Thread: Philippines Canoe trip to Pagsanjan Falls, Laguna.

Very nice Michael. They look like they would be quite fast with a motor and it also looks like you were in your element.

Cheers Kev.

Hi Kev,

They do have a little trick for the motor ones. The stern would squat because of the speed and the bottom curvature up to the stern. But they have a plate equal with the bottom that extends back about a foot. Often it forms a bottom pintle for the rudder.

MIK

That looks like a fantastic trip. Interesting how much of an impact we've had on the land over the years. Those weirs are really a rudimentary form of locks on a canal.

I've always found it neat how many different variations there are on the basic canoe all over the world. Up here in Canada we've got birchbark canoes, skin on frame kayaks, and the massive dugout red cedar canoes along my coast.

I hope you don't mind if I share my little canoe story.
A few years back I sailed on a 175 ton sail training schooner from Fiji to Papua New Guinea and had numerous encounters with various canoes.

At our first anchorage in the Yasawa Islands (northern Fiji) I came across this vessel, which the locals called a "tinboat". There were quite a few around, and they seemed to work fairly well for their size although I don't recall any flotation compartments... I wonder if you could get plywood to bend into this shape. It reminds me of Brent Swain's Origami boats (36 foot steel design largely folded from a single sheet).


Later on in the Solomon Islands we found more traditional dugouts. Quite nice curved lines, but no outriggers. This is in the harbour off Gizo which was really neat because of the way the island rose straight out of deep water. Along with the very minimal tide it made for a great natural pier all along the coast.


I wish I could have tried this!


But then, in a remote Papua New Guinean island (our chart was photocopy of a black and white chart that warned of areas where one must be cautious to avoid any errant anti-ship mines) we arranged to work with a local boatbuilder to build a canoe for ourselves.

Typically they do the majority of the shaping in the woods, but since the log was a fair distance from the village we decided to remove as much materials as needed to move it and then drag it back across to the village. We were rather apprehensive as the builder did some delicate chainsawing.


A team of us acting as pack horses and dragging the log to the shore through jungly swamps was adventure in itself, but I'm sure you'll agree it was worth it when you see our shipyard:


The local tools were primitive, but they were very good with them. This is a small wooden adze with a metal blade lashed to it.


One attraction to these particular canoes was the little fore-castle details. This seemed to be a fairly local tradition.


Our log was still relatively wet and so the load capacity was further reduced from the already fairly limited amount. Really though, for this protected lagoon of beautiful, warm waters, the boats had evolved to make good use of the available trees. I spent many hours paddling around, exploring, with snorkel gear always at hand for a quick dip, and had an incredible amount of fun. The outrigger is fairly easily overwhelmed if you put your weight towards it but otherwise provides adequate stability. The local teacher reportedly had a sail on his and used it to commute between the village and another nearby island, across the lagoon.

Gosh Andy ... this is stunning!!!!

I haven't seen info of this quality for years and years!

Michael

Hey Mik,
Here are some pictures of native wooden work boats from Phuket that I took on my last trip.

https://www.woodworkforums.com/member...hailand-boats/

a bottom section carved out with very thin walls and a gunwhale and top deck stitched on. Some were stored in local caves. In the villages they were stored under palm leaves or corrugated iron.

Regards
SWK

Whoops, missed the first bit.

Canoes from the island of Niue...

SWK

Fantastic photos chaps!

I find the whole thing about indigenous boats absolutely awe inspiring!

MIK

A little away from Asia, but on the w/e I saw a history program on TV about the Dover bronze age boat (circa 4000 years old), which is thought to be the oldest boat in existence. Amazing technology as it is built with huge slabs of hewn timbers, all slotted and put together without fixings. There are a few lashings, but all the main joints are just accurate timber joints. It was used to transport tin from Cornwall to mix with the copper and make bronze.
Dover Bronze Age Boat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia