Cheoy Lee

The roots of the Lo family’s shipbuilding journey reach back to the 1870’s, although it was in 1936 that the family business moved to the then British colony of Hong Kong, marking the start of the Cheoy Lee Shipyards that we know today. Initially specializing in mechanizing sail powered cargo vessels during World War II, by the mid-1950’s Cheoy Lee had diversified into the production of teak sailing and motoryachts, mostly built for export to America. Come the 1960’s, this now burgeoning pleasure craft division of Cheoy Lee accounted for 90% of all production from the yard.

Expansion of the shipyard was required, and it was at this time that the Penny’s Bay site in Hong Kong was established. As a pioneer in the development of fiberglass as a boat building material, Cheoy Lee recognized the savings in weight, greater strength and longevity that this new material offered. Constantly investing in research and improving production techniques, Cheoy Lee honed their fiberglass capabilities to become a forerunner in the marine use of GRP (and foam sandwich) construction. In 1977, Cheoy Lee built the world's largest molded fiberglass yacht of its time, the 130 foot motorsailer Shango II.

By the end of the 1990’s, the entire shipbuilding operation had been moved to Zhuhai in southern China, just 45 miles to the west of Hong Kong.