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Tana Beru Boat Builder mark: a wooden phinisi inside a shield Tana Beru Boat Builder Tana Beru · South Sulawesi
Wooden phinisi hull under construction on the open sand at Tana Beru, with shipwrights working from timber ladders along the hull

Tana Beru · Bonto Bahari · South Sulawesi

Commission a Wooden Phinisi, Keel-Up on the Beach

Built plank-first on the Flores-Sea sand by panrita lopi master shipwrights. A build brand, not a broker — when you commission here, a keel is laid for your boat.

See Build Cost

Honest USD price bands

Phinisi 20–25 m
USD 180k–350k
Owner phinisi · 4–6 cabins
Phinisi 28–35 m
USD 380k–750k
Charter-grade liveaboard hull
Liveaboard 40 m+
USD 850k–2.2M
Flagship dive / expedition
Full cost breakdown →

  • Tana Beru

    Beach boatyards, South Sulawesi

  • Panrita Lopi

    Bugis master shipwrights

  • Keel-Up

    Plank-first, by hand

  • 8–24 mo

    Honest build timeline

Timber sourced under SVLK legal-timber verification. No invented ratings, no institutional claims we cannot evidence — a build brand, honestly presented.

Commission a Phinisi on the Tana Beru Beach

On a single stretch of sand in Bonto Bahari, hulls the length of a tennis court are raised in the open air, facing the Flores Sea. This is Tana Beru, the village that has built the Indonesian phinisi for generations. We are a build brand, not a broker: when you commission here, a keel is laid for your boat and you can stand beside it as the planks go on.

Everything on this site is about one thing — commissioning a new wooden vessel and seeing it through to launch. We do not sell finished hulls that belong to someone else, we do not run charters, and we do not dress the work up as luxury it is not. What we offer is honest access to the craftsmen, an owner-supervised process, and price bands you can plan against before a single peg is driven.

01 —

Five Ways to Build in Tana Beru

All commission programs →
Two wooden phinisi hulls standing on timber props at a beach boatyard, planking part-finished 20–35 m

Phinisi Builder

Traditional Bugis phinisi, built plank-first for owners and charter operators.

Commission this →
Close-up of curved wooden hull frames fastened with wooden dowels on a phinisi under construction All sizes

Wooden Boat Builder

The South Sulawesi and Makassar ironwood tradition, applied to your hull.

Commission this →
Sketchbook and loose sheets showing hand-drawn phinisi sail and hull line plans on a workbench Bespoke

Custom & Bespoke

Designed around how you will actually sail — nothing off the shelf.

Commission this →
Crew working aloft on the mast and bowsprit of a wooden liveaboard phinisi lying at anchor 28–45 m

Liveaboard & Dive

Engineered for the Komodo and Raja Ampat routes — build or convert.

Commission this →
Shipwright working inside the timber superstructure of a wooden hull during fit-out Gulet

Gulet Builder

Sulawesi-built wooden gulets, from plans and design to launch.

Commission this →
02 —

How — and Who — Builds Your Boat

The craft in full →
Three shipwrights kneeling inside a part-planked wooden hull, shaping and fitting ribs on the sand

How a Phinisi Is Built

Keel-laying, shell-first planking, framing, finishing and the beach launch.

Read more →
Two build supervisors kneeling on deck sorting and checking stainless deck fittings

Boat Building Company

Who actually holds your contract and supervises the beach yards.

Read more →
Bugis master shipwright working a timber edge with a hand chisel, wood shavings curling away

Bugis Boat Builders

The panrita lopi craft lineage — masters who build without blueprints.

Read more →
Drafting table carrying rolled hull drawings, drawing instruments and a wooden sailing boat model

Wooden Boat Design

Traditional lines married to modern interiors, layouts and systems.

Read more →
03 —

What a Commission Actually Costs

Full cost breakdown →

Most yards quote a vague ‘it depends’. It does depend — on length, timber, engineering and interior — but you still deserve a number to plan against. These are the bands we work within, in USD, always indicative and never a guaranteed final figure.

