Travelogue 29/5/22 - Pulau Puyung Traditional Boat Making

chenlitying

Jun 16, 20222 min read

It is totally not what I imagined before I reached the boat making site in Pulau Duyong. I never expect the space under the highway can be utilized as a boat making site. Encik Abdillah is the master and owner of traditional boat making business. He learnt the boat making skill from his father. If I am not mistaken, there is no construction drawings or calculations. The ongoing project that we see on site is a commision work for Australian client costing millions of ringgit. according to Encik Abdillah.

Based on my research, boat making is a vibrant and rich heritage in Terengganu. During the 1970s and 1980s, Pulau Duyong was always a hive of activity as there were as many as 20 to 30 boatyards on the island. The villagers used to build boats from knowledge passed from previous generations and produce intricate designs with great precision and details. During the local boatmaking industry’s heyday, the boatmaker in Pulau Duyong used to get orders for boats from the United States, England, Italy, France, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, Algeria, Canada and Singapore.

However, due to order decreased, lack of skilled craftsmen and the step hike of raw material price, many locals were forced to leave the traditional business. The heritage should be continually pass down to the young generation and maybe establish an academy for traditional boat making can help. The government should put more effort to preserve this tradition so that the boat making knowledge won't disappear in the future. Maybe more educational trip or government subsidy can help to retain the industry.