Outrigger Canoe
Smaller canoes often employ a single outrigger
on the port side, while larger canoes usually employ a double outrigger
configuration. The sailing canoes are an important part of the Polynesian
heritage and are actively raced and sailed in Hawaii and Tahiti. The
outrigger canoe is a type of canoe featuring one or more lateral support
floats known as outriggers, which are fastened to one or both sides
of the main hull. The outrigger bestows greater stability and seaworthiness
upon a canoe.
Outrigger canoes were originally developed by the Austronesian speaking
peoples of the islands of Southeast Asia for sea travel, and were used
to transport these peoples eastward through to Polynesia and New Zealand
during the Austronesian migration period.
Even today, it is exclusively
among the Austronesian groups (Malay, Micronesian, Melanesian and Polynesian
peoples) that outrigger canoes are used.
The technology has persisted
into the modern age. Outrigger canoes can be quite large fishing or
transport vessels, and in the Philippines, outrigger canoes (called
"bangka or "banca") are often fitted with gasoline engines.
Outrigger canoe racing has
become a popular canoeing sport, with numerous clubs located around
the world.
|
