No. 4 (1922) THE COROMANDEL FLYING-FISH FISHERY 101 



from land — and have to be prepared to meet stormy weather and 

 to stay at sea up to three days if need compels, they are made of 

 unusually large size. The one which we towed to the fishing 

 ground, was said to be of medium size only. The principal 

 dimensions were— 



Length over all ... ... ••• ... 33 feet. 



Width at the aft lashing ... ... 7 ,, 



,, ,, fore lashing ... •• 4 ,, 



Larger sail yard ... ... ••• ... 29 ,, 



Smaller „ „ ... 2lj£ „ 



Steering oar (length) ••• ... ... 12 ,, 



Two Leeboards, respectively ... ... 10% and 9 feet. 



The hull of these catamarans is invariably made of seven main 

 timbers with an accessory one lashed on the starboard side, upon 

 which men squat when scooping up the fish. Each timber is 

 specially shaped and these being narrowed at the fore end give a 

 cuneate form to the craft, completed by the addition of an elegant 

 up-turned prow of rive pointed members, dovetailed into the 

 forward ends of the seven main logs, to which they are simply but 

 securely lashed. The craft has carefully worked out proportions, 

 elegantly concave above and with fine lines for skimming over the 

 water — the draft being about one foot when loaded. But though 

 of such shallow draft and without keel, it is able to beat against 

 the wind very well indeed ; when this is necessary two powerful 

 leeboards are brought into action, one abreast the forward mast 

 (they usually carry two masts), the other at the stern, nearly 

 abreast of the steering paddle, which is itself also an efficient 

 leeboard and of similar shape. Indeed when close hauled, we 

 may justly say that the craft is carrying three leeboards — a curious 

 and perhaps significant fact seeing that the great catamarans of 

 Formosa also employ the same number. 



The dugout as used in Malabar cannot compete with these 

 Coromandel catamarans in seaworthiness and, being unable to 

 beat to windward, is comparatively useless for offshore fishing. 

 This accounts in the main for the failure that attended the recent 

 attempt to introduce these boats upon the east coast where stormy 

 weather is more frequent and strong offshore winds prevalent in 

 the south-west monsoon. 



The masts of the catamarans are short, and stepped laterally in 

 the outside log on the leeward side. The fore mast is well forward 



