NESTLED on the island of Borneo, Sarawak is celebrated for both its soul-stirring scenery and its pulsating cultural roots.
The Sarawak Regatta exemplifies the state’s long-standing culture and cohesion.
At the heart of this grand celebration are the skilled boat builders, unsung heroes who craft the vessels that glide gracefully along the Sarawak River during the annual regatta.
Beyond their craftsmanship, these boat builders play a pivotal role in preserving the cultural heritage of this event.
Story of a boat builder
Boat builders often work tirelessly behind the scene, meticulously carving and constructing the longboats.
Each of these boats not only embodies the historical significance of Sarawak’s seafaring tradition but also highlights the extraordinary skill and cultural acuity of the craftspeople who brought them into being.
New Sarawak Tribune met with Johan Mawi, the head boat builder for the local regatta team, Binladen, to share his experience as a boat builder.
“My story started way back when I was still a paddler. I remember at that time, my team wanted to compete in a regatta so we used an old wooden boat to practice.
“Unfortunately, over time, the boat started to fall apart so we were pressured to build a new one as no one was willing to lend us a boat for the competition.”
Reminiscing that moment, he said he and a few friends worked day and night over 10 days to build the boat as they were two weeks away from the race.
“At that time, we did not think of any other things because we were hyper focused on building the boat. And from there on, I started to take a deeper interest in boat-building,” he said.
The 53-year-old said prior to that moment, he had never once built any boat nor learned the craft anywhere.
“I believe my knowledge as a house builder contributes to me being capable of building regatta boats. Alhamdulillah, although I have no experience, the end result of the boat is satisfying,” he said
He stated that the first regatta boat he built was in 2001 where he used fibre instead of wood.
Despite the boat being more than 20 years old, he said it is to this day still being used in district and international level regattas.
Johan said the secret behind it still being able to stay intact to this day is because he used polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe and polypipe in the structure of the boat.
“With my experience as a house builder, these materials are not foreign to me. As you know, regattas could sometimes be intense as boats may hit one another during races.
“There are many cases when the boats would sink due to such incidents. Looking at the situation, I took the initiative to create a sturdy boat using these materials.”
He added that other than sturdiness, the materials can also last longer compared to wood.
Although ideally, he said, aluminium is a way better choice compared to the PVC pipe but the price of aluminium was just far from affordable at that time.
“But as years went by, the boats that I made have been a mixture of fibre and aluminium.
“And I also upgraded my first regatta boat to these materials as well,” he said.
Why fibre and not wood?
As regatta is a race, Johan stated that one of the factors that can bolster a team’s chance of winning is by racing in a light boat.
He said, as regatta boats sometimes need to fit 30 people, having a light boat is a crucial added advantage.
Having said that, he pointed out that even with light weighted woods such as meranti wood, engkabang wood, jelutong wood, or any others, it could never hold a candle against fibre in terms of lightness.
He explained that another added advantage of using fibre is that it will never leak or sink unless hit by other boats.
“Moreover, in terms of designing, fibre is far more customisable.
“If we were to use wood, we have to find the right one in terms of its weight, quality and length.
“Not only does it cost a lot, but it also will be heavier and unsuitable with the regatta races nowadays,” he said.
As for the design, he stated that the height of the regatta boats that he made needed to be at least 17 inches.
“This is to prevent it from sinking. When racing, it is unavoidable that the splashed water will accumulate inside the boat.
“That is why it is not advisable to have low clearance as the water entering the boat will put great weight on it, leading it to sink,” he said.
But despite regatta boats having various sizes to fit seven, 10, 20, 15, and 30 people, for him it only takes less than two weeks to finish one boat in good weather.
He added that for a boat that fits seven people, it only takes less than a week to finish while the one for 30 people takes no more than two weeks.
Of course, he said, this is all thanks to cooperation from his team members.
“Currently, there are only four of us who build these boats. To hasten the building process, we each have our own task.
“Of course aside from that, there are also others who help us build the boats.”
Youth involvement in boat-building
Despite having been around for over a century, regatta racing does not appear to have caught on with the new generation be it as paddlers or boat builders.
According to Johan, despite the fact that a lot of people in his village had attained the knowledge of boat-building from him, the youngest of them all are in their late 30s.
“The new generation simply do not have interest in being boat builders. Yes, they learned the technique of craftsmanship but that is only due to curiosity.”
Towards this end he said the youth having no interest in the art boat builders is concerning.
“This boat building should be continued by the youth because without boats, there will be no regatta. Moreover, Sarawak Regatta is something that the locals and foreigners alike look forward to.
“But looking at the situation, the art of boat building may be lost in time. That is why, at times when my team (Binladen) or villagers come around, I would share my knowledge of boat building with them in the hope that the knowledge will be passed on to the new generation,” he said.
Viewpoint of a veteran paddler
According to Johan, before the existence of Binladen (a combination of locals from Beladin and Bintawa), he was part of a few other teams.
Being a paddler since he was young, he has ample experience and strong views on the state of the current regatta.
He said similar to any other sports, regatta team training needs to be done at least three to six months prior to race day.
“This sport is all about stamina, teamwork, technique and rhythm. That is why you cannot train for only one month and hope to be on the podium. Commitment to this watersport is very important,” he stressed.
Commenting that the local teams who have started to use Indonesian paddlers instead of local ones, he said this is rather unavoidable.
“While this sport is our pride, it is undeniable that the Indonesians are far more advanced than us when it comes to training and techniques.
“Not only do they have youth taking up the sport, they constantly come up with new techniques every year during competitions. That is why they can succeed in the sport.
“Meanwhile, us here, only the elderly are invested in the sport but they do not have the strength and stamina to compete with those youngsters from Indonesia,” he said.
Johan revealed that his team has also started to import paddlers from Indonesia for the Sarawak Regatta.
“It just can’t be helped because our youth do not have interest and cannot give their full commitment towards the sport.
“On the positive side for the team, importing the paddlers would save a lot more time in terms of coming up with techniques and training sessions,” he said.
Looking Ahead
As Sarawak continues to embrace modernity, the role of boat builders in the regatta remains crucial.
Their skills, dedication, and passion are not only a testament to the past but also a beacon for the future.
Thus, it is important to uphold the tradition of boat building to ensure the Sarawak Regatta’s heritage remains alive and relevant, transcending time and generations.
