Gulet & Wooden Yacht Survey in Turkey
You want a handcrafted wooden yacht built in Turkey. We stand inside the yard, week by week, so you never have to wonder what's happening to your investment.
Turkey builds the world's finest wooden yachts, at a fraction of the European price.
The Bodrum and Marmaris yards carry a 70-year tradition of gulet and ketch construction. Master craftsmen who trained under the old ustalar are still at work here. The same 20-metre blue-water ketch that costs €1.8M in a Dutch yard can be built in Turkey for €700K-€900K, with the same iroko, teak, and Dorade vents.
But Turkey is 2,000 km away from most buyers. That distance is the only real risk.
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40-60% lower build cost
Compared to equivalent quality in Northern Europe, without compromising materials or hull integrity.
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Premium timber sourcing
Iroko, mahogany, teak, acacia, Turkish yards maintain long-term relationships with certified timber suppliers.
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Mediterranean delivery advantage
Launch in Bodrum, sail directly to your home waters. No long-haul transport, no disassembly.
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The one missing piece: independent oversight
No buyer should rely solely on the yard's own quality control. We fill that role.
"I found a beautiful yard, the price is right, but how do I know they'll actually build what we agreed, especially when I'm not there?"
That is exactly what we do, and it is the only service of its kind offered by an ABYC Professional Member based in İzmir.
Three ways we protect your investment.
From an existing boat to a new build, we cover each stage.
Comprehensive condition survey of an existing wooden vessel, hull, deck, rigging, engine, electrical systems, osmosis assessment, and moisture mapping. Full written report in English, ABYC-referenced findings classified A / B / C.
2-3 day inspectionWeekly yard visits throughout construction. We verify materials on arrival, inspect structural joints at every stage, sign off each milestone before the yard proceeds, and photograph every concealed layer before it's closed up. You receive a weekly report by Friday.
Most popular · Full buildIndependent build certification package: milestone certificates at keel-laying, framing, planking, systems install, and launch. Suitable for insurance purposes, resale value, and flag-state registration. Issued on our ABYC-member letterhead.
Resale & insurance valueWhat happens, week by week.
A Turkish wooden build typically runs 18-36 months. Every phase has specific structural and material checkpoints that cannot be verified after the fact, because they're under planking, inside the keel, or behind joinery. We are there before it's closed.
We review your build contract, technical specifications, and plans before you sign. We flag ambiguous clauses, missing material specs, and unrealistic timelines. This single step prevents the most common disputes.
We inspect timber deliveries on arrival, species verification, moisture content, grading, and certification. Substituted or inferior timber is the single most frequent specification breach. We catch it before it enters the hull.
Structural visits at keel-laying, every major frame station, and planking completion. We measure scantlings, inspect fastenings, and confirm epoxy or traditional caulking is applied correctly. Milestone sign-off certificate issued before planking closes.
ABYC-standard wiring checks, through-hull inspection, seacock accessibility, fuel system routing, and engine alignment, all verified before joinery conceals them. We confirm compliance with ABYC E-11 (electrical) and H-27 (through-hulls).
Pre-launch inspection, attended sea trial, rigging load check, and full final survey. We issue the complete build file, every weekly report, every certificate, the full photo archive, as your yacht's permanent provenance record.
What arrives in your inbox every Friday.
You shouldn't need to ask for updates. Our weekly report is delivered automatically, whether there's good news, a concern, or a dispute to flag.
Annotated Photos
40-80 tagged photographs per visit. Critical areas marked and referenced to your build spec.
Progress Status
Current stage vs. contracted timeline. Any delays recorded with the yard's stated reason.
Issue Log
Any deviation from spec, substandard material, or unsafe practice, flagged in plain English with our recommendation.
Direct Q&A
Reply to the report with questions. We bring your questions to the yard on the next visit and report back.
No ambiguity on what it costs.
We quote per project, not by the hour. You know the number before you commit to anything.
Our fee for full build supervision is typically 2-4% of the total build contract value, the same range that independent project managers charge in the marine industry globally. For a €600K build, that is €12K-€24K for complete coverage across a 24-month project. The first RFI that saves a structural rework will pay for the service many times over.
Existing wooden vessel, Turkey
Based on LOA
New build, Bodrum/Marmaris yards
Project price
Spot inspections at key stages
Per inspection
Before you sign with a yard
* All fees quoted in EUR. Travel outside Bodrum-Marmaris corridor quoted separately. VAT applicable per Turkish regulations for local invoicing; EU VAT reverse charge available.
Tell us about your yacht.
This isn't a contact form. It's a structured brief that helps us send you a proposal for your project, with a realistic budget and timeline, within two to three working days.
Inquiry received.
Thank you. We've received your brief and will send a proposal for your project to your email within two to three working days.
If you have a specific vessel or yard in mind that you'd like us to look at sooner, feel free to WhatsApp us directly at +90 501 5 SURVEY (78 78 39).
We were in London signing contracts with a Bodrum yard we'd only visited once. Having Tuna as our man on the ground changed everything. The first material delivery contained the wrong grade of iroko, he caught it before a single plank was laid.
Know the real condition of your boat
Independent survey ashore and afloat, reported with photographs, priority classes and cost estimates. Where we survey a vessel, we do not sell repair work on the same findings.
Scope: The survey is non-destructive and nothing is dismantled; details on the survey types page.
Continue with this topic
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