Traditional Fishing Boats of Malaysia

I have always loved boats. I love sailing them, rowing them, building them, drawing them, and studying them. When I first encountered the strikingly beautiful boats of Southeast Asia over 30 years ago, I was impressed at the use of sail and wood in commerce. Now the sails are largely gone but boatbuilders and fishermen’s intimacy with trees and traditional knowledge remain.


The construction of these boats is fascinating. Traditional Malaysian boats are normally built without drawings and from the shipworm and rot resistant hardwood chengal. The keel, stem, and stern are made from massive timbers into which are carved receiving surfaces for the rest of the framework. The planks are bent either by the simple application of force using clamps or by heating them with fire. The planks are fastened to internal frames. 

 
On the east coast the planks are connected using trunnels (wooden dowels) typically made from iron wood. This joining technique is also coupled with a traditional method of sealing the planks in which a layer of melaleuca tree bark is pushed over the trunnels. Adjoining planks are hammered over these trunnels. In contrast to this traditional technique, plank sealing is produced on the west coast and some areas of the east coast, by pressing rope between the planks. The boats have distinctive bow and stern features as well as a myriad of delightful idiosyncrasies that make them special.