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The material appeared to me to be a synthetic, polyester, or something of that sort, more or less the same sort of thing that men's trousers or work clothes are made of there. Certainly nothing special!

Hello Toby, in this video ("early sail. . .") the resolution is not adequate to show the details you are talking about, but the other video ("Sailing the Quang Yen Junk") was shot with a better camera and had the huge advantage of being done from a chase boat that could pace along right with the junk. I think if you will watch that one closely (and maybe more than once) you should get all your rigging answers. The sails are set on opposite sides of the masts, so you only see the rigging (parrels and diagonal chains particularly), on the side "away" from you, but the rigging is the same on both sails, just on opposite sides. The battens are actually inserted through full length pockets of the sailcloth sewn to the sail, and lashed to the bolt rope that is sewn into the edge of the sail all the way around. There is a second bolt rope that is actually seized to the one in the sail and is what you can see as a bolt rope. It is in turn seized to the batten tips. So the battens and the sail are completely controlled with conventional "Chinese" rigging. . .with the possible exception that I had never seen the chain diagonals before this rig. . .but I have very little experience.

@@kenpreston6699 I greatly appreciate the reply. I have taken several screenshots from the other video, along with several detailed images of junk rigging from the net to make a working miniature of a sail, and so far everything is planned out now. Thanks once again for your reply ☺️

Hello Toby, if you're not already aware of it, you might want to look into the "Junk Rig Association" their website is at www.junkrigassociation.org/ Membership is very inexpensive and their journal is absolutely splendid. . .and they have a great library, much of which can be read on line. The junk in this video has had a rough life, involved in a dispute and converted to diesel power, and generally not the same boat at all any more. I don't understand enough Vietnamese to be able to know what all has gone on, but the last time I saw her (2018) she was in poor condition. I think you'll be able to pick up most of the details of her super-simple rigging just by watching and stopping the video to study. There's also an article in Woodenboat magazine back issues with a bit more technical information and some photos you haven't seen here. Best wishes, Ken

@@kenpreston6699 how tragic 😔

Перевод Google: Если вы хотите сшить паруса самостоятельно, у них нет выпуклости, поэтому парус кроится и сшивается ровно, что проще, чем сделать современный парус. Если вам нужна помощь с дизайном, вам следует обратиться в «Ассоциацию мусорных буровых установок» по адресу junkrigassociation.org/. Членство стоит всего 7 британских фунтов и даст вам доступ к большому количеству помощи. Если вы хотите купить паруса, вам все равно нужно сделать дизайн, но тогда многие парусники могут сделать эту работу. Rolly Tasker из Германии сделал красивый парус для моего друга. С наилучшими пожеланиями. If you want to sew the sails yourself, they have no camber, so the sail is cut and sewn flat, which is easier than making a modern sail. If you need help with the design, you should contact the "Junk Rig Association" at junkrigassociation.org/. The membership only costs 7 British pounds and will get you access to lots of help. If you want to buy sails, you still need to do the design, but then many sailmakers can do the work. Rolly Tasker in Germany made a good looking sail for a friend of mine. Best wishes.

@@kenpreston6699 может тогда вы подскажете почему полотнища между рейками сшиваются из отдельных частей.А не из целого полотнища?

@@kenpreston6699 у автора SV Seeker к его судну паруса сшиты из кусков.. Дополнительные швы по вертикали дают утяжку ткани,делая укрепление.Швы делают в итоге парус пузырявым,что ловит потоки воздуха.

