A traditional Maldives boat, or otherwise known as ‘dhoni’ in local terms, is a strong symbol of Maldivian culture and identity. Built without a documented plan, the design and symmetry of a Maldives dhoni emerges as it is being constructed.

The average size of a Maldives dhoni is usually 33 feet, but can be bigger or smaller depending on its purpose. Boats in Maldives are mostly used for traveling short distances, and in tourist activities such as island excursions and scuba diving trips.

Building a Maldives Boat

In the past, boats in Maldives were built using coconut wood. Nowadays this material has been replaced with imported hardwoods, which serves as the main ingredient in making the dhoni’s hull. Copper rivets hold together the planks of a Maldives dhoni, replacing the use of coir during the older days.

A sail is essential to any Maldives boat as it will prove to be useful during emergency situations. It can also be used to save precious and expensive gasoline resources. The lateen triangular sail has replaced the traditional square sail made of coconut fronds.

Did you know that the basic hull design of a Maldives liveaboard cruise is entirely based on that of the smaller dhoni? These first class vessels are usually a hundred feet long or even bigger. To know more about luxury liveaboards in Maldives, click here.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 22nd, 2010 at 10:46 am and is filed under Holidays, Liveaboards, Maldives, Transport. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.