Cheoy Lee Yachts celebrates generations of the ownership of a yacht shipyard. Run by the same family since 1870, Cheoy Lee started building motor yachts in the 1950’s. The very modern shipyard at Doumen, China is able to produce yachts over 200 feet in length. Cheoy Lee’s models include sport motor yachts and long range cruising yachts. Cheoy Lee was one of the earliest yacht building companies to perform full development of fiberglass construction methods, phasing out wood construction.
The Cheoy Lee Company has been a major builder of ships and all types of boats for over 100 years. With roots tracing back to 1870 in a building at a repair yard in Po Tung Point in Shanghai, Cheoy Lee Shipyards has had a colorful and successful history. Originally producing wooden commercial craft from a shipyard in Shanghai, Cheoy Lee moved operations to Hong Kong in 1936. Initially specializing in the production of powered cargo vessels to outrun the Japanese blockade, Cheoy Lee later diversified into the large scale production of teak sailing and motoryachts. Most of these were exported to the US. During the 50s trawlers were built for the United Nation Korean Reconstruction Agency. During the early 1960's, Cheoy Lee made steady progress in the development, testing and use of fiberglass and by the mid 1960's wood construction had been phased out.
Cheoy Lee became one of the first shipyard users of fiberglass and in turn became one of the pioneers of GRP/foam sandwich technology in the marine field. Today Cheoy Lee makes everything from ferries to tugboats and several models of large motor yachts up to 446 tons and 144' in length.
The company's main production facility is located in Doumen, China. This facility is reached via high speed ferry from Hong Kong, with customs and immigrations located next to the yard. The new shipyard is at the center of over 20 shipyards. Consequently, there is a huge pool of skilled labor in the area with an almost unlimited capacity to expand. A state-of-the-art facility is now in operation, including a 1,000 ton railway lift, a 150 ton travel lift, dedicated paint sheds and on-site dormitories that will house up to 400 yard employees. Capable of producing vessels in excess of 200 feet, the new yard promises will keep Cheoy Lee in the forefront of yacht building for generations to come.
Classification standards and guidelines are important to Cheoy Lee’s manufacturing: Lloyd’s, the Hong Kong Marine Department, and the American Boat and Yacht Council have all played a role in forming Cheoy Lee yachts’ specifications.
One of the most respected names in yachting debuted a brand new boat at the 2017 Palm Beach International Boat Show; the Cheoy Lee 72 Bravo motoryacht, a clean sheet design focused on simplicity and ease of operation. The design and function of the next-gen Bravo is reminiscent of certain Apple products, using minimalistic hardware and clever coding to enhance the user experience.
When one of the world's most established yards enters a completely new market segment,
one that is dominated by well-known names, it answers questions that are sometimes overlooked.
All too often, express style boats "move you". It is this emotion that drives sales, but what
happens after the sale is equally, if not more important. Enter: Cheoy Lee!
The economic stormy waters of recent years have seen many builders flounder, while others have failed. While your new boat may float, the builder may be taking on water. If the builder sinks, so does your service and support. Ultimately, the value of your boat will sink as well. Being a 140 year-old, privately owned company, run by the same family with a diversified manufacturing base that includes ferries, tugboats, sailboats, trawlers and motoryachts, the recent economic storm was just a blip on the radar for Cheoy Lee. While less diversified yacht builders were battening down hatches and seeking divine intervention, Cheoy Lee's commercial success continued to flourish and the company is stronger than ever.
She registers like a one-design, hand-built, presentation model. Yet she is a production yacht
from one of the world’s foremost ship-builders of yachts and commercial vessels; backed by
140 years of ship building by the same family. Enter the 78’ Bravo Series by Cheoy Lee.
Cheoy Lee’s 78’ motoryacht brings an impressive list of amenities for yachting pleasures, sporting attractive options and excellent workmanship. Even though she is the smallest edition of its Bravo Series; she’s a very attractive beginning; not to be outclassed by her big-sister ships - the 84’, 88’, and 95’. Available with open or closed bridge; she is designed by Naval Architect Mike Burvenich with engineering by High Mudulus. Making her grand entrance on YachtForums, this 78’ pleasure yacht flaunts three well-designed, equally proportioned staterooms. Three masters, if you will. A first for a yacht this size.
All too often, confluences of ideas get tangled and create an identity problem.
Not so with Cheoy Lee's new Serenity 68', a Long Range Cruiser that looks like a motoryacht,
but has magically bridged the gap between efficiency, function and style. Branded the 'Serenity'
series, this new trawler-yacht is set to become a favorite new pick in the passage-making community.
Combining traditional trawler qualities with modern motoryacht amenities, Cheoy Lee drawn on their rich history of building LRC hullforms and morphed this with a contemporary, stylish superstructure giving the overall appearance of a modern yacht. This isn't an old gal dressed in her Sunday best, but with a team of forty structural engineers working on improvements made possible by new technologies, the Serenity 68 is packed with innovative manufacturing processes.
Cheoy Lee is currently working on a 107-foot Explorer that is supposed to be due for later in 2022. We will look at the new vessel and see what it is bringing to the table by the end of this year. Despite being a explorer type yacht the vessel is being built to a design by Jon Overing of Overing Yacht Designs with a fast displacement hull. A bulb is fitted to the round-bilge hull to improve efficiencies.
Cheoy Lee's yacht division has been hard at work behind the scenes developing a new range of yachts. The yard has added new members to the Explorer and Tradition families and the designs to these can be seen on their website. Cheoy Lee has partnered with Overing Yacht Designs to pull together the exterior designs for the new yachts while Sylvia Bolton Design has penned the interiors. The Tradition family is joined by the Cheoy Lee 118 Tradition. This vessel has a five-cabin layout as the standard configuration featuring a main deck master suite with two twins and two doubles on the lower deck for ten (10) guests. A country-style kitchen, salon and master suite are on the main deck. The skylounge and bridge are on the upper deck with a smaller sun deck fitted with jacuzzi and al-fresco dining. The top end of this particular model should be in the 21-knot region.
Cheoy Lee is proud to announce that it has completed and delivered their newest Bravo 78 unit. The Bravo line consists of the Bravo 72, 78, 88 and 95 so far. The Bravo 78 takes its design from Mike Buvenich who spent his formative years at the Tom Fexas Yacht Design Studio. The interior is by the Seattle-based designer Sylvia Bolton. Her principle dimensions are an LOA of 78.3-feet, a beam of 20.20-feet and a draft of 5.5-feet.
Cheoy Lee is presently working on the Global line 104-footer motoryacht. In June, they detailed the progress so far. Firstly, the motoryacht is part of Cheoy Lee's brand new Global model. She is a tri-deck motoryacht with accommodation for around eight guests in ensuite bathroom cabins on the lower deck. There is accommodation for five crew members in three cabins. The design is via Jon Overing/M.G Burvenich with Sylvia Bolton to guide owners through the tedious interior conceptualization.
Cheoy Lee Shipyards announced that they will be displaying four Cheoy Lee motor yachts at the Palm Beach International Boat Show, March 26 -29, Ramp 6. Included will be the Alpha 87 Express Sportbridge, Alpha 76 Express Flybridge, Bravo 84 Cockpit Motor Yacht and a pre-owned Bravo 72 Cockpit Motor Yacht. In addition to this impressive line-up, visitors will be able to learn more about the exciting new Cheoy Lee models including the OneEleven, Global 104 and Explorer 150.
