Insight Guides: Malaysia by Insight Guides

Author:Insight Guides
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: travel, Malaysia
Publisher: APA
Published: 2013-02-01T05:00:00+00:00

A fisherman with his boat at Bachok beach. Boat-building and tending is a traditional skill that is at risk with the decline in apprentices.

James Tye/Apa Publications

The Boat-Builders of Duyong

Of the several small islands located in the Kuala Terengganu’s river estuary, Pulau Duyong (Mermaid Island) is the most famous. Here, amongst the villages and children playing with kites, lies an endangered industry – traditional boat-building – the east coast style. Each wooden boat is custom-made and hand-crafted to perfection.

Highly skilled craftsmen supply sturdy fishing boats for the Marang fishing fleet and the occasional international order. In the past, many traditional boat-builders were illiterate and had no use of plans. The tradition of building from memory continues today, and every part of the boat – from the keel to the hull and the bangau – is constructed without blueprints. Knowledge was handed down from master to son or apprentice, for example, learning how to use dowels instead of nails to fasten the boat ribs to the keel. However, a lack of apprentices is endangering this traditional craft. Coupled with rising costs for raw materials like the cengal, a slow-growing hardwood that is becoming more difficult to find in the forests near Terengganu, the boat-builders face an uncertain future.

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