A pre-purchase survey exists to find the things a seller does not know, does not remember, or does not mention. On a working Komodo liveaboard that usually means structure under paint, undocumented machinery hours, deferred maintenance, and a certification position that is not what the listing implies. We survey for buyers, not for sellers, and we do not take a commission on the sale.
Why this market needs it
Secondhand liveaboards in Labuan Bajo change hands frequently, often quickly, often between owners who are new to Indonesian vessels. The fleet contains genuinely excellent boats and it contains boats that have been patched cosmetically for sale. From the pontoon they look identical. The difference is under the paint, inside the frames, and in the maintenance record — and it is routinely a six-figure difference in USD.
What a pre-purchase survey covers
Structure
On timber hulls: frame and floor condition at sample openings, planking condition, fastening condition, keelson and garboard inspection, caulking, and evidence of fresh water damage, which does more harm than salt. On steel: coating condition, plate thickness measurement in wastage-prone areas, weld condition, and internal structure in tanks and voids. Everything gets probed where probing is possible, because paint is not evidence.
Machinery
Main engines and gearbox condition, running observations under load, oil analysis where it can be arranged, cooling and exhaust systems, generators and their hours, shaft alignment indications, stern gear, steering, and the age and condition of pumps, compressors, watermaker and refrigeration. Recorded hours are checked against physical evidence, because hour meters get replaced.
Systems and safety
Electrical installation quality and its consistency with the load actually running, bilge pumping and alarms, fire detection and suppression, life-saving appliances and their service dates, navigation and communications equipment, and the fuel and gas installations.
Compliance and documentation
Registration, certification status and expiry, passenger capacity as certified rather than as advertised, survey history, class position if applicable, and whether the vessel’s documented configuration matches what is physically on board. A boat with extra berths installed since certification is a problem that transfers to you with the title. See Komodo National Park compliance.
Haul-out during survey
A survey without a haul-out is an incomplete survey. Underwater structure, propellers, shafts, rudders, anodes, sea valves and hull penetrations cannot be meaningfully assessed afloat. Arranging this in the Labuan Bajo area takes planning — see yard and haul-out logistics — and a seller unwilling to allow it has told you something useful.
Sea trial
The trial should be run loaded, not empty, and it should include the conditions the boat actually works in. Our protocol covers speed and fuel consumption at cruise and at maximum continuous rating, engine and gearbox temperatures and pressures under sustained load, manoeuvring including turning circles and a crash stop, steering and thruster authority at low speed, anchor windlass retrieval under load, generator load acceptance and stability, noise and vibration in guest spaces, air conditioning pull-down at full load, watermaker output, and the behaviour of the boat holding station in a genuine tidal stream. That last item is the one most standard protocols omit and the one that matters most here.
What a survey cannot tell you
We are direct about the limits. A survey is a snapshot by inspection, not a disassembly. Hidden structure behind linings and tanks that cannot be emptied stay hidden. Engine internals are not opened. Latent defects can exist behind clean evidence. We report what was inspected, what was not, and what we recommend opening before purchase — and we would rather write an inconvenient report than a comfortable one.
Class and condition surveys for owners
Beyond purchase, the same team handles periodic condition surveys for insurance and finance, pre-docking surveys to define a work scope before the boat is out of the water, and attendance at statutory or class survey. Defining the scope before docking is what keeps a docking on schedule — see the refit page.
Arranging a survey
Send the listing or the vessel details and your intended timeline to sales@komodoluxury.com or WhatsApp +62 811-3823-875. If you want to know what the boat should cost to bring up to standard afterwards, the cost guide gives the planning ranges.
Frequently asked questions
What does a pre-purchase survey on a Komodo liveaboard include?
Structural inspection with sample openings on timber or thickness measurement on steel, machinery condition and load observations, systems and safety equipment, and a documentation review covering registration, certification, certified passenger capacity and survey history — normally with a haul-out so underwater structure and running gear can be assessed.
Do I need to haul the boat out for a survey?
Yes, for a meaningful one. Underwater structure, propellers, shafts, rudders, sea valves and hull penetrations cannot be properly assessed afloat, and a seller who refuses a haul-out has given you information in itself.
What should a sea trial for a Komodo boat include?
Loaded speed and fuel consumption at cruise and maximum continuous rating, machinery parameters under sustained load, manoeuvring and crash stop, thruster authority, windlass retrieval under load, generator load acceptance, noise and vibration in guest spaces, air conditioning and watermaker performance, and station-keeping in a genuine tidal stream.
Do you take a commission from the seller?
No. The survey is paid for by the buyer and reports to the buyer, which is the only arrangement under which an inconvenient finding reliably reaches the person paying for it.
What can a survey not detect?
A survey is inspection, not disassembly. Structure behind linings, inside tanks that cannot be emptied, and inside unopened engines is not visible. We state explicitly what was inspected, what was not, and what we recommend opening before purchase.
Talk to the build desk
Send the vessel details or the operating profile you want to run and we will tell you what has to be established before a number means anything. Quotations in USD. Construction, repair, refit and vessel-sale contracts are issued by PT Komodo Galangan Nusantara.