Dry dock windows, caulking and antifouling — why the maintenance record is the boat, and what to ask before you book.
Short answer. A working wooden phinisi in Labuan Bajo is slipped for hull work in the May to July window, cleaned annually below the waterline, and repainted with antifouling on roughly a three-year cycle. Caulking and plank replacement happen as the hull demands. Ask for the last slipping date before you book — it is the most revealing question you can put to an operator.
Annually, by divers or a slipping, to clear growth from the hull and running gear. A fouled hull is slower and burns more fuel on every leg of the itinerary.
Roughly every three years. The boat comes out of the water, the hull is prepared and recoated — the clearest single sign an owner is spending on the boat, not just the marketing.
Scheduled in May to July. The yard period when the boat is out of service for hull and structural work — a boat that never has one is a boat that is deferring work.
Checked at every slipping. Seams are raked out, repacked with natural fibre and resealed — this is what keeps a planked hull dry; neglected seams show first in the bilge.
As the hull demands, identified at slipping. Normal on an older hull — a documented plank history is a good sign, not a bad one.
On the operator's running-hours schedule: oil, filters, impellers, injector and cooling checks. Generator reliability is what keeps cabin air conditioning running overnight.
Before each season and at survey: life jackets by size, life rafts, fire extinguishers, VHF, GPS, first aid.
Every few seasons: mattresses, upholstery, air conditioning units, bathroom fittings — what separates a boat that photographs well from one that still looks right in person.
The Komodo sailing season runs roughly April to October for calm seas and good visibility, with July and August as the commercial peak. Yards schedule hull work into the May to July window because tide and conditions suit it, which creates an oddity worth knowing: a boat you want may be out of service in the middle of what looks like high season. If a specific named vessel is unavailable in June, this is usually why, and it's a good reason rather than a bad one. The heavier monsoon months from December to March push some boats out of service entirely, which is also when manta activity peaks — the trade-off that defines the Komodo calendar.
| Ask This | A Good Answer Sounds Like | Treat as a Warning Sign |
|---|---|---|
| When was the boat last slipped? | A month and a year, and what was done | Vagueness, or a date more than three years old with no explanation |
| When was it last antifouled? | Within the last three years, with the yard named | "The hull is fine" with no date |
| Who surveys the vessel, and when? | A named surveyor or class body and a recent date | No survey process described at all |
| How many crew hold current certificates? | A crew count and named certifications | A crew number with no mention of qualifications |
| Are there child-size life jackets aboard? | Yes, with sizes | "We can arrange it" when you are already booked |
| Does the generator run all night? | A clear yes, or a clear cut-off time | An evasive answer — the most common complaint aboard |
| What is the plan if weather cancels a stop? | A named alternative anchorage and a refund or substitution policy | "It never happens" |
| Can I see photographs of this specific cabin? | Recent photographs of that hull and that cabin | Stock images of "a similar boat" |
Operators in Labuan Bajo schedule hull work into a May to July window, with hull cleaning annually and antifouling on roughly a three-year cycle. Caulking and plank work are done as the hull demands, identified at each slipping.
Kalafat: the seams between hull planks are raked out, repacked with natural fibre and resealed. It keeps a planked wooden hull watertight, and is checked every time the boat comes out of the water.
Because May to July is the standard slipping window in Labuan Bajo. A vessel out of service mid-season is usually in a yard doing hull work, which is a reason to trust the operator rather than avoid them.
Not if it has been maintained. A hull slipped and caulked on schedule with a documented plank history is a better proposition than a newer boat that has never been out of the water.
Four things: when it was last slipped, when it was last antifouled, how many crew hold current certificates, and whether the generator runs all night. Vague answers to any of those are the signal.
No. Individual planks are consumable on a timber hull and are cut out and replaced with matched timber as part of normal life. An owner who documents plank work is an owner who is looking.
Ask us for the maintenance answers on any boat you're considering. If we can't get a straight date for the last slipping, we'll tell you that rather than talk around it.
Chat on WhatsApp