Phinisi boat size: what the records show on length, beam and capacity

By Pinisi Boat Editorial Desk

A phinisi boat has no standard size. The records we can source run from a motorised cargo fleet averaging about 300 tons of capacity, through a 50-metre, 9-metre-wide pinisi-rigged ship finished in Bulukumba in 2011, to Lamima, a 65.2-metre yacht with an 11.20-metre beam. Each figure measures a different kind of vessel, so compare them with care.

Why is there no single pinisi size?

Because the word names a rig before it names a boat. UNESCO describes pinisi as the rig and sail of the Sulawesi schooner, and the English Wikipedia entry defines it by its sails and masts, set like a gaff-ketch with standing gaffs. A sail plan puts no limit on how long the hull beneath it must be. The same entry lists three general hull types that carry the rig: palari, lambo and jonggolang, each with its own shape and history, which our guide to pinisi hull design sets out.

The vocabulary has also loosened. Wikipedia notes that today the word is applied to most kinds of Indonesian wooden ship, charter and diving vessels included. So before you weigh any dimension, settle which population the speaker has in mind: the sailing traders, the motorised cargo pinisi that followed them, or the yachts sold under the same name. Mixing the three is how a single misleading "average" gets made.

Which pinisi dimensions are actually on record?

Three reference points stand up to a source check, and they are not three sizes of one thing.

Before the trading fleet was motorised in the 1970s and 1980s, pinisi-rigged vessels were the largest sailing ships Indonesia had, according to Wikipedia. Engines changed the sums: the motorised version, known as Perahu Layar Motor or PLM, pushed average capacity up to the figure in the table. The 2011 ship shows how far a cargo hull from Bulukumba could go a generation later.

Lamima belongs to a different trade. CharterWorld records a motor-sailer built on the beach at Bira and Ara in South Sulawesi with an ironwood hull, and Boat International's directory agrees on the 65.2-metre length and the 2015 delivery.

How wide is a pinisi compared with its length?

On the two vessels with both numbers published, the 2011 cargo ship measures 50 metres by 9, and Lamima 65.2 metres by 11.20. Two boats make no rule, so read these as two records and nothing more. When a listing gives a length and beam, ask which measurements were used and on which document, before assuming anything about the boat.

What does a tonnage figure on a pinisi tell you?

Less than it appears to. Both tonnage figures in the table describe what a cargo ship could carry, and capacity says little about what the vessel itself weighs. We hold no comparable tonnage for Lamima, so the table cannot rank her against the cargo ships by that measure, and any comparison has to rest on length and beam.

When a seller quotes tons, ask for the name of the measure: cargo capacity, gross tonnage or displacement. They answer different questions and are not interchangeable. Our note on how much a pinisi weighs follows this further. Tonnage bands also circulate for vessel paperwork, but they remain unverified here, so take them from counsel or the authorities and read the regulations overview for what is on record.

How many guests does a given length carry?

The only confirmed pairing we can give is Lamima: 14 guests in 7 suites on 65.2 metres. That is a statement about how one owner chose to spend space. A cargo hull of similar proportions, or a yacht fitted out with more and smaller cabins, would give a very different answer.

You will meet tidy brochure ranges pairing lengths with guest numbers for the Komodo and Raja Ampat fleets. We have not found a source we can cite for them, so we print no such ladder. For the layout side of the question, go to our guide on pinisi cabins, then ask any operator for the deck plan and the passenger number written on the vessel's own papers.

Does a longer pinisi cost more and take longer to build?

Common sense says yes, yet we can put no sourced number on the slope. What the record does show is scale and pressure. Lamima carries 1,277 square metres of North Sails canvas according to CharterWorld, an order of material few smaller boats would need. The pressures on the craft recorded in UNESCO's files, set out on our UNESCO page, bear on a boat of any length.

The money side has its own page: what a pinisi boat costs explains why public asking prices do not yet convert into a per-metre rate.

How should you read a stated length in a listing?

Treat the figure as a claim to be checked. These questions take minutes to ask and usually show how solid it is.

• Which length is it? Hull, on deck, or overall with any spar projecting past the bow. Make the seller name it.
• Who measured it? A ship's document, a surveyor's report and a sales sheet carry different weight. Ask to see the first two.
• Which tonnage? Get the measure named, along with the document that states it.
• Is it a pinisi in the rig sense? Count masts and sails, or ask for a photograph under sail. The label alone proves nothing, as noted earlier.
• Has the hull changed? Ask whether the boat was lengthened, rebuilt or converted, and whether the papers were updated afterwards.

What are the short answers on pinisi dimensions?

How big is a pinisi boat?

It varies widely. Documented examples include a 50-metre cargo ship completed in Bulukumba in 2011 and the 65.2-metre yacht Lamima, delivered in 2015. Neither should be taken as typical of the type.

What is the average length of a phinisi?

We know of no sourced average. The one fleet average on record concerns cargo capacity rather than length: about 300 tons for motorised pinisi, as reported on Wikipedia.

Are there official pinisi size classes?

No official table has come to our attention. Words such as small, medium or superyacht in a listing are the seller's own language, so ask for the measurements behind them.

Does a bigger pinisi always carry more guests?

No. Guest numbers follow the layout as much as the length. Lamima is 65.2 metres long and takes 14 guests, because the space went into 7 suites.

How much does the beam of a pinisi measure?

On record, 9 metres on the 50-metre ship of 2011 and 11.20 metres on Lamima. For any other vessel, take the figure from its papers or a survey.

What draft does a pinisi have?

It varies by vessel. Ask the owner or operator for the loaded draft in writing, because it decides which anchorages and harbours the boat can use.

Which sources support this page?

• Wikipedia: Pinisi
• UNESCO: Pinisi, art of boatbuilding in South Sulawesi
• CharterWorld: Lamima completion report
• Boat International: Lamima directory entry

How do I reach the desk?

Send the listing or vessel name along with the figure that puzzles you, and the desk will reply on what the record supports. Use WhatsApp 6281139414563 or write to bd@juaraholding.com.