The termbedar (spelled "bedor" inTerengganu) is applied to a wide variety of boats of the east coast ofMalaysia that carry one or twojunk sails and lack the typicaltransom stern of theperahupinas. Thesejunk rigged boats are usually built in theTerengganu area. The stern of the bedar is a classical "canu" or "pinky stern," being a typical "double ender", a bit like a modern ship'slifeboat, with a very full turn of thebilge and with markedly rakedstem andstern. They came in small versions as small one-mastedfishing vessels — anak bedar[1] (Malay for child bedar) and were built as big as 90 feet overdeck (LOD). The majority of the bedars were usually 45 to 60 feet (13.7–18.3 m) over deck. The bedar, like all Terengganu boats, was built ofChengal wood by theMalays since the 19th century and roamed theSouth China Sea and adjacent oceans as a highly seaworthy traditional sailing vessel.[citation needed]
The Malay wordbedar means an elongated and flattened beak, broadening towards the tip (i.e. like the bill of aplatypus).[2]
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The bedar is a sailing junk that is mainly built in the kuala (English: rivermouth) of theTerengganu River.[3]
The smaller and medium-sized bedars often had a fine slanting projectingprow of various lengths and a short one at the similarly built stern. The bowsprit was resting on top of this forward projection which is calledsudu (English: spoon or duck's bill).[4]
The boats equipped with a sudu were referred to asbedar luang sudu (from Malay wordsudu: spoon, orsudu itek: duck's bill).[4] The conspicuoussheer (ship) of the bedar varied as well. The smaller ones with a long projection having more sheer and the bigger ones with a short sudu and short sheer. Bedars above 70 feet (21 m) rarely carried a long sudu but featured almost straight stem and stern posts, very much like the bedar Dapat.[5]
Like the pinas, the bedar over 45 feet/13.7 m (LOD), carried two masts, one in the bow, called "topan", slightly raked forward; The main mast, called "agung" was placed a bit forward of the center of the boat. The bedar had a very long bowsprit, slightly bent downwards by thebobstay.[5] Both masts carried a fullybattenedlug or "junk-sail" of typical Chinese design. These sails were not made of cloth but of a matting material called "tikal" that is also used for floor matting and other purposes. Like most junk sails the battens were made ofbamboo, usually creating 6 individual panels to the sail. Thehalyard was attached almost in the middle of thesail, and since theluff, or edges, of the sail was nearly straight and only about half the length of the markedly convexleech, the yard, when hoisted, was sitting in an angle of about 15° – 20° with the vertical.[5]
Theforesail was set on the port side of the topan and themainsail on thestarboard side of the agung. A relatively smalljib was set on the bowsprit. All bedars, even those up to or more than 80 feet (24 m) were steered by atiller with apulley block system easing the strain on a conventionalrudder hinged on the stern post. This tiller was operated from within the round cabin (cup) on thedandan platform over the stern. The hold stored cargo.[5]
The hull of the bedar is influenced by the Arabdhow with their long raked stemposts and the dows often being double ended vessels.[5]
The bedar boats of Terengganu are built using indigenous Malaysian techniques to build wooden boats. They build without plans, hull first, frames later. The planks are fire bent and joined edge on edge (carvel) using "basok" (wooden dowels) made fromPenaga —ironwood (Mesua ferrea). Rather than the European stylecaulking hammered into a groove between the planks, a strip ofkulit gelam[citation needed] (English: paperbarks skin)[6] of theMelaleuca species is placed over the dowels before the new plank is hammered home. This 1 – 2 mm layer of a natural material has remarkable sealing properties.[5]
The tradition of building wooden boats in modern Malaysia reaches far back in time, involving overseas trade, fishing, piracy, travelling up the many rivers. For each purpose they developed a special design.[7]
WithMalacca becoming the main trading centre for the spices arriving from theMoluccas Islands (Indonesia), theMalay Peninsula turned into a melting pot of the seafaring, trading civilisations: Indians and Chinese, Arabs and Indonesians, Vietnamese and Thai, Burmese, Europeans and others, they all arrived in their distinctive craft, inspiring the Malay shipbuilding.[7]
The two "Perahu Besar",[citation needed] (English: big boat)[8] of Terengganu, thepinas and thebedar are the result of this cultural interchange. Jib and bowsprit of the two are of western origin, with junks almost never carrying one.[5]
The boatbuilders of Terengganu were rediscovered during theSecond World War by theJapanese navy who had woodenminesweepers built there by the carpenters and fishing folks.[7]
There were 5 bedars built for westerners since 1945:[9]
| Name of boat | Builders (shipyard) | LOD | Year built | Original owner | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foxy Lady | Haji Nik | 36 ft (11 m) | 1949 | Dominique | France |
| Burong Bahri | Che Man | 32 ft (9.8 m) | 1976 | Jerry Williams | New Zealand |
| Anak Duyong | Che Man | 36 ft (11 m) | 1980 | Steven Bisset | Australia |
| Naga Pelangi | Che Ali bin Ngah | 45 ft (14 m) | 1981 | Christoph Swoboda | Germany |
| Raja Laut | Che Ali bin Ngah | 45 ft (14 m) | 1982 | Uli Horenkohl | Germany |
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