​@@МаслЫрийКинЧ The entire sail is sewn from strips of fabric running from top to bottom, then the roping around the edges (bolt ropes) are sewn on and the pockets to hold the battens that divide the sail into "panels" are sewn on. So the basic structural seams cross the battens at a slight angle, and that gives the appearance of the individual "panels" being separate. They are not separate, they are all one large sail, with the battens installed "across" the sail. I believe the procedure is to lay the panels of fabric out in their final position on a large floor or a smooth outdoor surface, then mark the sail shape and cut it out. Then sew one piece of fabric on at a time, rolling the completed unit into a bundle to handle it, then sewing on the third piece and so forth. When the whole sail is sewn to its final dimensions then it is rolled the other way in order to install the batten pockets. Good Luck! Google translates: Весь парус шьется из полос ткани, идущих сверху вниз, затем пришиваются обвязки по краям (болтовые канаты) и пришиваются карманы для удерживания лат, разделяющих парус на «панели». Таким образом, основные структурные швы пересекают рейки под небольшим углом, что создает впечатление, что отдельные «панели» отделены друг от друга. Они не отдельные, все они представляют собой один большой парус с латами, установленными «поперек» паруса. Я считаю, что процедура заключается в том, чтобы разложить панели ткани в их окончательном положении на большом полу или гладкой внешней поверхности, затем отметить форму паруса и вырезать ее. Затем пришивайте по одному куску ткани, сворачивая готовый блок в пучок, чтобы с ним можно было обращаться, затем пришивайте третий кусок и так далее. Когда весь парус сшит до окончательных размеров, его сворачивают в другую сторону для установки латовых карманов. Удачи!

Yes, both masts are stayed with galvanized wire. The foremast uses the heavy timber horns you can see extending out overboard as a place to anchor the stays, since the boat is so narrow forward.

@@kenpreston6699 amazing! thanks for reply. I think those will last longer than unstayed ones

Sadly, I will probably not post any more junk photos or videos. In Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia, where I have mostly traveled, this one example is the only one I know of and it is now converted to motor power (ugly). If you are interested in junk rigs, you might want to join the Junk Rig Association (google it). They are a very active and dynamic group of people all over the world sailing and experimenting with junks. They have an excellent website and numerous advantages to joining. . .only 7 British pounds per year I think. . .excellent value!

Hello, Yours is a difficult question, since "sea worthy" is defined very differently by different people for different purposes. These boats, when they were the primary fishing boat of the region (certainly in 1943, but as recently as the mid 1980's) actually lived most of their lives in the coastal waters of northern Viet Nam and what is now southern China, fishing or carrying freight. So, they were for use on the ocean, yes. Are they suitable for a long ocean voyage? I think yes, but with serious reservations regarding their construction. Beautiful and well-formed for their work, but they were relatively inexpensive vessels, "the most boat for the money", and so, for example, did not have tight decks and hatches, so a voyage with a chance of heavy water on deck would be risky at best. Further, they were iron fastened with heavy spikes (not bolts generally), and so were subject to nail sickness after perhaps 20 years. And, like all centerboard-daggerboard sailing boats and multihulls, they are not able to right themselves from a capsize. So, if the same design were built with tight decks and hatches and better fasteners, and was thus suitable for routine voyaging in ordinary weather, it would still carry a serious risk in typhoon or hurricane conditions. These boats were frequently used in the aftermath of the "American War", up into the 1980's, for refugee voyages, many as far as Hong Kong. I've interviewed one person, who, as a young person, lived with her family on an identical boat, normally carrying "building materials" from the northern coast to Hanoi. In the mid-1980's the extended family, 18 people total, sailed on that boat to Hong Kong and thus eventually (by other means!) to Canada. Woodenboat magazine, No. 262, carried a fairly detailed article on the boat which will give you a much better idea of her hull form and details.

@@kenpreston6699 thank you very much for the detailed answer and your time. It sure looks as wonderful as a swan 🦢 in a lake. I mostly sail the Aegean sea for I am Greek. I fantasize my self roaming our seas in a vessel like it...

Hello Roy, glad you like her. It was a rare chance to see the boat, sail on her for a bit, and visit at length with both the builder and the gentleman who sponsored the construction. Best, Ken

@@kenpreston6699 Great opportunity! I am drawn to unique boats and older builds! She sails beautifully! Take care Ken!

