Yes – private and commercial owners, including foreigners, commission bespoke wooden vessels at the Ara-Bira yards through a written stage-payment contract. Builds coordinated by this desk are contracted with PT Komodo Galangan Nusantara, so the craft stays in the hands of the village crews while the paperwork, milestones and money sit inside a contract you can hold to.
The commissioning path
A commission moves through four unhurried stages before a single plank is cut. Rushing any of them is where owners lose money.
- Brief and budget conversation. Length, intended use and target season, and an honest USD range so nobody designs a boat the budget cannot build.
- Design and specification. For traditional hulls the master builder carries the shape; for charter yachts a naval-architecture and interior brief is prepared first – see the design page.
- Yard and master-builder selection. Not every crew at Ara or Bira suits every boat; the desk matches the hull to a builder with the right track record.
- Contract, milestones and keel-laying date. Stage payments, materials specification and a keel-laying window fixed around timber and tides.
What the contract covers
A build contract issued through this desk is deliberately explicit, because a wooden boat is a two-year relationship, not a purchase.
- Stage payments tied to physical progress, not the calendar.
- Materials specification and timber-sourcing evidence written in, not assumed.
- Change-order rules and penalties, so mid-build additions have a known price.
- The class, flag and registration path – BKI survey and Pas Besar – planned from the start.
During the build
You are welcome at agreed inspection points, and progress is reported between visits. The two moments every owner should try to witness are the keel-laying and the launch – both are ceremonies as much as milestones, and your presence matters to the crew. For continuous on-site owner representation, that is a separate supervision scope handled through the shipyard channel rather than by this desk.
Delivery and after
- Sea trials and a documented handover.
- A delivery voyage to your cruising ground – Komodo, Raja Ampat or further – which is a real cost owners often forget; see the build-cost guide.
- Post-delivery management and refit referrals through the group’s vessel-management channel.
Start the conversation
Send your intended length, use (liveaboard, charter, private, cargo) and target season to the desk on WhatsApp; you get a realistic slot, timeline and USD budget frame – with full design-and-build programmes coordinated from Labuan Bajo available through the group.
Commission a boat on WhatsApp or email sales@komodoluxury.com
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreigner commission a wooden boat at Bira?
Yes. Foreign owners regularly build here; ownership, flag and registration are structured case by case, and the build contract itself is issued in writing by PT Komodo Galangan Nusantara.
How are payments structured?
By stage, not by calendar: an initial mobilisation payment for timber, then instalments released against physical milestones such as keel, planking complete, decking, launch and handover.
Do I need my own designer?
Not necessarily. Traditional hulls are shaped by the master builder; for charter yachts, naval-architecture and interior design support is available before keel-laying – see the design page.
How far ahead should I commit?
Allow several months to a year between first contact and keel-laying for design, contract and timber staging, then the build windows on the process page apply.
What sizes can be built?
Working hulls from about 15 m to 45+ m are built along the Ara-Bira coast; larger vessels mainly need longer schedules and more timber staging rather than different infrastructure.