding. Just starting the mass production end - J-Boats China and the like.

Watch this space for the Bene/Hunter/Jenneau/Bavaria genre of boats to get into production.........
yes, forgot completely to mention the newish operations in/around Phuket! I have some friends there that would not be happy with me.
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