A specification for Raja Ampat is written around endurance, serviceability and heat. Long crossings, no reliable refuelling between remote anchorages, 30°C-plus air temperature and 29–30°C seawater are the constants. Everything below follows from those. This page is the framework we use to turn an operating profile into a numbered specification before any construction contract is signed by PT Komodo Galangan Nusantara.
1. Start with the duty cycle
Before machinery is chosen we write down the year: how many days at sea, how many hours per day at what speed, how many nights at anchor with full hotel load, and how many guest and crew bodies aboard. That duty cycle drives every subsequent number. A liveaboard that spends 70% of its hours at anchor has an entirely different generator and battery problem from a crew boat that runs six hours a day at cruise.
2. Propulsion
- Engine sizing is set from hull resistance at the target cruising speed with full payload, plus a margin for fouling, weather and the sea state on the route — not from a manufacturer’s flat-water figure.
- Economical cruise is identified explicitly. Every hull has a speed band where fuel burn per nautical mile is minimised, and operating a boat slightly below its designed maximum often cuts annual fuel spend dramatically with almost no schedule penalty.
- Redundancy is specified according to consequence. Twin engines on anything carrying paying passengers offshore; single engine acceptable only on protected-water craft with realistic tow options.
- Serviceability outranks peak output. If the brand has no parts pool reachable from Sorong, it is the wrong engine.
Detail: engine and propulsion choices.
3. Fuel, water and tankage
Tankage is calculated from a modelled itinerary, not a rule of thumb. We take the actual route, add distance for weather diversions, apply the engine curve at the intended cruise, add generator consumption for the hours the plant will genuinely run, and then hold a reserve. For expedition itineraries with no refuelling stop, that reserve is deliberately generous — running short in Wayag is not a recoverable operational error.
Freshwater follows the same logic. Guest consumption on a dive vessel is higher than most owners assume once showers, rinse tanks and galley demand are counted. A watermaker with realistic output and a proper pre-filtration setup usually costs less over a season than the tankage it replaces, but it introduces a maintenance dependency that must be planned. Full method: sizing fuel, water and generators.
4. Electrical and hotel power
| Load group | Typical driver | Specification note |
|---|---|---|
| Air conditioning | Cabin count, insulation quality, glass area | Usually the single largest continuous load; see HVAC below |
| Compressors and nitrox | Dive schedule, cylinder count | High intermittent draw; sequence against other loads |
| Watermaker | Guest count and rinse demand | Run when generators are already loaded |
| Refrigeration and galley | Trip length, provisioning strategy | Continuous; insulate generously |
| Camera and device charging | Photographer-heavy guest mix | Distribute outlets; expect far more than a standard hotel allowance |
Generator selection follows from a load table built from that duty cycle, with at least two units so no single failure ends a charter. Solar and battery hybridisation genuinely reduces night-time generator hours; realistic figures are in solar and battery options.
5. HVAC and insulation
Air conditioning is specified from a heat-load calculation, not from a rule of thumb per cabin. Insulation quality, deckhead exposure, glazing and ventilation all change the answer. Under-insulating and then oversizing the plant is the expensive mistake: it burns fuel every night for the life of the vessel. Noise control matters equally — the compressor and duct design is what decides whether guests sleep. Method: air conditioning and ventilation design.
6. Dive and safety systems
For dive vessels the specification includes compressor capacity with redundancy, banked storage, nitrox provision where relevant, oxygen storage sized for a realistic evacuation window, and a casualty area that is actually usable. Communications are specified as VHF plus satellite because mobile coverage across the archipelago cannot be relied on. See oxygen systems and safety and dive boat new-builds.
7. Stability, structure and certification route
Stability calculations account for passenger and crew distribution, tank levels at different points in a trip, superstructure and tender weight, and the sea states on the crossings. The certification route — statutory only, or class and BKI involvement — is decided at the beginning because scantlings, escape routes, fire protection and equipment schedules all follow from it. Overview: working with class and BKI.
8. Shallow-water and draft constraints
Many of the most valuable Raja Ampat destinations are shallow. Draft is therefore a commercial specification, not just a technical one — it determines which lagoons and beaches you can sell. Where shallow access is central to the itinerary, hull form is compromised deliberately in its favour. See shallow draft designs for Misool.
From specification to contract
A finished specification is a numbered document with equipment schedules, capacities, tolerances and a clear list of owner-supplied items. It is the annex to the construction contract and the reference for every milestone inspection. Owners who skip this stage pay for it later in variation orders. Cost implications are on the pricing and investment page; the sequence is in the commissioning guide.
Request a specification discussion: +62 811 3823 875 or sales@komodoluxury.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
What generator and electrical setup suits a camera-heavy dive liveaboard?
Camera-focused liveaboards need generous hotel power, at least two generators so no single failure ends a charter, widely distributed outlets, and a dedicated charging area with secure surfaces. The plant is sized from a load table built out of the actual duty cycle rather than a per-cabin rule of thumb.
What is the most efficient cruising speed for fuel savings on Raja Ampat itineraries?
Every hull has a band where fuel burn per nautical mile is lowest, usually below the designed maximum speed. Identifying it from the engine curve and the planned routing, then operating there, often cuts annual fuel spend substantially with little effect on the schedule.
How is fuel capacity calculated for a new build?
From the modelled itinerary rather than a rule of thumb: actual route distance plus weather diversion allowance, engine consumption at the intended cruise speed with full payload, generator hours for the real duty cycle, and a deliberately generous reserve for itineraries with no refuelling stop.
How is air conditioning specified for tropical conditions?
From a heat-load calculation that accounts for insulation quality, deckhead exposure, glazing and ventilation. Under-insulating and then oversizing the plant burns fuel every night for the life of the vessel, so insulation and duct design are specified before capacity is fixed.