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.  According to David Toombs from Lion Yachts "over 4,500 Cheoy Lee yachts  were delivered and he points out that it is interesting that usually no more than 50 or so are available at any given time on the market".  He also points out that Cheoy Lee has stopped production for all designs under 50' due to worldwide demand for the larger motorsailers and motoryachts.  For the record David claims to be the original Cheoy Lee Distributor dating from 1960 and made over 70 trips to Hong Kong spending over a year in the shipyard there monitoring all phases of construction.  He goes on to say that in its over 110 years of family ownership Cheoy Lee has become a major factor in yacht building, fully Lloyds Approved, with a modern climate controlled facility.   David probably knows more about Cheoy Lees than anyone else in North America.  

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 only sailboats currently produced, as far as I am aware of, are the 53, 63, and the 78' Motorsailors plus a 77' Pilothouse Cutter.

The following information submitted by Tom Gilson from Cheoy Lee North America  11/99

A few things you may want to know about the company.  The company's main production facility is currently located on Lantau Island, which is also
where Hong Kong's new airport recently opened.  Cheoy Lee recently acquired a new shipyard facility on the Pearl River 60 miles from Hong Kong on mainland China. (The old facility will be closed in April of 2000 as Disney World moves in).  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 to keep Cheoy Lee in the forefront of shipbuilding for generations to come.   

This pic looks like masts being worked on

Following email from Larry Kaplan

Hi. I commissioned all the boats that came to San Francisco (new). The dealer was Raccoon Straits Yacht Sales. Offshore 27's ,31's,41's and the offshore 50. I had just graduated from college, and had been working on yachts while in school, was on the sailing team, etc. That was 1968. I (we) drove a La Paz 33(powerboat) to the freighter anchored in S.F. bay from which would be offloaded the Cheoy Lee or Cheoy Lees we were to take possession of and we'd either motor them or tow them to S.F. or Sausalito and begin whatever it took to get them ready for their owners. On many, the teak and holly cabin sole hatches were floating in two feet of fresh water (rain water)...the boats were lashed on deck of the freighter(s) for the trip to S.F. Sometimes, the boats would simply be covered...I mean COVERED with grease and tar because the freighter's crew would "LUBE" the ship's rigging on the trip, and in the sun the petroleum based goo would soften and plop from where it was meant to be, to the freighter's main deck, only to be intercepted by the cosmic forces that directed said "GOO" all over these absolutely gorgeous varnished little yachts. I pioneered the use of linear polyurethane on yachts in 1971...and do (now) custom fiberglass work and repair on yachts. In spite of what I know about the Offshore line that Cheoy Lee produced, I have a particularly special place in my brain for those boats. I happened upon your site ...I guess by serendipity. 
larry kaplan
p.s. the rainwater? you don't think that the freighter's crew would have 
removed the plug at the keel, do you?