THE EXISTANCE OF THE LOCAL BOATS(JAHAZI) IN COSTAL AREA

People who live along the costal area like Bagamoyo,Zanzibar,Mombasa use these boats for fishing and sometime as the means of transportation from mainland across the sea and most of them has modified their boats into motorboats so that they can go faster even in the middle of the ocean.This means of transport has been used for centuries since 11th century.
Original they never had motors to speed up their boats only they were using the wind to control the direction of  the boat across the sea and these boats become more usefully in 15th century were the slave trade was official conducted in the costal area.
Means of construction.
These boats are made of timber and nails though they need an exceptional skills on how to choose the timber type that can bend without breaking so they can make that semi circle shape both sides,then at the center of the boat they lifted a pillar with attached string to the boat sides and entwine the boat so that they can control the wind direction while sailing.
 In swahili word they are called JAHAZI.

An example of Jahazi at museum Zanzibar

 initial stage of the boat construction

fishing using Jahazi