Classic Wooden Work Boats of Indochina
Thursday, Feb. 24th, 2022 at 7:00pm EST in the U.S. (GMT/UTC 24:00)
Take a step off the beaten path and explore Southeast Asia with author and photographer, Ken Preston.
Ken spent 20+ years traveling around SE Asia, specifically focusing on the coast of Vietnam, exploring the world of traditional wooden boat building. We’ll get a close up look at a myriad of fascinating traditional vessels and how they are still being used today.
Speakers:
- Speaker: Ken Preston – Boatbuilder, Author, Adventurer – Bainbridge Island, Washington
- Moderator: Nate Rooks – Off Center Harbor & Co-Founder of the Worldwide Classic Boat Show
Links:
Enjoy this replay of Ken’s presentation:
If you’ve enjoyed the show, you can support our work in these two ways:
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You can CLICK HERE to become a member of Off Center Harbor.
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You can CLICK HERE to make a donation for this year’s boat show.
Thank you!!!
Have something to say or ask?: Post your comments or questions in the chat below.
Love this guy! Nice Work Ken. Well done.
like Paula and Shehayla I wanted to watch the video today but can’t find it.
Hi Doug,
Our video editor is working on it now and will post the video as soon as it’s ready!
No video, thanks, would love to see the program.
Check back later tonight, we hope to have the recorded video up then!
Where is the recorded video? I planned to watch it today.
Hi Paula,
Our video editor is working on it right now and we’ll post it as soon as it’s ready.
Three plank boat. Can you say more about how these are made.
Literally, 3 planks (two sides and a bottom), full width and full length are cut to shape, edges beveled, and literally just nailed together, then sealed with whatever stickum is/was available. Larger canoes like this may have several sawn frames to help them keep their shapes. The only really small ones I’ve seen lately have actually been in use or just stacked up in a builder’s yard and not really accessible for me to dissect.
What wood variety are most of these boats?
I really don’t know. It all amounts to local “tropical hardwood”. Some of it looks a bit like mahogany but harder than the “mahogany” I see in lumber yards here. There are any number of woods though, some quite gray even when freshly cut, others red or brown. Some so heavy they don’t float! There is a book in French, Bois et Bateaux du Vietnam (wood and boats of Vietnam) by Francoise Aubaile which has a lot of information, including a lot of formal (Latin) names of various species and their uses. If you want to pursue the woods and resins, she has it covered. The book has been readily available in recent years.
WELL worth the wait – thank you !!!
Great Presentation Ken,
Tom McGowan
Thanks Again Ken
Where do they get the styrofoam that they use for sponsons? Washed up on the beach?
What an amazing journey with beautiful boats! My favorite presentation so far. It prompted a conversation with my mom who immigrated to the states from Vietnam and she’s familiar with some of these boats and now we have plans to travel there together. I’m excited to look for some of these boats!
I do not have a question but just wanted Ken to know that Tom McGowan, a proud owner of his book, is watching from Taiwan
That is amazing! How did you get a copy?
Thanks …Hope you will publish a book of your stories…
Hi EJ, reading the blog is probably the best approach, the posts were all written “in real time” on the road (if not always on the morning after the day before). I did write up a longer story after my first trip in 2005, but didn’t attract any interest from publishers, and since then I’ve added so much more understanding and experience that most of it would be embarrassing now if it had ever gotten further.
Great presentation! Technically keeps breaking up!
I’ll read your blog till then
What happened ? Blank screen….
Hi Barbara, apologies technical difficulties! We’re back!