176 



J HORNELL ON 



Ft. 



in 



26 







8 



6 



3 



7 



2 



8 



2 







Overall length 



Forepart, bow to aft side of coaming 



Beam at fore side of mast (at coaming) 



Beam aft of mast 



Depth 



A rather lofty square sail hung from a bamboo yard is used, hoisted to the head 

 of a 19-foot mast set upright immediately abaft the transverse coaming. Its 

 head measures io| feet, the luif I4|- feet and the foot 10 feet. 



This shoe-dhoni of the Godaveri creeks is perhaps even more distinctly indigenous 

 to India than the catamaran. The form of the shoe-dhoni is quite unique so 

 far as I know among boats, and is especially interesting as I believe I am able 

 to indicate its prototype for the first time in the curious palmyra-palm dug-out 



Fig. 21. — A sangadam or double canoe, Godaveri river. 



used on the upper reaches of the same river system. These craft frequently used 

 as double canoes, consist of two butt sections of palms roughly hollowed out on 

 one side and lashed together parallel but at some distance apart by means of two 

 bamboo poles passing from one to the other (fig. 21). The butt end of each dug-out 

 being bulbous, one extremity is wide, whereas the other is narrow and truncated 

 as being part of the cylindrical stem. One of these dug-outs copied in planks and 

 with a keel added below the fore end which corresponds to the bulbous butt, 

 gives precisely the design of the shoe-dhoni. As further proving the inland origin 

 of the latter, we have to note its tall mast and high and narrow square-sail, well 

 adapted to top the low banks of river and creek but a poor design for sea-going 

 craft. 



These boats are absolutely local, not being found even in the adjacent delta 

 of the Kistna. They are very fast with a fair wind, but are said to be poor sailers 

 when beating in spite of the deep fin-keel and forefoot, a fault due apparently to 

 the type of sail employed. 