Hello Quyen, I'm very glad you enjoyed the video. Actually many people outside Viet Nam and China are interested in "junk rigged" sail boats, and there's a lot of experimentation and actual long range sailing going on. You might enjoy the "Junk Rig Association" www.junkrigassociation.org, which is very international, though its headquarters are in England. I spent 13 long trips through Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia, and this was the only junk rigged sailing vessel I ever found. Any sort of sailing boat is very rare now in your part of the world, though there are a few small fishing boats still sailing at least part of the time along the beaches of Thua Thien-Hue. Look for my book, "Classic Wooden Fishing Boats of the Vietnamese Coast", being published by the Women's publishing house in Hanoi.

@@kenpreston6699 I am very touched! I used to find and read the book "Sailing in Indochina (Voiliers d''Indochine)" by JB.Petri, published from the colonial Indochina period. Unexpectedly you are also another author of Vietnamese boats. A rare enthusiastic foreigner! Many thanks for your dedication!

What's the purpose of the sail shape?

​​@@TheMattjudo26 This shape of sail can more efficiently utilize wind from main different directions, combined with a rotating mast. In some cases, it can even sail against the wind, rather than relying solely on the wind from behind, as in European sailboats. The triangular design of modern sailboats also follows the same principle

Indeed, she was a very pleasant boat sailing, pretty to look at from on board or at a distance, and a nice boat to sail.

Hi, makes me homesick too. . .especially now that I'm home, not in Viet Nam. There is currently a great deal of RUclips activity covering all manner of interesting boats and efforts down in the delta. Here's an example I'd bet you'll enjoy ruclips.net/video/aSAxaLplado/видео.html. That fellow is doing a great job of documenting the current state of affairs in the Delta!

@@kenpreston6699 i Ken. Thanks so much for the kind reply; I will watch the youtube in a few minutes. May I ask what got you to VN in the first place? I went in 1963 with the army--worked as a crypto operator. I was lucky enough to have a "nephew" in Ben Tre who had a small river boat and he would take me and my nephew Phoung out on the river and to all the nook and crannys along the river bank for drinking Ba Muoi B bia and fishing and to visit friends along the way. For them, it was fun having a Yankee who they knew would be interested in all the little pleasures that were there to be savored.

@@kenpreston6699 Hi Ken. I just watched the suggested youtube video and I was so fascinating---it is so "real life" and the damned video even brought on an emotional reaction in me. Watching her so expertly operating the ghe (boat) and using her feet to steer, and raising the cabin once they had cleared the bridges...........thanks again.

Hi, that's an interesting question. This particular example, built to demonstrate the methods in use at the beginning of Mr. Chan's career, building a utility fishing boat to an absolute minimal budget, would not do at all. She's made of typical poor quality wood (typical for such boats) fastened with black iron nails and bolts, with her rigging made of correspondingly cheap materials. She will require annual visits to a boatyard, and access to a beach to dry out on from time to time (something her hull form makes her well suited to do). She's configured as a fish-boat, with a small cabin for family use (yes, they did live aboard). But a lot of her volume is devoted to fish in live wells. Perhaps worst, she does not have tight decks, but relies of good seamanship to keep solid water off the deck. . .not ideal for an ocean going boat. On the other hand many of these were used for long coastwise voyages. . .ergo to Hong Kong during the 1980's diaspora, and I'm not aware that they had an unreasonable failure rate especially considering they were generally badly overloaded with refugees for the voyage. This hull form and sail plan would probably do just fine offshore, though it's completely unballasted and would have to be sailed well to deal with bad weather. . .if it were made of long lasting materials and the interior thought out for that use.

I agree with you, she looks just like a junk rigged work boat ought to. And, she's a pleasure to sail. There is a set of drawings in existence that you might use for making a model, though my impression is that the boat as built is slightly different from the drawings. There was an article in Woodenboat magazine a couple of years ago with more photos, including some during the construction, and the sailplan drawing. Thanks for writing.

