Just like other islands of the country, Ukulhas requires a large number of vessels for transportation, economic activities and leisure activities.The Ukulhas Boatyard, made as a traditional hut-like structure, is located at the end of Gunbaru Beach on the western side of the Island.During the early days, vessels in Ukulhas were constructed by using coconut timbers under the advice given by a master carpenter who would take the measurements and instruct the rest of his carpenters. Those days, there were no preexisting plans, sketches, or drawings to follow the project, and all the measurements, shapes, designs, and all other guidelines were recorded in the memory of the master carpenter known as the ‘Maavadi’.
Boatbuilding tools used by our forefathers were also completely different than now. They used hand-crafted tools which were operated manually by hands without electricity. However today, almost all the carpenters rely heavily on electric tools and equipment to do all types of work. Nowadays, most of the vessels are built using fiberglass and they are equipped with petrol or diesel engines. Looking at the olden days, vessels were built from timber and were equipped with sails and manually operated oars.
