From first WhatsApp message to signed build contract, a realistic timeline for a Lombok commission is four to ten weeks: a week or two of brief-shaping conversation, two to four weeks of specification and quotation work, and two to four more for contract drafting, revisions and signature — longer if drawings, financing or corporate structures are involved. Anyone promising a signable contract in forty-eight hours is either skipping the specification (you will pay for that later) or sending a template that binds nobody to anything. Here is what the honest version of each stage looks like, so you can tell process from performance.
Week one: the conversation that shapes the brief
The first exchange is genuinely just a chat — and it is also the desk’s first filter, in both directions. Useful opening information from an owner: the mission (route, passengers, cargo, dive gear, charter ambitions), a length or capacity feel, a budget range in USD, and the timeline pressure if any. What comes back should be questions, not a price: a serious builder interrogates the mission before quoting, because the mission decides the boat. Numbers offered at this stage are bands, explicitly labelled as bands, drawn from the published price and quote framework.
A useful self-test for owners: if the first reply to “how much for a 15 m dive boat?” is a single confident number with no questions attached, you have learned something important about how that yard handles detail — an early warning covered among the classics in ten mistakes first-time owners make when ordering a boat.
Weeks two to four: specification and real quotation
The brief then hardens into a written specification — the document that makes every later promise checkable: principal dimensions and hull material; scantling basis; engine make, model and power; tankage; electrical scope; deck arrangement and finish level; safety and certification scope; and what is excluded. Against that specification the desk prices seriously: current timber and resin costs, engine quotes with lead times, labour by stage, certification fees stated factually (government charges in IDR, everything else USD). This is the fortnight where an owner’s patience is repaid for years, and it usually includes a video call walking the specification line by line, plus reference photos or a yard visit — in person or by video — to see comparable hulls in build.
Expect iteration: the first quotation almost always triggers a scope conversation — trim the length, simplify the interior, phase the electronics — and a second pricing pass. Two rounds is normal; five rounds means the brief was never real.
Weeks four to eight: the contract that actually protects you
With specification and price agreed, drafting begins. On desk-managed projects the construction contract is issued by PT Komodo Galangan Nusantara, and the clauses that matter are the ones that bite when something goes wrong:
- The specification attached as a schedule — the contract binds to the document, not to remembered conversations.
- A milestone payment table tied to inspected physical progress, never to calendar dates alone, with the payment mechanics from how to pay an Indonesian boatyard safely.
- Inspection rights and hold points written in, matching the supervision cadence on the contract, payment and supervision page.
- Delivery terms with a defined weather allowance, variation procedure in writing, defect liability and retention, and — for foreign buyers — the ownership structure resolved before signature, not after launch.
Legal review adds a week and is worth it for any serious commitment; corporate buyers and financed projects should run contract drafting parallel with their lender’s review so both close together.
Signature, deposit and the calendar reality
Signing is usually followed by a mobilisation payment against the first milestone, and then by procurement rather than sawdust: engines and major equipment carry lead times, timber needs buying and drying, and the yard’s schedule has a queue. A contract signed in the wet season positions the build to open with the dry — the sequencing logic in how the monsoon calendar shapes a build schedule — which is why the smartest enquiry month in Lombok is November, not June.
The timeline at a glance
| Stage | Typical duration | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Enquiry and brief | 1–2 weeks | Mission statement, budget band |
| Specification + quotation | 2–4 weeks | Written spec, priced offer |
| Contract drafting + review | 2–4 weeks | Signed contract, milestone table |
| Mobilisation | with signature | Deposit, procurement begins |
How to compress the timeline without corrupting it
Three accelerators are legitimate: arrive with a written mission brief (saves the first week); decide your ownership and financing structure before the quotation lands (saves the longest tail); and answer specification questions in days rather than weeks — the desk’s clock mostly runs on owner responses. The one accelerator that always backfires is skipping the specification to “start while we sort details”: every horror story on the beaches began as a handshake with details to follow. Start the conversation on WhatsApp at the contact page — 628113823875 — and let the process be boring; boring is what a good contract feels like from the inside.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long from enquiry to a signed Lombok build contract?
Four to ten weeks done honestly: one to two weeks shaping the brief, two to four weeks of written specification and serious quotation, and two to four for contract drafting, legal review and signature — longer when drawings, financing or corporate ownership structures are involved.
What should an owner include in a first enquiry?
The mission: route, passenger or cargo profile, a length or capacity feel, a USD budget range and any timeline pressure. What should come back is questions rather than a price — a single confident number with no questions attached is an early warning about how that builder handles detail.
What are the non-negotiable contract clauses?
The specification attached as a schedule, milestone payments tied to inspected physical progress rather than calendar dates, written inspection rights and hold points, delivery terms with a defined weather allowance, a written variation procedure, and defect liability with retention.
How can the timeline be shortened without cutting corners?
Arrive with a written mission brief, resolve ownership and financing structure before the quotation lands, and answer specification questions in days — the clock mostly runs on owner responses. The one shortcut that always backfires is starting work on a handshake with details to follow.