Knowing that I am always interested in native wooden boats, my niece Christine sent me a photo of boats she saw on her recent semester in Thailand. These are long tail boats native to Southeast Asia. They get the name from the long drive shaft running from the engine to the propeller. The motor is balanced on a pivot so it can be moved left and right and up or down. Power plants range from one cylinder diesel to V-8 automobile engines. The hulls are generally made of wood. These boats can be rather top heavy and unwielding but are driven with skill and are the backbone of the fishing and tourism industries. Colorful cloth ribbons are tied to the bow to please the spirits for a good catch and for safe journeys. Thousands of long tails were destroyed in the tsunami of 2004 and a huge effort to repair and rebuild the fleet has begun.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Southeast Asian Long Tail Boats
Koa Tao (Turtle Island), Thailand.
Knowing that I am always interested in native wooden boats, my niece Christine sent me a photo of boats she saw on her recent semester in Thailand. These are long tail boats native to Southeast Asia. They get the name from the long drive shaft running from the engine to the propeller. The motor is balanced on a pivot so it can be moved left and right and up or down. Power plants range from one cylinder diesel to V-8 automobile engines. The hulls are generally made of wood. These boats can be rather top heavy and unwielding but are driven with skill and are the backbone of the fishing and tourism industries. Colorful cloth ribbons are tied to the bow to please the spirits for a good catch and for safe journeys. Thousands of long tails were destroyed in the tsunami of 2004 and a huge effort to repair and rebuild the fleet has begun.
Knowing that I am always interested in native wooden boats, my niece Christine sent me a photo of boats she saw on her recent semester in Thailand. These are long tail boats native to Southeast Asia. They get the name from the long drive shaft running from the engine to the propeller. The motor is balanced on a pivot so it can be moved left and right and up or down. Power plants range from one cylinder diesel to V-8 automobile engines. The hulls are generally made of wood. These boats can be rather top heavy and unwielding but are driven with skill and are the backbone of the fishing and tourism industries. Colorful cloth ribbons are tied to the bow to please the spirits for a good catch and for safe journeys. Thousands of long tails were destroyed in the tsunami of 2004 and a huge effort to repair and rebuild the fleet has begun.
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