What a Gulet Is — and Why Sulawesi Builds Them Well
A gulet is the broad-beamed, two-masted wooden motor-sailer that made the Turkish and Aegean charter coast famous: a wide, comfortable hull built for relaxed cruising and generous cabins rather than outright speed. It is a different animal from the phinisi, but it asks for exactly the skills this coast has — large hardwood hulls, shaped by hand, finished in warm teak.
Sulawesi yards build gulets well because the raw ingredients are already here: hardwood hull knowledge, deep bench strength in hand joinery, and a tradition of big wooden vessels. A gulet built at Tana Beru marries that heritage to the layout and comfort the gulet market expects.