Owner-operator through your own PT, a management company at 15–35% of gross, or a revenue-share JV — the honest splits, costs and trade-offs of each.
Three structures run phinisi charters in Labuan Bajo, Bali and Raja Ampat: your own PT, a management company, or a revenue-share with an established operator. None is self-evidently superior — it depends on your time, local relationships and tolerance for Indonesian employment and licensing law.
Fee figures are market practice and vary by contract — treat every bracket as a starting point for negotiation, not a fixed tariff.
From brochure rate to owner net
Guests arrive through channels that charge. Stack a management fee on top, and the gap between brochure rate and owner net becomes the number to model.
Booking portals and OTAs
Varies by platform and volume
10–20%
Market practice
Dive wholesalers and group operators
Exclusive or group inventory
25%+
Market practice
Operations-only management
Crewing, maintenance, port clearances
15–25%
Market practice
Operations + sales management
Adds listings, inquiries and rate-setting
25–35%
Market practice
Revenue-share operator fee
Plus reimbursement of all running costs
15–25%
Market practice
Typical management + distribution
Combined share of gross charter revenue
30–45%
Estimate
25–35% contract sold via a 15% platform
40–50%
Ask whether the fee is charged on gross or net of distribution.
Who holds the maintenance reserve? How are owner weeks counted? Can you audit bookings and receipts? What happens to forward bookings at exit? Get every answer in writing before you sign.
Market-practice figures; individual contracts vary. Information, not legal advice.
Operations-only management — crewing, maintenance, port clearances — typically runs 15–25% of gross. Full management including sales commonly runs 25–35%. Market practice; contracts vary. Ask for the total distribution cost — management fee plus booking commissions — as one percentage of gross.
Not through direct ownership. Cabotage law (Law 17/2008, strengthened by Law 66/2024) reserves domestic sea-passenger transport for Indonesian-flagged vessels owned by Indonesian entities, and foreign equity is capped at 49%. Common routes: a majority-Indonesian PT, a JV, or a creditor or profit-share role. Nominee deals are illegal.
A management company is hired to run the boat for a fee; you remain the effective operator. In a JV, an operator takes the vessel long-term, charges 15–25% plus cost reimbursement and splits the remaining profit roughly 50/50. Less control, less day-to-day exposure. Both need audit rights and exit clauses.
Commonly 30–45% of gross (market practice estimate). A boat on a 25–35% management contract that also sells through portals at 10–20% may see 40–50% absorbed before operating costs. Ask the manager for a specimen P&L showing both layers in one calculation.
Titip kelola — entrust for management — is a common informal arrangement: the boat is deposited with an operator for a revenue split. Loose paperwork leaves little protection against unreported bookings, deferred maintenance or misallocated costs. Put revenue reporting, a maintenance reserve and an exit mechanism in writing.
Verified rate tiers, realistic occupancy and the only published P&L, flagged.
Management 15–35%, OTA commissions 10–25%, processing 2–4% — itemized.
Titip kelola, JV dan sewa jangka panjang: persentase pasar dan klausul kontrak penting.
Crew, dry dock, insurance, fuel and park fees — every figure flagged.
The only published P&L, stress-tested, with the downside modelled.
Buy vs build, budget, legal structures, operating costs and exit.
Describe your vessel size, operating base and timeline. We introduce operators who disclose full fee structures, sample contracts and real P&L data. They may pay us a referral fee at no extra cost to you.
