Country Craft and Sailing Vessels of India by D
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Country craft and sailing vessels of India by D. B. Irani, BSc, i\^RINA* SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL country craft propelled by sails have been plying the coasts of India carrying her rich mer chandise of spices, ivory and silks to the Gulf of Arabia, the East Coast of Africa and the Far East. Mention of sailing vessels of Indian origin has been made by Marco Polo and other travellers of bygone years. A rich harvest of maritime activities under sail dating back several centuries is available from India's historical past. Many of the country craft of ancient design are still employed on the Indian seaboard, although these are gradually being phased out by sailing vessels built on modern scientific lines, mechanically powered by auxiliary motors, and with equipment and safety devices governed by national legislation. An attempt is being made to record the brief outlines of such vessels for posterity. Baghlas The design and hull form of these vessels is essentially of Arabian origin. The Europeans commonly term such craft as dhows. A 300 ion 'Brig' type meciianised saiiing vessei of modern design. Baghlas, or dhows, are normally two-masted lateen rigged vessels, with a high poop and projecting bow, presenting a silhouette Kotia/Cotia Odams roughly resembling the Caravela Latiim as Kotia, or cotia, are a class of sailing vessel These sailing vessels are employed mostly depicted by Iberian explorers in the fifteenth having a sharp, raked bow and transom in the inter-island trade in and around the century. The carrying capacity of baghlas stern. These vessels are full-bodied, with a Lacoadive Islands. The history of odams is vary from 100 to 250. tons deadweight. coefficient of over 0-75. The transom stern not known, but it is learnt that a few of the Dhows, or baghlas, are mainly employed is well-suited for trade across the Arabian first odams were built of coconut rafters between India and the West Asian ports— seas. Kotias of working tonnages ranging and coir bindings, and that these boats the trading pattern depending on prevailing from 50 to 200 tons deadweight were came to the Indian mainland under sail. On winds. mostly employed in the West Asia/Gulf and the return voyages they carried a cargo of East African trades. boatbuilding timbers from India (mostly Kothia/battela teak), out of which proper sea-going sailing The kothia type vessels are basically of Dhangi/pattamar/machwa vessels were later constructed. The average Cutch-Kathiawar origin. The kothias are tonnage of the odams varied from 20 to 30 These types of country craft are slightly tons; a few odams are over 50 tons dead reputed to be the Indian comparison of the narrower in contrast to the kotias, and are Arabian dhows/baghlas,' but they bear a weight. The average measurements of a 20 deeper at the bows (having pronounced to 30 ton capacity odam are—length 50 to closer resemblance to vessels of the sambuk skeg/cutwater forward for directional class commonly found in the Red Sea, 60 feet, breadth 10 to 13 feet and depth stability), and with cruiser type sterns. Such between 6 and 8 feet. having two forward-raked masts, lateen vessels, noted for their slenderness and sails, raised poop decks and rudder. The speed, are commonly found in Maharash- The sailing craft described above adopted carrying capacity of kothia type vessels trian waters, and owe their ancestry to the a trade pattern depending on the prevailing ranges from 100 to 150 tons deadweight. days of the ancient Maratha warrior winds; such vessels were mostly laid-up Shivaji, whose fleet of armed sailing vessels during the monsoons. were known to harry European East India has an old and well-established Indiamen in the eighteenth century. A boatbuilding industry spread along its typical arrangement of the dhangi or coast. The principal centres are Porbunder, machwa type sailing vessels is illustrated. Veraval, Kutch-Mandvi and Sikka- Of particular interest is the stem construc Bhavnagar in Gujarat State, Dabhol, tion with the sharp forefoot cutwater, which Ratnagiri, Deogad and Malwan in is typical of Maharashtra type sailing Maharashtra State, Mangalore, Honavar vessels. and Karwar in Karnataka State, Calicut, Beypur and Kasaragod in Kerala State and Tuticorin, Cuddalore and Nangapatam in *Mr. D. B. Irani was until recently Deputy Tamil Nadu State. Chief Ship Surveyor, Ministry of Transport, Government of India, Bombay. Materials used for construction Timbers—various species of locally grown timbers are used in the construction of sail ing vessels. For instance, the keel is usually The Ivluchwa is de made of