#311 Boats of Wood

I recently started to collect native trees, both in an effort to understand why many are under the imminent threat of extinction in the wild, and to do my share in preserving specimens for future generations.

We were documenting the lifestyle of folks along the coast in San Jose in Antique, minding our own business, when we chanced upon this master boat builder at work. With my new eyes and interest in native trees, the type of wood he used for each part of the boat naturally piqued my curiosity. The massive keel is made from half of a huge Antipolo tree's trunk, a relatively soft wood. The ribs jutting out of the keel are mahogany. The horizontal top beam securing all these mahogany ribs together is a single piece of White Lauan, selected for its strength and unusually long length. And the boat's stern is cut from one of the hardest woods available here, the trunk of a full-grown Kaimito tree. Each type of wood had been selected for the properties important for a boat. Naturally. Let's just hope they've been harvested in a sustainable manner. Enjoy.

Pixel-peepers: We spotted them at work shortly after sunset, but it was too dark to achieve a photograph of substance. When the light is less than ideal, you just have to come back to do the story justice.

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