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APRIL 1906.) BOATS AND BOAT-BUILDING IN THE MALAY PENINSULA.
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general appearance, the cheemaun, or birch-bark canoe of Canada. The curious cylindrical bit" which is lashed in position across the stem of this type of sea-canoe (kolek), and furnished with what are called "crab's eyes” (meta ketam) in Malay, is worth noting. It is probably the highly conventionalised form of some more or less typical bow furniture, the fisherman's line being allowed to bang overboard between the "eyes," which then help to keep it in position. This boat is always steered by a paddle.
Plate IV., fig. 2, represents the punggei, a kolek, or Malay sea-canoe (Singapore racing type), the property of one of the local Rajas, reproduced by the kind permission of the editor of the
Yachtsman. It will be seen that the criticism of its build, &c., made by Mr. Warington Smyth in his paper are fully borne out. Nevertheless, it is this type of Malay boat, of whose speed so many remarkable stories have been told, which has earned for the Malays the very high reputation for seamanship that, among native (non-Europeanised) races, they undoubtedly possess. The truth seems to be that these crafts are, beyond any doubt, exceedingly slippy, and can show a very clean pair of heels when running more or less before the wind, but are of quite inferior speed under any other circumstances. A centre-board would, no doubt, as Mr. Warington Smyth suggests, improve them immensely.
Plate IV., fig. 3, Malay kolek or sea-canoe, - east-coast type. The kolek of the east coast (Kelantan and Patani) is a third, and a very different type, not unlike a small payang.
The following is the translation of a valuable explanatory note received from a Malay correspondent since the publication of Mr. Smyth's paper, the note being accompanied by the diagrams in Plate IV., fig. 4, the first of which (a) represents the layer sabang or "spritsail," set up by its " spreet" (as Mr. W. Smyth surmised); the second (6) being the sail called layer gusi, or "fore-and-aft gaff sail"; and the third (c) representing the gusi sail with "gaff topsail" (gap tap-sir) in addition, "The payang formerly carried forty men, but this was when it was used for piratical purposes, and that was why it carried so large a crew. At the present day it carries one master (juragan), one boatswain (jerbatu ; lit., master of the anchor'), one helmsman (jermudt). ten seamen (klasi), and a cook (tukang masak), in all about fifteen men : a crew of forty men would mean a pirate. The gurap ("grab') is certainly as much as three hundred feet long, i.e., as big as a small fire-boat' (or steamer'). The salah-salah is quite as much as two hundred feet long; in some cases it is as long as the gurap."
To the foregoing note may be added the following name which is not included in the list : prahu kepala kelalang, or “ .mantis-head' boat." This boat is described by Clifford and Swettenbam as a long, narrow boat, the deck of which is below water-level, with plank sides, and awning or kajang or atap (palm-leaves). It is said to be much used in Kelantan, on the east coast of the Peninsula. The name of this boat was doubtless given on account of its rounded figure-head, which is not unlike the head of the insect referred to. To the list of canoes should be added the prahu sagor, which is a kind of "dag-out."
It should be explained that the first list of boat measurements was collected for me by Malas friends at Klaang in Selangor; the second list by Mr. C. Curtis of Penang. In both cases they sincere thanks are due for what was doubtless a tiresome job.
In consequence of pressure of time I was unable to revise the second Table of Boat Measurements. and hence in many cases the Malay equivalents for weights and measures were retained, instead of giving the English ones. The following are the English equivalents of the Malay terms: - depa = Eng. "fathom" (6 ft.); kaki = Eng. "foot" (12 in.); pikul = 133} lb. av. ; koyan = 40 piku. = 5,388 16. av. These latter measures are abbreviated in the text to pik. and koy. respectively.
