Adhoni (also written asthoni ordhoney) is a traditional multi-purposesailvessel with a motor orlateen sails that is used in theMaldives,South India andSri Lanka.[1] Varying in size and shape, they are used asfishing vessel,ferry, trading- andcargo ship.
The termdhoni derives fromSanskritdróṇa, meaning "wooden trough".[2] Another theory presupposes aDravidian (Tamil-Malayalam) origin, derived from the root wordtull meaning "to dig" because the early traditional dhonis were made from a scooped or dug out single log.[3][4][5][6]
Toni is mentioned in aTamil inscription of about 1200/1256 CE from Krishnapattinam on the Andhra coast.[7]: 93–94
The traditional dhoni is one of the oldest known sea vessels in theMaldives. Many of these traditional sailing vessels were, of necessity, built using coconut palm timber. The sailing dhoni was used in earlier days by Maldivian fishermen. During the industrial revolution many fisherman changed to a mechanised dhoni.
TheTamil,Kannada andKonkani word for a small boat isdoni and theMalayalam word for a small boat istuoni, perhaps due to the tradelinks between Arabs and the Konkani people inGoa and other port cities inKonkan andCoastal South West India.[citation needed]
James Welsh, recounting his 40-year service in India, described doni:
The Doney, or Tony, of the Eastern coast, is a large awkward vessel, and carries very heavy cargoes, even to the ports on the western shore of the Peninsula. They have one mast, and asquare sail, sometimes using a smalltopsail. They are reckoned sea-worthy; but have no accommodation for Europeans, and are generally very heavy sailers.[8]
Dhonis used to be built without plans. The master carpenter took measurements and gave instructions to the carpenters.[9] Contemporary dhonis are often built using fibreglass. Dhonis fitted withdiesel engines are extensively used on resort islands forscuba diving purposes, their lowfreeboard being ideal for this activity.
The islands of the Maldives have an extensivefishing fleet of vessels built domestically, each of which carries eight to twelve persons. Nearly all of these are variants of the dhoni, a plank-built craft traditionally built withcoconut timber, although imported wood fromSoutheast Asia is increasingly used. Originally sailing craft, nowadays these boats are usually fitted with motors. The main site for building dhonis is inAlifushi inRaa Atoll. Dhonibuilding is a traditional craft in the Maldives, and young apprentices are trained by skilled craftsmen. Boats crafted from timber take 60 days to complete.
Using a US$3.2 million loan from theInternational Development Association (IDA), most of the boats were mechanised during the 1980s.[10] Although the addition of motors added fuel costs to operating expenses, it resulted in a doubling of the fishing catch between 1982 and 1985. Moreover, the 1992 catch of 82,000 tons set a record; for example, in 1987 the catch was 56,900 tons.[10]
In 1995 there were 1674 registered fishing vessels in the Maldives. Of these, 1407 were motorised pole and line craft (masdhoni) for tuna fishing in coastal waters, five were sailing masdhoni, 48 were mechanisedvadhudhoni, 209 were sailing vadhudhoni and 5 were rowboats used fortrawling in reef waters.[11]
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