60 Boating New Zealand
The surest way to any boat person’s heart
is to praise his vessel and I’d already chatted
up our pilot, Aung San Salan. “We go see
boatbuilding?” he queried after a while. Yes
please – and with a gentle heave on the tiller,
he altered course for Hsikhoue village – Lake
Inle’s boatbuilding centre.
All Inle boats are powered by an inboard
engine located near the stern with a small
area for the skipper to stand. They’re
generally diesels but I did see some Toyota
and Kia automotive engine installations.
There is no gearbox, so the shaft spins at
1:1 and exits directly through a hole above
the waterline in the transom. A universal
joint is fitted in the shaft just behind the
boat and bolted to a lever mechanism – so
the skipper can lift the prop in or out of the
water. Steering is by pipe tiller welded to the
front of the propeller-tilting framework.
With no reverse gear the modus operandi
for stopping or berthing is a little nerve-
wracking: close the throttle to idle, pull the
propeller out of the water and stand back while
the boat slides into her desired location. No
fenders, no aggro – just smiles and hilarity.
A cool head and slide rule judgement are
needed. At first glance the whole operation
has the potential to deteriorate into total
chaos but in practice it rarely seems to. I
certainly wouldn’t recommend it for berthing
your Beneteau at Westhaven marina though.
Aung San uses the technique to nudge
us in among the boats tied up outside the
boatbuilder’s lakefront boat shed and a
dozen or so hands reach out to tie up and
help us ashore. The unmistakable aroma of
worked teak scents the workshop and boats
are hauled up for repairs. A new tinbau (big
boat) is planked up for finishing. It’s a public
holiday and the boatbuilders are out on
the water, but a local lady soon emerges to
answer my questions.The only tools in
evidence were
a wooden block
plane, hammer,
brace with auger
bit and hand saw.