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The first sighting of the TONGIAKI was made by the Dutchman Willem Schouten off the island of Tafahi in 1616, and by Abel Tasman near Tonga in 1643. Schouten declared ‘there are few ships in Holland that could overhaul them’.
She was used in the Tonga Islands and central Pacific.
Was a double hulled voyage canoe, which could carry up to 150 men, extinct since the late 18th century.
A plank built craft with hull of roughly the same size, connected by a large heavy platform that rested on washstrakes on each hull and sometimes also on stanchions at each end.
On some the platform sloped upward towards the stern. Hulls reported to have been either a narrow oval or heart-shaped in cross section.
Ribs lashed to the cleats inside the irregular strakes.
Rocker bottom; hull tapered to a sharp point forward and a blunted point aft
Decked at each end, hatches gave access to interiors to permit bailing.
Steered with 2-3 oars, each worked by two men when sailing in heavy seas. Short mast, vertical or raked forward; some notched to form steps.
Set a triangular mat sail with the apex down; boomed at the foot. Mast stayed in various ways, including shrouds that ran from a long balance spar that crossed the platform abaft the mast and extended well out each side.
Reported lengths 18.2 – 21.3m, total widths 4.5 – 5m.

Penrhyn 1981 1c sg169, scott? and 15c sg189, scott?. 1984 8c sg340 scott?. 1985 8c sgO21, scott?
Tonga 1990 32s/$3 sg1078/81, scott748/51

Aak to Zumbra, a dictionary of the World’s Watercraft.

Tongiaki

Penrhyn 1981, S.G.?, Scott: 133.

Tongiaki
300 AD: The Polynesians embark on daring sailing trips and explore thousands of Pacific islands. Driven by overpopulation and a desire for adventure, they set forth into the unknown on simple catamarans called Tongiakis.Without any help from navigational instruments, they charted their course with the help of the sun, stars, wind and water temperature. Birds, reefs, cloud formations, fishes and distinctive waves were the signals telling them that land lay nearby. Each trip became a life-threatening journey, as landfall was often impossible to achieve or the way home became cut off by strong currents. Suspense was their constant companion. Will the next hour, the next day bring them to their goal... or will the ocean's currents force them to drift endlessly at sea? Tongiaki double canoe was used during the expansion of Tonga from 16th to 18th century, when the adventurers of the small islands of Tonga established the so-called " Tongan maritime empire "- a network of political and social influence with other island groups , primarily the Fiji Islands , Uvea, Tuvalu and Samoa. The first recorded European contact with this type of vessel made Dutch navigator Schouten in 1616. He writes: "The installation of these ships so well , and they go so well under sail , that several ships in the Netherlands can outrun them . "
Marshall Islands 1998; 32c; SG966. Marshall Islands 1999; 33c; SG?.
Cook Islands 2013; 60c; SG?
Tonga 15,0; SG? Niue 1999;70c;SG854. Penrhyn Island1981;15с;SG189.
Source:www.iluvkoc.com/tongiaki.html‎ and other web-site.