Boating in Thailand

This is 3 years old but doubt much has changed: Seven new marinas to support tourism (bangkokpost.com)
I travelled extensively through Thailand 3 years ago for a couple of months, coastal and friends on an island in SE and
was actually surprised at how little leisure boating and sailing I saw. Reading this article it makes more sense as there are only
4 marinas and those are in very densely populated tourist areas.
I am certainly no expert on Thailand, I have Thai relatives and enjoy the country and climate.
 
There are four or five marinas on Phuket. I have been in and out of this one half a dozen times (on a hotel ferry boat from Coconut Island - lovely place)
Wet Berths in Phuket | Berth for Yacht | Boat Docking Spaces
Beautiful area, tidal and around the Island the Inlets and rivers are pretty shallow. Handy for all the famous movie locations. Fabulous food - no idea what marinas charge.
 
Vrit and his team a Boat Lagoon Phuket would be my first port of call. They are Princess main dealers, owners of Phuket’s longest established marina Boat Lagoon Phuket and also Krabi boat lagoon on the other side of Phang Na Bay. They are very well connected and can handle pretty much anything you throw at them.

Phuket’s east coast is home to a number of world class marinas with full European / UK amenities. This affords you instant access to one of the world’s most incredible cruising grounds. You can also head over to Langkawi where some people call home to avoid paying any import tax.

Any specific questions feel free to get in touch.

Henry
 
petem said:
A friend (honestly) is interested in keeping a c.45ft boat in Thailand.

Is this feasible? What locations are recommended? Anything he needs to consider?

Pete
Click to expand...

I read that Power Catamarans & sailing boats are more practical for Thailand because of the lack of diesel fuelling stations. Or boats with large fuel tanks like Nordhavn's

Most traditional 'Thai longtail boats' use petrol so diesel is harder to get

(y)
 
Diesel is available in the Phuket / Krabi areas. Sometimes you need to be a bit flexible. The fishing fleets are diesel powered and you can always fuel from a tanker lorry whilst tied to the dock.

The main marinas sell fuel just as they would do in the UK. Langkawi is also very well served in terms of diesel sales. Going down the length of Malaysia to Singapore proves more or a challenge.

The waters in and around southern Thailand particularly Phang Nga Bay are generally very calm - think how low to the water longtail boats are so you can cruise at slow displacement speed in any boat not just a Nordhavn. That will give even a planing hull boat a range which makes range anxiety a non event.
 
A member on another forum kept a Pershing 70-something half in Singapore and half the time Langkwai and Phuket. He did this for a number of years and then sold the boat in HK.

As for long-tails, I crewed on a 65m and the skipper bought on with a Yanmar on the back. Used around the Phi Phi islands for a couple of weeks and then craned it onto the helicopter deck and took it to the Med for a season. It now lives outside the captain's hotel in English Harbour, Antigua.
 
In my 10+ years visiting Thailand, i've never seen a petrol longtail.

In BKK you have the crazy guys with Turbo Diesels (spotted a ew Toyota engines), electric start, 20 knots up the Chao Phraya river!

Down South (in both Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea), it was usually a more sedate affair... old-school windy-windy-cranky-cranky diesels to get you from the shore to your dive boat etc. That said, there were also the bigger ones with bigger engines used for the day trips.

I've never visited a marina in Phuket as the island doesn't appeal to me. I always said, I will some-day charter (or own, if the Lotto numbers come in) the Krabi region of Thailand... simply stunning scenery.

My one fear of every owning anything in Thailand would be maintenance. The Thai's simply don't live up to the standards of the Western counterpart. That's not to bash Thai people, it's just 'different' over there.

We will return to Thailand once this (if ever) pandemic ends.... would be great to meet up with forumites if there's any over there. (We spend Dec / Jan over there).
 
I agree with your views on Krabi versus Phuket but from a boating perspective I think you have to see them as one and the same.

All the marinas on Phuket are on the East coast which opens up to the same Phang Nga Bay served by Krabi. It is much easier to keep your boat on Phuket, you don’t have to go anywhere near the tourist traps on the West coast if you don’t want to but those same tourists mean a healthy supply industry.

As for maintenance things are improving. There are main agents and dealerships often staffed by western techs. Granted even here in the West I think many marine engineers have failed elsewhere and gone into boating. Not all but I’m just saying the west isn’t perfect.

Either way there are enough places to get your boat lifted and serviced in Phuket and even Krabi with Krabi boat Lagoon.
 
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