Vernacular boats and boatbuilding in Greece

[摘要] This work presents a study of the vernacular boats ofmodern Greece. A new typology of boats is offered, andan account is given of tools and boatyard practice,design and construction techniques. Evidence for thesesubjects is drawn from field surveys, museum collections,iconographic studies, and interviews with oldboatbuilders. Although most of the information presentedcomes from the first half of the 20th century, backgroundinformation from the 18th and 19th centuries is alsocovered. This longer historical perspective isparticularly important in making comparisons between 20thcentury practices and the boatbuilding techniques of thepast.There is evidence for the existence of two main periodsof technical change in the industry, namely, the late18th century, when new methods such as lofting wereintroduced, and the late 19th century, when changes inthe wider shipbuilding industry initiated a process ofdecline in vernacular boatbuilding. At the same timehowever, a number of older techniques, for examplecertain moulding methods, survived at least into thefirst part of the 20th century.This work offers new insights into the design methodsinvolved in the control of hull-form during "skeletonfirst"boatbuilding from the last two hundred years. Italso offers an analysis of the structural integrity andstrength of vernacular boats and shows how the structureof boats has evolved across time to incorporate newtechniques and changes in boat function.

[发布机构] University:University of St Andrews;Department:History (School of)