Bedar (ship)
Etymology
The Malay word bedar means an elongated and flattened beak, broadening towards the tip (i.e. like the bill of a platypus).[2]
Description
The bedar is a sailing junk that is mainly built in the kuala (English: rivermouth) of the Terengganu River.[3]
The smaller and medium-sized bedars often had a fine slanting projecting
The boats equipped with a sudu were referred to as bedar luang sudu (from Malay word sudu: spoon, or sudu itek: duck's bill).[4] The conspicuous sheer (ship) of the bedar varied as well. The smaller ones with a long projection having more sheer and the bigger ones with a short sudu and short sheer. Bedars above 70 feet (21 m) rarely carried a long sudu but featured almost straight stem and stern posts, very much like the bedar Dapat.[5]
The
The hull of the bedar is influenced by the Arab dhow with their long raked stemposts and the dows often being double ended vessels.[5]
Building technique
The bedar boats of Terengganu are built using indigenous Malaysian techniques to build wooden boats. They build without plans, hull first, frames later. The planks are fire bent and joined edge on edge (
History
The tradition of building wooden boats in modern Malaysia reaches far back in time, involving overseas trade, fishing, piracy, travelling up the many rivers. For each purpose they developed a special design.[7]
With Malacca becoming the main trading centre for the spices arriving from the Moluccas Islands (Indonesia), the Malay Peninsula turned into a melting pot of the seafaring, trading civilisations: Indians and Chinese, Arabs and Indonesians, Vietnamese and Thai, Burmese, Europeans and others, they all arrived in their distinctive craft, inspiring the Malay shipbuilding.[7]
The two “Perahu Besar”,[citation needed] (English: big boat)[8] of Terengganu, the pinas and the bedar are the result of this cultural interchange. Jib and bowsprit of the two are of western origin, with junks almost never carrying one.[5]
The boatbuilders of Terengganu were rediscovered during the
There were 5 bedars built for westerners since 1945:[9]
Name of boat | Builders (shipyard) | LOD | Year built | Original owner | Country |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Foxy Lady | Haji Nik | 36 ft (11 m) | 1949 | Dominique | France |
Burong Bahri | Che Man | 32 ft (9.8 m) | 1976 | Jerry Williams | New Zealand |
Anak Duyong | Che Man | 36 ft (11 m) | 1980 | Steven Bisset | Australia |
Naga Pelangi | Che Ali bin Ngah | 45 ft (14 m) | 1981 | Christoph Swoboda | Germany |
Raja Laut | Che Ali bin Ngah | 45 ft (14 m) | 1982 | Uli Horenkohl | Germany |
Gallery
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The bedar Naga Pelangi at 6 knots beating to windward off the coast of Terengganu, 1998
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The bedar Naga Pelangi 45'/13.7 m (LOD) sailing wing to wing near Pulau Perhentian off the Terengganu coast, 1998
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The bedar Naga Pelangi before launching, Duyong, 1981
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The Burong Bahri, a 32'/9.7 m (LOD) bedar anchored in Pulau Kapas, 1980
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The bedar Burong Bahri of Jerry Williams
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The Jusa Laut, a 28'/8.5 m (LOD) bedar, sailed by Michael Munro off the coast of Terengganu, 1994
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One of the last original bedar freighters 45' (LOD) sailing up to Thailand, 1981
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One of the last working bedars 45' (LOD) manoeuvering in port under Topan only, 1980
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The Cinta Jaya, a 45' (LOD) working bedar in the estuary of the Terengganu river, 1980
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The Cinta Jaya, 1980, sitting in front of Pulau Duyong
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Two working bedars both about 45' (LOD) sitting in front of Chinatown in Kuala Terengganu, waiting to unload their cargo, 1980
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A very old bedar (28') waiting to be repaired, Duyong island, 1979
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Two working bedars (both about 45' LOD) waiting for the season to sail up to Thailand on a salt run, Terengganu, 1980
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Detail of overhanging stern poop deck (dandan) of a traditional working bedar, the Dapat 86'/26 m (LOD), 1980
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Building the bedar Naga Pelangi, fitting the frames, Duyong, 1981
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The owner of the Naga Pelangi lending a hand, Duyong 1981
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Hasni Ali building the bedar Naga Pelangi, Duyong, 1981
See also
References
- ^ Gibson-Hill, C. A. (June 1949). "Cargo Boats of the East Coast of Malaya". Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 22: 106–125 – via JSTOR.
- ^ Smyth, H. Warrington (May 1902). "Boats and Boat Building in the Malay Peninsula". Journal of the Society of Arts. 50: 569–588 – via JSTOR.
- ^ Gibson-Hill (1949). p. 106.
- ^ a b Gibson-Hill (1949). p. 113.
- ^ a b c d e f g Cargo Boats of the East Coast of Malaya, Gibson-Hill, C.A. (1949), JMBRAS 22(3), p. 106-125.
- ^ "Google Translate Malay to English - kulit gelam". Retrieved 2013-11-28.
- ^ a b c Keeping the Tradition of Boatbuilding Alive, Keith Ingram, Magazine: Professional Skipper March/April 2007, p. 70.
- ^ "Google Translate Malay to English - Perahu Besar". Retrieved 2013-11-28.
- ^ Boats, Boatbuilding and Fishing in Malaysia, The Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, MBRAS 2009, p. 349-350,