Indonesia is by definition a “boat country”. No wonder why, because with 17000 islands, inhibited or overly crowded, this is a huge archipelago! As a result, sailing has always been in the DNA of Indonesian fishermen and traders.

We will take you sailing through a summary of yesterday and today’s Indonesian wooden boats.

• Pinisi

This is one of the most famous Indonesian boats because it is still widely used to charter tourists. Mostly used as liveaboards for adventurer divers. However, they are still used for trade as well, to transport goods between islands. This is particularly the case for the transportation of timber from Kalimantan to Java,

While the word pinisi refers to a type of rigging (the configuration of masts, sails and ropes,  most of them have now been motorized.

• Perahu Slerek

In west Bali, where the influence of the nearby Java island is stronger than on the east coast of the island, the harbour is the host of stunning boats called Perahu Slerek.

These colourful fishing boats have a 20 man crew and operate in pairs painted the same way.

• Padewakang

Padewakang were two masts traditional boats used by the Bugis, Mandar, and Makassar people of South Sulawesi.  Weighing from 20 to  50 tons, Padewakang boats were used for long-distance voyages serving the south Sulawesi kingdoms.

• Tongkang

Tongkang literally means “barge” so you can guess this refers to several types of boats used to carry goods along rivers and shorelines in Maritime Southeast Asia.

As such, The tongkang was an unmotorised open cargo boat, propelled by a variety of methods, including rowing, punt poles and sail.

Tongkans from North Borneo, also called “Tongkang Melayu” were equipped with 1 or 2 masts, each setting a large sail.

This is typically the kind of boat Kaltimber dismantles to recycle its wood into decking and flooring. 

• Jukung

Also known as cadik is a small wooden Indonesian outrigger canoe. It is a traditional fishing boat, but newer uses include "Jukung Dives", using the boat as a vehicle for small groups of SCUBA divers.