Cheoy Lee Yachts

Cheoy Lee is one of the few distinguished yacht builders that boast of a long tradition of excellence and reliability. Established in 1870, the company can easily claim an unmatched record of performance steeped by long years in the business of boatbuilding. To date, it has over 5000 yacht projects completed and a production portfolio that ranges from 40-foot luxury yachts to 200-foot megayachts. There are numerous outstanding Cheoy Lee charter yachts available for boat rental and some of them are listed below. For more information and a list of yachts that best suit your needs, style and expectations, please contact our brokers here.

Cheoy Lee superyacht Alpha 87 Express Sportbridge

Cheoy Lee in Focus

Cheoy Lee started out as a fledgling construction and repair facility for steam-powered vessels in 1870. The company operated its original shipyard in Shanghai and was managed by the same family since its foundation more than a century ago.

Since it broke ground over a hundred years ago, Cheoy Lee has built and launched more than 5000 commercial vessels and pleasure boats, including pilot, patrol, ferries, tugs, standby and supply vessels. The company transferred its base of operation from mainland China to Hong Kong in 1936, which was then a British territory. The company started out manufacturing steam vessels and eventually diversified its production portfolio to include motoryachts and teak sailboats, and majority of its production serves the US market.

Most of the teak sailboats produced by Cheoy Lee were designed by reputable designers like Arthur Robb, and a lot of the older motoryachts are still in working condition up to this day. This is a strong testament to the reliability and durability of motoryachts and superyachts constructed by the company. This distinct quality and craftsmanship remain to be the strong assets of Cheoy Lee up to the present time. In fact, the pleasure craft accounts for a sizeable portion of the company’s business pie and by the start of the 60s, pleasure crafts accounted for 90 percent of Cheoy Lee’s sales revenue and serving primarily the US market. It was also during this period, when the company expanded its business to include the commercial vessel niche.

Luxury yacht Alpha 87 Express Sportbridge - Salon

Major Milestones of Cheoy Lee

In 1977, Cheoy Lee completed the construction and launch of 130-footer motoryacht Shango II, which was the largest motorsailer during that time. Another important milestone of the company was the construction and launch of the first ever foam-cored motoryacht, the 48-footer Sport Yacht.

Among the most important contributions of Cheoy Lee in the boatbuilding industry are such innovations as the use of fibreglass as core material and foam sandwich production technology. Cheoy Lee is also one of the first yacht building companies that went into yacht production using composite materials and aluminium and steel alloys. This innovative work process was primarily used in the commercial segment of the company’s production portfolio. To date, the company utilises tons of aluminium and steel each year in the construction of high performance and high-end commercial vessels.

It was also during this period when the commercial segment saw its significant expansion and growth. This positive development was primarily driven by the rise in the demand for commercial vessels, and this gave the impetus for the company to invest in the upgrade and expansion of its production facility and introduce new production applications and technologies.

Cheoy Lee Yacht Charter

Below is a selection of outstanding Cheoy Lee charter yachts available for boat rental around the world. For more information and a list of yachts that best suit your style and requirements at your preferred destination, please contact our experienced brokers here.