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The
Whaleboat
Classic
design
Whaleboat builders refined the craft's design, shaping
it into a dependable means of getting close enough to
a whale for the kill. Each whaleship sailed with three
to five whaleboats swinging from davits (cranes used on
ships). Spares, usually two, were stowed on top of the
after house at midship.
Each
whaleboat was:
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Light
and strong; |
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Approximately
30 feet long, six feet wide; |
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Pointed
at both ends; |
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Sometimes
painted in bright colors at bow (front) and stern
(rear) for easy identification at a distance; |
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Equipped
with mast, sail, and rudder, as well as oars and paddles.
The oars were unusually long, ranging from 16 to 22
feet long. |
Sleek lines gave these boats beauty as well as speed and
manueverability. Their uncomplicated design made them easy
to repair - important on long voyages, because whaleboats
were often damaged during encounters with whales.
Each
whaleboat had a crew of six
The
boatheader,
usually the captain or one of the mates, stood on a narrow
piece of wood across the stern (rear), handled the steering
oar, and commanded the boat; The
harpooneer or boatsteerer pulled the bow oar
up front and four crewmen rowed with oars that were balanced
in length so the boat could be rowed equally well by four
or five men.
Killing a whale was a complicated
procedure. The right equipment was essential. Each
whaleboat carried:
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 Two
wooden tubs, each with 150 fathoms (900 feet) of coiled
hemp line. Care was taken to ensure that the rope
would uncoil without kinks -- to prevent injury or
death for crewmen or loss of the whaleboat; |
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Two
harpoons, ready for use, and two or three spares; |
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Two
or three lances, or barbless blades, used to kill
the whale; |
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Hatchet
and knives to cut the line in an emergency; |
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Wooden
keg for drinking water; |
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A
piggin - a small bucket for baling water from the
boat or for wetting the line attached to the harpoon
in the whale, if it began to smoke when the wounded
prey tried to escape and the line ran out rapidly; |
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A
lantern-keg with flint, steel, box of tinder, lantern,
candles, bread, tobacco, pipes; |
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Compass; |
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Waif
- a long-poled flag used to locate a floating carcass
from a distance and to identify it for other whaleships; |
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A
dragging float to make it harder for the whale to
swim; |
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Fluke
spade to cut a hole in the whale's tail and tow the
carcass back to the ship; |
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Miscellaneous
equipment, including anchor, buoy, etc. |
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