Phinisi 20–25 m

USD 180k – 350k

Owner phinisi, sailing or motor-sailer, classic layout, 4–6 cabins.

Phinisi 28–35 m

USD 380k – 750k

Charter-grade liveaboard hull, 6–9 cabins, dive deck or wide saloon.

Liveaboard 40 m+

USD 850k – 2.2M

Flagship dive/expedition phinisi, 10+ cabins, full stabilisation and range.

Indicative bands, not quotations. The number inside a band moves with length, timber, rig, engines and the level of fit-out.

Slots on the Sand — 2027

Build Slots Opening on the Beach

Indicative build slots — commission programs, not for-sale hulls. Talk to the Build Desk to reserve a keel-laying window and lock your specification.

Wooden phinisi hull on timber props under a palm-thatch shelter at the water’s edge

Owner Phinisi

LOA
22 m
Timber
Bitti / Ulin keel
Stage
Spec & keel window

Launch 2027

Large wooden hull enclosed in bamboo scaffolding, a single shipwright standing beside it for scale

Charter-Grade

LOA
32 m
Timber
Ulin / Bitti / Teak deck
Stage
Design & brief

Launch 2027–28

Multi-deck wooden liveaboard hull under construction, deck levels framed and planked

Flagship Liveaboard

LOA
42 m
Timber
Ulin structure
Stage
Feasibility

Launch 2028

05 —

From Keel-Laying to Launch

Read the full build process →

Built the Tana Beru Way

A phinisi here is built shell-first: the planks are shaped and fastened into a hull, and the frames are fitted afterwards, the reverse of European boatbuilding. Wooden pegs are driven before bolts; ironwood, teak and bitti are chosen plank by plank. The knowledge that makes this possible without formal drawings lives in the hands of the panrita lopi, the master shipwrights, and it is the reason a Tana Beru hull behaves the way it does at sea.

  1. 01

    Keel-Laying

    The appasili ceremony marks the datum of your hull.

  2. 02

    Planking

    Shell-first planks shaped and read fair by eye.

  3. 03

    Framing

    Frames and structure fitted into the finished shell.

  4. 04

    Fit-Out

    Engines, systems and interior joinery installed.

  5. 05

    Finishing

    Caulking, red-lead primer and finish coats.

  6. 06

    Launch

    Rolled down the sand into the sea, then sea-trials.

Shipwright cutting a long timber plank by hand in a beach workshop, sawdust catching the light

Heritage

Built by the Panrita Lopi

The boats are built by Bugis master shipwrights — panrita lopi — who carry the craft as inherited knowledge, without formal blueprints, shaping each hull by eye. Keel-laying is marked by the appasili ceremony, reflecting a belief that a boat carries a life of its own. Commissioning here helps keep a living apprenticeship alive on the beach.

Meet the craft lineage →
06 —

From the Build Journal

All journal entries →

Ask the Build Desk

Homepage FAQ

All 101 questions

We commission new builds only — a keel is laid specifically for your boat. We are not a broker or charter operator.

From roughly USD 180k for a 20–25 m owner phinisi to USD 2.2M for a 40 m+ liveaboard. See the full cost breakdown.

Between roughly 8 and 24 months depending on length and fit-out.

Yes — owner supervision by milestone photos and site visits is normal and encouraged.

On the beach at Tana Beru, Bonto Bahari, Bulukumba Regency, South Sulawesi.

Yes — we use SVLK-verified legal timber and prepare the paperwork a wooden vessel needs to export.

Yes — engineered for the eastern routes.

Send your intended length, use and rough budget band on WhatsApp and we return a realistic layout and timeline.

Wooden hulls standing on the sand at a Tana Beru beach boatyard as the sun sets behind the shoreline

Start a Build Conversation

Every commission begins with a short, honest conversation about length, use, timber, budget band and realistic timeline — no obligation. Contracts are issued by PT Komodo Galangan Nusantara.

  • Intended length overall
  • How the boat will be used
  • Timber preference, if any
  • Budget band
  • Target launch window

+62 811-3941-4563 bd@juaraholding.com

Message the Build Desk on WhatsApp
Message the Build Desk on WhatsApp