Building small wooden boats in Myanmar
12 ft & 18 ft Multi-purpose boats


Immediate Rehabilitation of Subsistence Fisheries Livelihoods
in Areas Affected by Cyclone Nargis (OSRO/MYA/805/SWE)
Funded by the Government of Sweden

by Daniel Davy, FAO Consultant & Kilian Svensson, FAO Consultant

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned.

ABSTRACT

This step-by-step manual contains information on the construction of small multi-purpose boats typical of those found in the Ayeyarwaddy Delta in Myanmar. Its purpose is to give organizations access to detailed information on boatbuilding, which will allow the production of small boats appropriate to the Delta. The manual is also intended to assist organizations in their understanding of the boatbuilding process and to provide guidelines on good practice. It should assist in the review of contracts and quality control in boatbuilding.

The manual provides information on two boat designs: 12 ft and 18 ft boats. It also gives the scantlings and material requirements as well as the guidelines for selecting and using timber for the boat construction. The largest part of the manual describes how to build the boats step-by-step. Finally, the manual contains boatbuilding guidelines for wooden boats of less than 7 m in length and operating at speeds of less than 12 knots.