Thank you, I also felt some record needed to be made. At the time this boat was built there was the possibility of building a fleet of ten or twelve, to sail as advertising and publicity for various potential owners, but as far as I know, nothing has actually come of that, so this boat will probably be truly the last of her kind.

Merci de voter réponse / Thank you for your reply. It is a pity that this junk boat sould be the last... The sailing junks are fabulous boats whose ancestral know-how is no longer to be demonstrated. With us in France Dimitri le Forestier knew this and drew plans of pleasure junks of several sizes that could interest the public (you can see his website "jonquedeplaisance.net" (in French or in English). But people do not know this type of rigging which is so obvious and logical. In Asia, navigators knew how to go upwind well before European countries. Junks deserve more attention. Thank you very much again.

importante notar que não falo seu idioma, e a maioria do mundo também não fala, então é importante adicionar uma legenda que possa ser traduzida pelo Google para que todos possam entender o passo a passo do que está sendo feito. Điều quan trọng cần lưu ý là tôi không nói ngôn ngữ của bạn và hầu hết thế giới cũng không biết, vì vậy điều quan trọng là thêm chú thích có thể được dịch bởi Google để mọi người có thể hiểu từng bước những gì đang được thực hiện.

Điều quan trọng cần lưu ý là tôi không nói ngôn ngữ của bạn và hầu hết thế giới cũng không biết, vì vậy điều quan trọng là thêm chú thích có thể được dịch bởi Google để mọi người có thể hiểu từng bước những gì đang được thực hiện.

First, Dr. Viet's documentation has not been published in any form that I'm aware of. At one point he considered paying one of his associates to copy it all for me (still photos and videos) but nothing came of it in the end. He was in fragile health last time we spoke and I have not had a response to my most recent letters. It is quite possible that the bulk of his documentation is or will be lost. As for stability, there is of course limited "ultimate" stability in the manner of ballasted sailing yachts, but from a working standpoint, she's an end point of a very long traditional evolution and works very well for her intended service. As an example, apparently a large number of these made the voyage to Hong Kong during the period of the Vietnamese migration after re-unification in the late 1970's and early 1980's. The type was used extensively both for local fishing and freight in the north of the country. She's really quite beamy, and with a lot of flare to her topsides. . .sort of a blunt bowed sailing dory really. I did publish an article on her with more details in Woodenboat magazine a couple of years ago, you can probably get a single copy of that if you'd like to follow up.

Have read that junks perform poorly against Bermudans. Can Ken confirm?

A set of lines and a full set of plans was taken off the completed boat by a naval architect from Saigon after she was completed. I know there is a pdf version of the plans. If you'd like to contact me off line at kenpreston46@gmail.com, I'll look into availability. In short though, she's a flat bottom dory style hull with very strongly flared sides. The bottom has significant rocker fore and aft but no camber thwartships. Her bottom is bent up sharply at the ends to make relatively narrow "transoms" I suspect she would plank easily in ply, or sheet metal, aluminum or steel. Woodenboat magazine carried an article about her, with numerous photos and the sail plan drawing. That was in their issue number 262, beginning on page 38.

Hi Rael, I can take no credit for the boat or the video, other than that I patched together several bits of cell-phone video made that day by Mr. Chan's sons and workmen. The sailcloth was an inexpensive synthetic, of a weight about right for a pair of trousers, dyed at the factory, not "tanned" in the old manner. I suspect it was chosen for price only, since I think the owner really had only limited interest in operating the boat. . .as an archaeologist he mainly wanted to document the building methods. She's certainly a lovely thing, a pleasure to sail, very well mannered and slippery. My primary interest the past dozen years or so has been documenting all the current wooden fishing and freight vessels in Viet Nam, Cambodia and Laos, which lead to my chance to meet the principals and go for two sails on the boat a little after this early-days video. I like your proa and your blog!! Thanks for writing. kp

Nowadays antifouling is normal. Back in the 1950s or 60s I understand they routinely beached the boats and scraped and flamed their bottoms.