Cultural Tourism: Lifestyle of Local Fishermen and How to Build a Longtail Boat at Ban Khao Klang in Krabi

       A longtail boat is popularly used in the Andaman Sea around Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, Ranong, Trang, and Satun. The building of longtail boats started in Krabi. Its design is unique and based on local wisdom that has been passed on from generation to generation. It is commonly used as a fishing boat and for commuting; however, nowadays, people use this type of boat much less, resulting in the gradual disappearance of the knowledge and skills for the building of this local boat. Therefore, people in Khao Klang Community, in Khlong Prasong Subdistrict in Krabi started the preservation of the boat by building a learning center of longtail boat models at Khao Klang, which tells stories of the boat and people at Khao Klang in the past. The center is open for visitors who would like to learn the history of the longtail boat and even try to assemble parts of the boat themselves! 

     Moreover, a longtail boat from Khao Klang has become a 4-star product in the One Tambon, One Product (OTOP) scheme of Krabi. It is a small boat with a special feature at the prow, so Hua Tong is what they call this type of prow – the point is elevated and can be used as a compass when sailing. It can also go through storms and strong wind and prevents water from washing into the boat.

     Even though longtail boats are not widely used as fishing boats anymore, they were chosen for tourism promotion by people from four communities in Krabi, which are Ban Khao Klang Community, Ban Lam Sak Community, Ban Nai Nang Community, and Ban Tung Yee Peng Community. Over 30 longtail boats were repaired or renovated and repainted with patterns reflecting their local identity, so they could be used for cruise service on the beautiful sea. Visitors, both Thai and foreign, like to rent this type of boat to go and take pictures on islands. This is a good way of generating income for people in the community.