D'source Design Gallery on Boat Making, Kerala

Design Gallery

Boat Making, Kerala

The craft of making House Boat

Prof. Bibhudutta Baraland Mr. Antony William

The plank is mildly heated to obtain the curvature of the boat.
The planks are temporarily nailed and stitched together with the synthetic rope.
The strands of fibre are bundled and the twelve strips of twines are inserted into the coir.
The craftsman hammers from beneath the boat and pulls and tightens the coir.
The coir is pulled and tightened using the hammer.
The hole is ensured to avoid seepage.
The planks are affixed at the center for the extension of the boat.
A passenger boat.
A luxury passenger boat for tourists.
A boat used for transportation of goods for trading.
The traditional and luxury house boat of Kerala called Kettuvallom.
The ChundanVallam or the snake boat, used for the annual Nehru Trophy boat race.

The plank is mildly heated to obtain the curvature of the boat.	The planks are temporarily nailed and stitched together with the synthetic rope.	The strands of fibre are bundled and the twelve strips of twines are inserted into the coir.	The craftsman hammers from beneath the boat and pulls and tightens the coir.	The coir is pulled and tightened using the hammer.	The hole is ensured to avoid seepage.
The planks are affixed at the center for the extension of the boat.	A passenger boat.	A luxury passenger boat for tourists.	A boat used for transportation of goods for trading.	The traditional and luxury house boat of Kerala called Kettuvallom.	The ChundanVallam or the snake boat, used for the annual Nehru Trophy boat race.

The traditional houseboat of Kerala, called Kettuvallom, means, a boat made by tying of wooden planks together. This craft has evolved over a few decades ago from the traditional cargo carrying Kettuvallams into a makeover of highly popular, eco-friendly luxurious boats. The most esteemed and attractive event is the competition of the "ChundanVallam" or the snake boat. The boat race is conducted yearly and has been named after Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru as Nehru Trophy Boat Race. Interestingly, the nails are barely used for joining of the planks as most of the planks are bound with coir.

The interiors and the exteriors of the houseboat are mostly made of wood. The house boat houses well furnished and luxurious bedrooms, attached bathrooms, kitchen, common wash room for the crew, wash area, spacious living room, romantic sun deck zone and a lengthy corridor for easy accessibility to all the areas.

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