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Living
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Toilet |
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Dining
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Kitchen |
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The Kerala houseboat, tourism's hottest new attraction,
graces the waters with a trail of history behind it. It
is the contemporary version of the "Kettuvallom"
or "boat with knots", the traditional country
craft of Kerala. 80 feet long, these giant boats were once
built by tying together massive planks of wood. Once used
as rice boats, a part of it was covered with bamboo and
coir to be used as a restroom and kitchen for the crew.
A properly maintainedKettuvallom lasted for generations.
The advent of road transportation of cargo pushed these
ingenious boats to the verge of extinction. Today this utilitarian
country craft has undergone an exciting evolution. Thanks
to an innovative holiday idea. |
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Scientifically
designed fibreglass houseboats |
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Samudra
Shipyard has been building boats for more than three decades.
Currently, true to its penchant for innovation, it is replacing
wood with fibreglass while making luxury houseboats. These
scientifically designed and tested holiday cruise boats
have become a benchmark in modern-day boat building.
The luxurious furnished houseboat gracing the backwaters
is the hottest thing to happen to tourism in India. This
exotic barge meant for leisure cruises comes with 2 and
3 attached bedrooms, modern toilets, a snug living room,
an open lounge and a kitchen. More than a house built to
float on water, it can actually be a cruise boat or a floating
restaurant. |
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Age-old
tradition. New-age technology |
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Samudra
Shipyard has opened fresher insights into the making of
a modern houseboat. Earlier in the Kettuvallam, the hull
used to bear all the weight. But with the most notable addition
of the superstructure, the problem of stability has come
up. Safety too has been another problem all through. Samudra's
pioneering introduction of scientific design into its new-age
fibreglass houseboat tackles all these issues comprehensively. |
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The
making of a flawless houseboat |
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Running
on an inboard diesel engine, Samudra's fibreglass houseboat
is the result of extensive R&D. The hull is put through
a tank-testing facility at the Department of Ocean Engineering,
IIT Chennai, the only such facility in India.
The
best brains in India work behind the fibreglass houseboat.
The project is undertaken jointly with the Advanced Composites
Division of the Technology Information & Forecasting
Assessment Council (TIFAC), New Delhi. TIFAC is a division
under the Department of Science and Technology, forecasting
future technological requirements for all sectors. TIFAC's
Advanced Composites Division, earlier headed by
Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, the honourable President
of India now offers assistance to all composite-related
sectors.
In
fact the President during his last visit to Kerala, recommended
a ten point programme for the development of the state
as a whole. One among them was tourism and Samudra is
trying to play a key role in its own inimitable manner. The
hull of the houseboat, designed at IIT Chennai, is made
by virtually eliminating wood. Making it maintenance-free
and eco-friendly. Space-age technology, like the one employed
in the making of the fuselage of Boeing aircraft (vacuum
bagging), is pressed into use. The Industrial Design Centre,
a wing of IIT Mumbai, designs the entire fibreglass superstructure.
IIT Kharagpur and the Department of Tourism Kerala are
also part of the project along with Samudra. |
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Samudra
- Where technology modernizes tradition |
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Starting
as a small crafts company, Samudra has come a long way over
the years. It has been introducing lasting technological
advantages on an ongoing basis. At present it is the only
ISO 9001:2000 certified company in its field of activity.
At the helm of the company are professionals with an enduring
passion for the tradition, art and science of boat building.
Today,
Samudra Shipyard, though it does not build bulk carriers,
does not just stop with small crafts either. It designs
and builds all-weather seagoing crafts as well as backwater
and inland crafts. From a 3 metre canoe to fibreglass
houseboats up to 27 metres long, Samudra's product range
includes power boats up to 750 HP, luxury cruisers, catamarans,
water sport equipment {parasails, row / pedal/ canoes)
and Life-saving accessories.The fishing boat range starts
from 3 metres up to 23 metres.
Samudra's operational area is spread over 4 key sectors:
Tourism, Defence, Fishing and Water sports.
The
major buyers are international NGOs and Department of
Science & Technology, Government of India. Samudra
is the major supplier of patrol boats to waterborne police
stations in Kerala. One
of Samudra's major achievements in 2005 is the supply
of 300 fishing boats to the tsunami affected areas of
Tamil Nadu and Kerala. |
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Sculpted
by tradition. Customized by 21st century technology |
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Samudra
goes that extra nautical mile while exploring the market
trends and requirements. From the making of hull, Samudra's
fibreglass houseboats are open to customization to a large
extent. For instance, a cladding can be put on top, if needed.
And since it is modular, the boat can be easily converted
into a hotel, library or a dance floor. The boat is ideal
for day cruising and also excels as a houseboat with 2 &
3 bedrooms.
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