Fishing Craft Technology (1+1)

Unit 4 - Boat building materials and construction of boat

4.1. Materials used for boat construction

General
Several construction materials are available for fishing vessels up to 100ft. For vessels over 100 ft steel is the dominant material. Each material has its own construction method. In general, a fishing vessel of any material is built up of some kind of frame and a skin.
Following are the materials available for construction of fishing vessels.

• Wood
• Steel
• Aluminum
• GRP (Glass Fibre Reinforced plastic)
• Ferro–cement
• Composite

Following factors to be considered while selecting a material

• Type of vessel
• Size of vessel
• Speed of vessel
• Shape of the vessel
• Availability of material
• Suitability
• Economic viability
• Environment in which the vessel is going to operate

Wood
The timber is being used as a boat building material since time immemorial. Nearly 5000 species of Indian tropical trees are known to yield timber though only about 400 species are actually suitable as boat–building material. About 200 of them can be put to commercial use of which a few have been found ideally suited for the construction of modern mechanized boats. Hence selection of the timber is very essential.