The growth and development of Port Takola Marina & Boatyard

Port Takola Marina & Boatyard is a fabulous facility that is turning heads in the yachting community as it poised to become one of the most significant yachting destinations in the Land of Smiles.

Dr Suriya na Nagara, a retired Surgeon Admiral of the Royal Thai Navy, is the owner of the project. He and Matthew na Nagara, his eldest son, developed the marina within the family’s private estate. Admiral Suriya explains, “After careful study, we decided to develop a marina to take advantage of the many positive factors of the site, including its perfect shelter and excellent geographical location.”

Located between Krabi Town and Ao Nang, Port Takola is built on 27 acres of redundant prawn farm ponds that is part of a private estate of the na Nagara’s family. The marina is built on a hundred-year-old family land called the “Isara Estuary”, located at the mouth of the Krabi River, just 800 metres across the river from Krabi Town.

The estate was originally established by Phya Gangadharadhipati (Matthew’s great grandfather) a former governor of Krabi, Phang Nga, Chumporn Mandala, and Suratani Mandala. He also served as a privy councilor for King Rama VI and VII. After his retirement, he established a coconut plantation in 1912 for the international coconut oil trade. His retirement residence has been accorded “The First Residence of Pak Nam District, Krabi Town”. This historical wood house was recently refurbished in 2024.

Phase one of the marina commenced operation in 2018 with 50 wet berths connected to a four-metre-wide concrete pontoon system built by Marinetek. The hardstand, covering about 9,000sqm, can accommodate up to 50 dry berths for technical repairs. It is serviced by a Roodberg submersible hydraulic trailer with a maximum lifting capacity of 38 tons with 2.5 metres maximum draft. The slipway is designed to have a 12- meter span to accommodate the lifting of large catamarans. The fuel dock supplies diesel and Gasohol 95 fuel.
Matthew na Nagara, the general manager, and a former chairman of the Thai Yachting Business Association (TYBA) says, “We have a great cruising community with several superyachts here. Our charter yacht tenants are also increasing. This is due to our advantage location that offers year-round shelter, and a convenient access from land and sea.”
The marina will eventually be the focal point of a 110-acre (450,000m2) community that will include residences, a resort hotel, nature trails, and a museum. This will be a low-density, low-rise development that takes best advantage of the landscape that comprises a mix of woodland, grassland, and mangrove.

The first phase of Port Takola was valued at US$8 million with 50 berths stern-to a 4m wide concrete pontoon supplied by Marinetek, one of Europe’s largest and oldest suppliers. These pontoons are able to accommodate yachts ranging from 12m – 40m in length. 3-phase electricity, water, gasoline and diesel fuel will also be available. The approach channel was dredged to -2.5m LAT. The marina offers good shelter and an advantageous location for berthing. and it is protected from storms and waves.
“Our approach is to create a boutique marina that sits comfortably with the surrounding landscape, “Matthew explains. “We want to combine the legendary Thai hospitality with the management standards expected by sophisticated international yachtsmen.”

In 2022, Thailand’s Environmental Impact Assessment Board approved Port Takola’s application for a marina expansion up to 300 berths, and 15,000sqm of boatyard service area. It is set to become the first superyacht marina in Krabi.

The expansion will offer an extra wide concrete pontoon berth ranging from 10 to 45 metres for superyachts. A work berth will be available on the north section of the marina harbor. The boatyard will increase its capacity from 9,000 to 15,000sqm with a lifting capability also increasing from 38 to 80 tons. A boatshed will be available for a 25-metre yacht refit.

During the next couple of years, the na Nagara family intends to build an architect-designed Capitainerie having a commanding view over the marina basin; this will incorporate high-standard restrooms for clients. The adjacent Cafe du Port offers an all-day bar/restaurant service. Offices and retail units for yachting-related businesses will be located centrally between the marina and the boatyard. Additionally, boatsheds and workshops are proposed to establish a yachting center in Krabi. Residential housing is also included in this mixused development.

For more information, you can contact Matthew at matthew@porttakola.com or call +66 89 446 1991.

Location
The tourist town of Ao Nang is within a 10-minute drive of Port Takola, while Krabi International Airport is only 40 minutes away. At sea, Krabi is part of the Phang Nga Bay archipelago, and also home to many renowned islands including Phi Phi, Reiley, Koh Hong, and Lanta. This makes us an ideal home port as well as a port of call on the Andaman Sea.”

Krabi, located on Thailand’s southwest coast, lies approximately 30 nautical miles east of Phuket. The province has rapidly grown to become one of the top tourist destinations in Thailand. This is due to its beautiful natural attractions such as its coastline, picturesque limestone karst terrains, abundant national forest, and over 130 islands to explore.

Krabi lies on an important international passage route between Langkawi and Phuket. This makes it a popular stop for international cruisers for provisioning, leisure, and transportation. As Phuket is dealing with a lack of infrastructure to support an influx of tourism development, Krabi has become an alternative as a more family friendly and more nature-orientated destination. The opening of the Wattanapat International and Krabi Nakarin International Hospitals have improved health care services and the Central Krabi shopping plaza is scheduled to open later this year. These developments will make the province more attractive for expatriates seeking to establish long-term residency.

A new passenger pier will also make commuting between Krabi Town, Port Takola, and Ao Nang much easier. This pier will be situated to the south of the marina harbor, separated from the private berths. The Krabi Bay ferry will resume daily shuttles from the marina to Krabi Town once the refurbishment is completed.

Krabi Technical College opens yacht repair course

Sensing the need to provide more maintenance services to visiting yachts, Port Takola signed an MOU with Krabi Technical College (KBTC) to provide vocational education in yacht repair. Mr. Sriwakorn Engchuan, a director at KBTC, said, "The recent growth of yacht repair work here prompted us to open this course swiftly, although, we still lack various education tools such as marine engines, sails, etc. The first semester had 20 students enrolled and the college will collaborate with the private sector to provide marine repair knowledge for them."

Matthew chimed in, "Krabi is a waterfront province with 180 km coastline and over 100 island destinations. So, sea transportation has been an important mode of transportation for decades. The yachting industry is relatively new here but one that is growing. By collaborating with the KBTC, we hope to provide a new career opportunity and establish quality yacht services here. Repair services are available through our boatyard team, onsite, and local trades. A chandlery is also available onsite.”