OROU CANOE

[aukepalmhof]

Stanley Gibbons give this canoe on the Papua New Guinea stamp as a “Lakatoi” but this canoe has only one crab-claw sail and she is named a double hulled “orou” canoe.

She is from the Mailu Islands close off the eastern end of the south coast of Papua New Guinea. Used mostly for trading. Dugout hulls; the main hull larger, the somewhat smaller hull serving as an outrigger. Hulls almost round in cross section; center hewn out. Sides raised with vertical planks to form washstrakes, and ends closed off with breakwaters; often carved; washstrakes and breakwaters lashed to dugout. Caulked with scraped inner bark of a special tree. Canoe ends bluntly pointed. Hulls set ca. 1.2 – 1.5m apart; multiple transverse poles connect the two hulls passing through holes in the washstrakes. Poles extend outboard on the main hull. Planking laid atop the poles; portable shelter might be placed on the platform; fireplaces at either end. Rudder lashed to one of the poles near the stern. Mast lashed to bracing along inner side of the main hull; stayed fore-and-aft from outrigger hull. So-called crab-claw sail raised by a halyard rove through a hole in the masthead, and secured about midway along one yard close to the mast. Lower end tacked at foot of the mast. Yards as long as 13.5m along both sides of sail; these bend inward at the top. Mat sail made in vertical strips with deep curve at the top. Sailed with outrigger hull to windward. Rowed when becalmed, poled in shallows.
Crew of six.
Most 9-10.6m long.

Source: Copied from: Aak to Zumbra a Dictionary of the World’s Watercraft.
Papua New Guinea 1973 7c sg 245, scott 407

Anatol URL is not working for my see: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15158&p=17457&hilit=mailu#p17457

[Anatol]

See more details: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15158