Planning a Liveaboard Refit at a Bira South Sulawesi Shipyard
How to plan a liveaboard or expedition vessel refit on the Bira foreshore: sequencing structure before comfort, protecting an operating season, and controlling scope.
Sheathing and Antifouling on a Wooden Hull: What Actually Works
When sheathing a timber hull extends its life and when it destroys it, plus how antifouling systems should be chosen for a wooden vessel in tropical water.
Fastenings, Treenails and Bolts: Why Timber Hulls Fail at the Joints
How fastenings waste in tropical timber hulls, why zonal renewal beats chasing individual failures, and how metal choice interacts with timber species.
Caulking a Traditional Hull: Method, Materials and Service Life
How seams are prepared and caulked on a traditional carvel hull, why edge condition governs the result, and what determines how long a caulking job lasts.
Ironwood, Teak and Bangkirai: The Timbers Behind a Bira Wooden Boat Yard
The timber species used in traditional South Sulawesi hull construction, what each is chosen for, and how species selection affects repair, fastening and service life.
Relaunch and Take-Up: What Happens When a Dried Hull Goes Back In
Why a timber hull leaks after relaunch, how long take-up should last, and what to have in place before the vessel goes back in the water.
Blocking, Cradling and Shoring: Supporting a Timber Hull on the Hard
How a timber hull should be supported while out of the water — load paths, cradle design, shore placement, and the distortion that follows when support is wrong.
Reading a Bira Yard Quotation Line by Line
What each line in a timber-hull yard quotation actually means, which items are firm, which are provisional, and where scope drift hides.
Dry Season or Wet Season? Planning a Haul-Out Window at Bira
How season, rainfall and labour competition shape haul-out scheduling on the Bira foreshore, and how to choose a window that fits the scope rather than the calendar.
How a Timber Hull Is Hauled Out at Bira: The Slipway Sequence
The step-by-step slipway sequence used to haul a timber hull on the Tanjung Bira foreshore — tide calculation, ways preparation, draw-up, seating, blocking and shoring.