Vaka of Solomon Islands

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Anatol
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Joined: Sun Apr 12, 2009 2:13 pm

Vaka of Solomon Islands

Post by Anatol » Sun Jan 24, 2016 8:07 pm

Vaka of Solomon Islands- general term for a boat in a number of the islands. On New Georgia in the central part of the chain, vaka refers to a non-native vessel. Сanoe used mainly for fishing and carrying supplies.
The Tauu (Matlock) Islands in the northwest used both a pad¬dling and a sailing outrigger vaka. Reported details vary, but these canoes had a fairly broad dugout hull with strong bottom rocker
The bottom of the hull slopes up from the center to the pointed ends.
To each end is lashed a long slender beak, the end of which is carved in linear fretwork .The outrigger apparatus consjsts of five booms, one central: the two fore and the two aft booms lie close together, and there are two false booms between the central boom and the outer booms. The attachment of each boom consists of a pair of divergent sticks inserted on each side of the median ridge of the float, and the sticks are tied to the opposite sides of the boom. The float is very short. A stringer is fastened above the booms and false booms to the outer connectives and another to the inner connectives. There are other stringers nearer to the hull. The plat¬form extends over the other side of the hull, and there is a triangular grid platform fore and aft of the main platform which extends to the end-pieces: The top of the mast looks like the handle of a spade, and the halyard is rove through the large triangular opening. The mast appears to be stepped on or close to the central boom on the outrigger side. There are several shrouds. The triangular Oceanic lateen mat sail is laced to two spars. The halyard is fastened at about one quarter of the length of the sail. The boom is horisontal. the halyard and sheet are tied to a short crossbar on the mast below the sail. The bailer is of the usual Oceanic type.Very long yard is vertical when sailing and stands upon the off gunwale, so that it is roughly parallel to but widely separated from the mast. The boom is much shorter and is almost at a right angle with the yard or cants a little upward. The posterior margin,or leech of the sail is much longer than in figure. These sails are now made of calico it is probable that their shape has been modified.The sail is of the Oceanie lateen type. Sailing canoes reported as 12-14m long; largest ca. 1.5m deep.

Papua New Guinea 2009;85t;SG?
Source:A. Haddon, John. Hornell: Canoes of Oceania.1937.Volume II. A Dictionary of the world’s Watercraft from Aak to Zumbra.
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