A pre-purchase survey is an independent condition inspection commissioned by the buyer before committing to an Indonesian yacht: hull and structure, engines and systems, rigging where relevant, plus a sea trial. The buyer selects and pays the surveyor; findings feed a documented price adjustment or a contractual exit through escrow. Fees are quoted in USD by vessel length and scope.
Answer first: what a pre-purchase survey catches that photos never show
Photographs sell decks and saloons; surveys find what lives underneath them — moisture in a cored hull, a keel bolt weeping, fastenings gone soft in a timber frame, an engine whose “recent overhaul” has no paperwork and no compression to match. Every surveyed vessel produces findings; the difference between a good purchase and a bad one is whether those findings arrive before the price is final or after the money is gone. That is why the survey sits as a formal milestone in every transaction run by the national brokerage desk, and why jasa inspeksi kapal yang netral — dipilih dan dibayar pembeli, bukan disodorkan penjual — is non-negotiable on this desk.
Survey scopes by vessel type
Fibreglass hull & osmosis
Moisture mapping across the wetted area, gelcoat and laminate condition, keel-to-hull joint, rudder bearings, and osmosis blistering — the finding that most often reprices a fibreglass motor yacht.
Timber vessels: keel, frames, fastenings
Survey khusus kapal kayu memeriksa lunas, gading, sambungan dan paku, kondisi kalfat, serta jejak pembusukan di area tertutup. Docking history is read alongside the physical findings; a timber hull without haul-out records is priced as if the worst is true. Transaksi phinisi memakai lingkup ini — prosesnya di jual beli kapal phinisi.
Engines & generators (hour verification)
Compression and temperature readings, oil analysis where warranted, and hour-meter verification against service records — the honesty test that decides whether “low hours” is a fact or a hope.
Rigging & sails
For sailing yachts and catamarans: standing rigging age and terminals, chainplates, mast step, and sail inventory condition — priced as consumables with known replacement cycles.
Electrical & safety systems
Wiring condition, battery banks and charging, bilge systems, gas installation, and the safety inventory against the vessel’s intended use and class.
Sea trial protocol: who attends, who pays, what is measured
The sea trial follows the static survey: engines under load through the rev range, steering and gear engagement, vibration, temperatures, and — for sail — rig behaviour under way. Convention on this desk: the buyer pays the surveyor; the seller presents the vessel fuelled, insured and crewed for the trial; buyer, seller’s representative and surveyor attend; the broker coordinates and records. Syarat sea trial ditulis di MOA sebelum deposit — bukan dinegosiasikan di dermaga pada hari H.
Haul-out logistics across Indonesian yards (coordination, not ownership)
A proper hull inspection needs the vessel out of the water. The desk coordinates haul-out slots at yards across Jakarta, Batam, Surabaya, Bali, Makassar and Labuan Bajo — scheduling, lift capacity, and who bears the yard bill are agreed in the MOA. The desk does not own yards; slipway and yard services are contracted with the facility, coordinated by the desk as part of the transaction timeline.
How survey findings feed the escrow milestones and price adjustment
The survey window is a formal milestone in the escrow schedule: deposit lodged, survey completed, then one of three documented outcomes — acceptance, a price adjustment for material defects, or contractual exit with deposit return. Material versus cosmetic is the operative line: a weeping keel bolt reprices the vessel; tired upholstery does not reopen the deal. Findings also update the valuation, which is a different report answering a different question — the survey states condition, the valuation states what that condition is worth.
Report format & typical USD fee bands by LOA
The deliverable is a written report: scope, methods, findings ranked by severity, photographs, and recommendations — structured so a lawyer, an insurer and an escrow agent can all act on it. Fees are quoted in USD and scale with length overall and scope: a small fast boat inspection sits in the low hundreds; a full survey with sea trial and haul-out on a large motor yacht or timber liveaboard runs into the low thousands, plus yard costs at the facility’s tariff. Exact quotes are issued in writing per vessel — no survey starts on a verbal number. The full transaction sequence around the survey is on how a sale works.
Found a vessel and want evidence before commitment? Send the listing and location; the desk replies with a surveyor shortlist, scope, USD fee band and the haul-out plan in writing.
Frequently asked questions
Apa risiko beli kapal tanpa survey pre-purchase?
Anda membayar harga kapal sehat untuk kapal yang kondisinya tidak diketahui: kelembapan laminasi, pembusukan kayu, mesin lelah, atau dokumen jam mesin yang tidak jujur — semuanya baru terbongkar setelah uang berpindah, saat posisi tawar Anda sudah nol.
Siapa yang membayar biaya survey dan sea trial?
Konvensinya: pembeli membayar surveyor (karena surveyor bekerja untuk pembeli), penjual menyiapkan kapal berbahan bakar, berasuransi dan berawak untuk sea trial. Biaya haul-out diatur di MOA — lazim ditanggung pembeli, kadang dibagi.
How long does a pre-purchase survey take in Indonesia?
The inspection itself typically runs one to two days including sea trial, plus haul-out scheduling which varies by yard and port. The written report follows within days. The MOA’s survey window is set to absorb yard scheduling, usually two to three weeks.
Apakah surveyor bersikap netral dari penjual dan broker?
Ya — itu syarat kerjanya: surveyor dipilih dan dibayar pembeli, tidak menerima komisi dari transaksi, dan melapor hanya kepada pembeli. Desk menyediakan shortlist, keputusan tetap di tangan pembeli. Surveyor yang disodorkan penjual bukan surveyor netral.
Can the price be renegotiated after survey findings?
Yes — that is the survey clause working as designed: material defects reprice the vessel or are remedied before completion, documented in writing, with escrow releasing only after the adjustment is signed. Cosmetic findings, by convention, do not reopen the agreed price.
Who you are contracting with. Indonesia Yacht Broker is a specialist maritime brand under Juara Holding Group. Survey coordination on this site is issued by PT Komodo Bahari Nusantara. Surveyors are independent professionals engaged by the buyer; the desk coordinates and never overrides their findings.
Part of Juara Holding Group.
Construction, repair, refit, and vessel-sale contracts are issued by PT Komodo Galangan Nusantara.
Boat-management contracts are issued by PT Komodo Vessel Management.
Brokerage, central agency, charter marketing, and commercial representation contracts are issued by PT Komodo Bahari Nusantara.
Separate contracts. Separate fees. Separate ledgers. One integrated maritime ecosystem.
Dari jurnal desk: Syarat Sea Trial Sebelum Beli Kapal Pesiar: Protokol · Langkah Due Diligence Sebelum Beli Kapal di Indonesia