teakwood, venteak or maruda scended from fight hardwood timbers. For hull planking and ing vessels of the decks, a variety of timbers noted for their 18th century. durability and oil content, such as pali, vaga 189 SEPTEMBER 1980 and punna are used. For frames and stern- posts vvith auxiliary propeller housings, jackwood is normally used because of its hardness and oil content. The jointing of timbers is done by iron nails, although in olden days timbers were secured by means of cotton wick lashings, and seams caulked watertight with fish oil compound. Masts, having lengths of 20 metres and girth of 1-3 to 1 • 5 metres, are made from timbers called pinnai, a locally-grown hardwood noted for its marine resistance properties. The proofing of timbers is done by first allowing the sawn timbers to season in water for a predetermined period. They are aUP . 6HD, KSEI- C"3 PIECES) SUD. BMP. then treated with a mixture of flsh oil and FRAME SPACING la"THR»'tiUT tar for protection against marine fouling, LONGITUDINAL SECT ION / PROFILH as copper sheathing of the underwater hull would prove too expensive for the majority of owners. ^Sfl/'/i^sailmaking varies from region to region, a common feature being that the builders acquire yarns of 3/20ths and weave the yarn into canvas with the help of local handloom vankars (weavers). The weavers PECK PLAN use three plies of this 3/20th for the warp and four plies for the weft. The width of the canvas will be about 50 cms and length about eight to nine metres. The finished canvases are stitched together lengthwise, by hand; the stitches for strength and CAMBEl? G durability being round stitches with sturdy FOR KËEl-,ViEELS0>4,&gAM SHELF, STEM, STEM Js'Vie" STERH po^T ETC. hemp/twine over a small size hemp sheet SWEER FOR&.e APRON 12'VC" (rope) wrapped in between the seams, with SHEER APT 4-0 STERN POST 15"* 12" BEAM G"K TIMBER a half clove-hitch after every three stitches, BEAM 12"^lö"|5TRQNG ENGINE GIRDER and a full clove-hitch after every nine CglLlWGS Z'/j' FENDER ^^"•XG" stitches. The mainsail and mizzen sail are GAR BOARt ^Vi' DECK. GIRDER 1S"« 3" normally lug shape. About 70 metres length •DECK PLT. 2 '/2' KECK STRINGER -»2"x3" of canvas is used for the mainsail, and BULWARK, RAIL 12"X3" AL&O FOR SHELL Pi-T, eVa" about 40 metres for the mizzen sail. The ENGINE GIREEHS. HOG 17 X "3 Vz" APPROH ETC sails are cut according to. a predetermined MAIN SECTIOM BAR KEEL ^3"'• 12" pattern and the borders hemmed by coir FALSE KHEL FLOOR 18")(<5" •1" Dlfl bOLTS KEELSON Il-Kio" rope of 50 mm diameter, providing loops FA5TENIMGS THROUGH FRAME. 8"^ &" at the corners. Thread used for stitching GËNE.RAL PARTICULARS SPACING 18" EQU I PMENTS the sails is made out of ten plies of 3/20ths. L.O. A. 154'- O" ANCHORS BDLLAKPS L.B.P. l^o'- O" CHAIN CABLES FAIR LEADS NOTES : BEAM es'-O" HAWSERS CLEATS L.S.A, FsF.A, & PERTH MWP, 14'-O" Modernisation of sailing vessels WI NDLASS t)E.RRlCKS EQUIPMENTS TO BE DRAFT tieSlGW lo'-o" HAWSE PIPES WINCHES PROVIDED AS PER The sailing ships in the Indian trade are DEAD we.GHTj. lll-!^: i\ SAILING VESSELS CHAIN STOPPERS RIGGING ROPES AUXILIAR-^ ENG. M.p. -£00 RULES -iSQZ . wooden, partially-decked vessels which are RlG<a\NG PUL1_EY5 not scientifically constructed but built mostly by eye. The Government has SAIL AREA fLATCfN) 5000 Sq.FT. recently taken several measures to assist the sound development of the sailing vessel industry and the modernisation of sailing vessels generally. Basic designs of two VOLUME OF CARGO CARRIED BY available steamship was otherwise employed classes of mechanised sailing vessels have SAILING VESSELS for war purposes, and when the pressure on been developed, the 300 ton Brig type and railways was fast reaching a breaking point, the 150 ton Kotia type. Year Coastal Near Trade Total (Tons) (Tons) (Tons) the organised employment of sailing vessels Sailing vessels built on modern lines are accounted for the carriage of about 1-7 fully-decked, internally sub-divided, fitted 1970-•71 1,049,846 175,575 1,225,421 1971- -72 951,528 101,444 1,052,972 million tons of cargo per annum on the with auxiliary propulsion motors to give a 1972-•73 1,220,856 99,152 1,320,008 coast. At present, sailing vessels lift about cruising speed of six knots. They are pro 1974 842,978 94,484 937,462 one million tons of cargo annually along vided with adequate navigation and safety 1975 805,055 113,247 918,302 the coast and in adjacent trades as can be equipment, manned by competent tindals, seen from the table in column two. assigned a load line, measured for tonnage Perhaps with the ever-rising cost of and registered as sailing ships under the energy the development of sailing vessels Indian Merchant Shipping Act, 1958.