Komodo liveaboard luxury, in facts: the two Thalassa phinisi, hull to deck

The grid compares the hulls the way a harbor master would: length, beam, cabins, guests. Thalassa 1 is 27 m by 5.8 m with 5 cabins and room for up to 11 guests. Thalassa 2 is 35 m by 7.2 m with 9 cabins and room for up to 27.

Both are ironwood-and-teak phinisi, both sail from Labuan Bajo, and both carry a canoe and 2 SUP boards. We publish the hull dimensions and the counts and nothing more about size, because we stand behind every number on this page.

This page sells nothing yet. It's the reference to check before you choose a hull, and the compare page helps you choose.

Both hulls are ironwood and teak, and sailors have long chosen them for a reason. Ironwood is dense and heavy; teak is oily and stands up to salt and sun.

Weight is what a sailor asks about at anchor, because a heavy wooden hull sits differently in a swell than a light one. We have not been aboard in a swell, so we say no more than we know.

We name no builder and no year.

Both boats carry the same things to do between stops: fun floats, 2 SUP boards, a canoe, snorkeling gear, and a sundeck with bean bags. Thalassa 1 adds a shaded sundeck and a speaker. Both have a balcony deck with a 32-inch TV on the upper level, and both have karaoke.

Below, an air-conditioned dining room on Thalassa 1 with a TV, a refrigerator and a water dispenser, and on Thalassa 2 a dining room with long wooden tables and turquoise benches. Thalassa 2 also has a lounge and karaoke room with a round table and cushioned seating, and that room is the observed detail we would point to first.

Local Wi-Fi on board is a hotspot from the crew's mobile signal. It cuts in and out, there is no satellite internet, and you should not plan on video calls.

The navigation and safety kit is listed by the operator, and we repeat the list as it stands. Both boats carry GPS with a map, GPS tracking, a compass, VHF and SSB radio, inflatable life rafts, life jackets, ring buoys, fire extinguishers, a first-aid kit and emergency oxygen. Thalassa 1 also lists a satellite phone. Thalassa 2 does not.

The counts differ with the size of the boat. Thalassa 1 carries 2 life rafts for 6 guests each, 20 plus 1 life jackets, and 1 tender boat. Thalassa 2 carries 2 life rafts for 25 guests each, 52 life jackets and 2 tender boats.

A list isn't an inspection, and we don't claim the kit is in perfect order. We say what the owner lists and that the cruise leader gives a safety briefing at boarding.

The Thalassa crew is a cruise leader, a captain, ship mechanics, a chef and deckhands. We name the roles and give no headcount. They work for the boats' owner, not for us.

On shore it is our team. PT Komodo Explorer Indonesia is the booking partner: we answer your messages, send the written quote, take the deposit and arrange the pickup. If something goes wrong with the booking, the person who handles it is the person to ask.

The last section of every boat page says who fits the other boat better. For this one: if you are fewer than 12, the smaller hull is better value, and if you are 12 or more, only the larger one fits.