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104
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[APRIL, 1906.
18. Kolek (lit., the "Rocker" or wobbler, from its crank build). The term sampan, a word of apparently Chinese origin, which is given generally to any small, especially Chinese boats, is also frequently applied to these canoes. The kolek is the usual form of small sea-fishing canoe, the stem and stern-post are generally high and pointed, with some decorative paint work, or other ornamentation. It is generally carvel-built, with a shapely hull and prettily rounded forefoot; but there is very little bilge, and consequently small stability, which, combined with the low canoe-like freeboard, makes these boats somewhat tricky to the novice. The peculiar "crab's-eyes" are frequently to be seen in these boats. They carry single or double lugsails according to length. In the former case, the tack of the sail is usually belayed at the mast, so as to form a standing sail. In these little boats the young Malays generally get their first lessons in sailing. In the longer boats, with larger crews, two dipping lugs of the usual Malay type are generally preferred. Dimensions of 5-man boat: length, 24 ft.; beam, 4 ft.; depth, 2 ft.; freeboard, 1 ft.; capacity, 20 pik; length of mast, 24 ft. Some of these boats are said by the Malays to carry the sabang sail.22
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In Singapore, the koleks have developed into long boats, used a good deal in racing, rigged with large cloth-made sprit mainsail and stay-foresail, and manned by a large crew of 20 or more, who act as live ballast out to windward. In a fresh breeze they stand on the gunwale, and, holding on to man-ropes leading from the mast, lean out all their length to windward. These boats are very slippy with the wind abaft the beam, for, with a length of 45 feet, they have a beam of not more than 5 ft. 6 in., and a draught of about 2 ft. But they have no grip for weatherly work. The increase of the lateral resistance, by the introduction of a centreboard, would probably result in enabling these boats to perform well on a wind in smooth
water.
19. Lancha23 or Lanchang (Malay two-master, with dipping lugsails). This is an approach to a sea-keeping type of vessel. She is rigged with the ordinary square-headed dipping lugsails, which are of nearly equal size as in the penjajap. The lofty slender masts are well stayed, and are stepped in tabernacles of a kind which is common to the Malays, and both are raked forward. The sails are made of the screw-palm with cloth tops, and there are main and peak halyards. The vessel has a clipper stem, over which the foregallery is built for the anchors; this also acts as a bumpkin or bowspit for spreading the tack of the foresail. A comparatively commodious deck-cabin and stern gallery are added over the straight sternpost. The hull is carvel built on very European lines, but has no great depth. The model is armed with pivot m. 1. guns, and has sweeps along her sides as is usual. (Plate III., fig. 5.)
In Selangor it is affirmed that the lanchang is a type of boat, which was frequently owned by Malay Rajas on the Sumatran coast, and to this day in Selangor, it is this royal vessel, which is dedicated to the service of the spirits, when the medicine-man invites them to sail
away.
20. Lanchang To'Aru25 (Bandar). very similar to the other lanchang in hull, and fitted fore and aft gaff and boom sails.
Malay two-master, fore and aft rigged. This is but the model has short masts, and two badly cut She would need very much a larger spread of head
21 Klinkert saya: The small variety for one person only; but big ones hold 10 or more persons.
22 Klinkert describes this as "the sail of a small boat which has no tackle except a brace, but has instead a kind of sokong [prop ]." This presumably means a spritsail, set up by its spreet no other sail so exactly answering to this description.
25 Klinkert says: big Indian three-master, with slanting or sloping sails from port; lancha, boat or sloop. (See Lanchang.)
24 A galley or oared vessel with yards, but without spiegel.
Klinkert.
25 To'Aru was one of the council of four great chiefs of Selangor, who in former days had much power, and to whom was entrusted the election of the Sultan. To'Ara was the most powerful of these four great chiefs, and took his name from a district called Ara, in Sumatra, from which he came over to settle in Selangor. Aru is probably the same as the word aru (also eru or 'ru), which means a casuarina-tree. Bandar was the name of the place (on the Langat river) where To Aru lived.
