Wooden Schooner & Gulet-Style Builds — Phinisi Rig Variations

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“Phinisi” strictly names a rig — two masts and seven or eight sails on a Bugis hull. But the hull form and building tradition lend themselves to variation, and many owners want something between the classic working rig and a modern sailing yacht. This page covers the schooner, gulet-style, ketch and hybrid builds we make on the phinisi form at the Bira yards .

Rig variations on the phinisi form

• Classic phinisi ketch — two masts, gaff-headed, seven to eight sails; a working sail plan over an auxiliary engine.
• Schooner rig — aft mast as tall or taller than the fore, for owners who want to sail harder.
• Gulet-style — the Mediterranean cruising layout translated onto a South Sulawesi hull.
• Hybrid motor-sailer — a real sail plan backed by a strong engine for schedule-keeping charter work.

The rig and sail plan page goes into masts, spars and standing rigging in detail.

Timber hull or steel hull

The traditional hull is timber — ironwood, bitti and teak — and that is what most owners want. But some ask for a steel hull carrying the phinisi silhouette and deck arrangement, for lower long-term maintenance or a particular class category. We can build steel-hull or hybrid vessels while keeping the phinisi form, engineered to class . For general wooden boats that are not phinisi at all, see general wooden boat building in Bira and Ara.

Expedition and long-range cruising

A schooner or hybrid phinisi built for long-range expedition cruising needs range, redundancy and a rig you can actually work shorthanded. We specify tankage, systems and rig for the distances the vessel will cover, and design the interior for weeks at sea rather than weekend hops.

How rig choice changes the boat

A rig is not just sails; it reshapes the whole vessel. A taller schooner rig raises the centre of effort and demands more ballast and stability ; a gulet layout changes the deck and cockpit; a hybrid motor-sailer trades some sailing purity for a bigger engine and range. We start from how you want to sail and let that drive the rig and hull decisions.

The expedition brief

Owners planning true long-range cruising bring a different brief: weeks of autonomy, redundancy on every critical system, a hull and rig that a small crew can manage in weather, and an interior built for living aboard rather than short hops. The phinisi form carries the load and the tankage such a brief needs, which is why it makes a capable expedition platform.

Maintenance realism

Every material and rig choice is also a maintenance choice for the life of the boat. Timber rewards regular care; a bigger rig means more gear to service; a steel hull trades one maintenance regime for another. We talk through the honest long-term picture before the contract , because the cheapest boat to build is not always the cheapest to own.

Construction, new-build and refit contracts are issued by PT Komodo Galangan Nusantara. Part of Juara Holding Group.