Long-tail boat

Long-tail boat

The long-tail boat is a type of watercraft native to Southeast Asia, which uses a common automotive engine as a readily available and maintainable powerplant. A craft designed to carry passengers on a river may include a lightweight long canoe hull, up to 30 meters, and a canopy. There is much variation among these boats, and in rural areas they may be improvised from bamboo and traditional materials—the sole defining characteristic is a secondhand car or truck engine.

This engine is invariably mounted on an inboard turret-like pole which can rotate through 180 degrees, allowing steering by thrust vectoring. The propeller is mounted directly on the driveshaft with no additional gearing or transmission. Usually the engine also swivels up and down to provide a "neutral gear" where the propeller does not contact the water. The driveshaft must be extended by several meters of metal rod to properly position the propeller, giving the boat its name and distinct appearance.

Advantages to the inboard engine with a long driveshaft include keeping the engine relatively dry. Following the basic design pattern allows a variety of engines to be safely attached to a variety of different kinds of hulls. This flexibility simplifies construction and maintenance while sacrificing the efficiency and comfort that might be expected of a typical mass-produced product.

Cooling to the engine is provided by a shaped metal pipe strewn underneath the rear running board which is used as a rudimentary heat-exchanger. This is then coupled to the engine using rubber or plastic hoses. Clean water is then used as the coolant.

Control is achieved by moving the engine with a lever stick attached to the inboard side. Ignition and throttle controls provide simple means to control this simple craft. Larger boats may include more than one "tail," with several operators piloting in tandem.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Long tail — may refer to:*The Long Tail, a consumer demographic in business *Power Law s long tail, a statistics term describing certain kinds of distribution *Long tail boat, a type of watercraft native to Southeast Asia *Long tail distribution, a… …   Wikipedia

  • Tail gunner — tail gun armaments may also be operated by remote control from another part of the aircraft. General descriptionThe tail gun armament and arrangement varied between countries. During World War II, USAAF heavy bomber designs such as the B 17… …   Wikipedia

  • Boat-billed Flycatcher — Conservation status Least Concern ( …   Wikipedia

  • Boat-tailed Grackle — Taxobox name = Boat tailed Grackle status = LC | status system = IUCN3.1 regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Passeriformes familia = Icteridae genus = Quiscalus species = Q. major binomial = Quiscalus major binomial… …   Wikipedia

  • Tail of the Bank — The Tail of the Bank is the name given to the anchorage in the upper Firth of Clyde immediately north of Greenock and Gourock. This area of the firth gets its name from the sandbar immediately to its east which marks the entrance to the estuary… …   Wikipedia

  • tail — tail1 tailer, n. tailless, adj. taillessly, adv. taillessness, n. taillike, adj. /tayl/, n. 1. the hindmost part of an animal, esp. that forming a distinct, flexible appendage to the trunk. 2. something resembling or suggesting this in shape or… …   Universalium

  • boat-tailed grackle — noun : a large grackle (Cassidix mexicanus) of the southern United States and Mexico having a tail that is keel shaped when spread or when the bird is in flight * * * /boht tayld / a large grackle, Quiscalus major, of the southeastern U.S., that… …   Useful english dictionary

  • tail — I. /teɪl / (say tayl) noun 1. the hindmost part of an animal, posterior to the vent, especially when forming a distinct flexible appendage to the trunk. 2. something resembling or suggesting this in shape or position: the tail of a kite. 3. the… …  

  • tail — I [[t]teɪl[/t]] n. 1) zool. the hindmost part of an animal, esp. that forming a distinct, flexible appendage to the trunk 2) something resembling or suggesting this in shape or position: the tail of a kite[/ex] 3) astron. the luminous stream… …   From formal English to slang

  • Monkey boat — Monkey Mon key, n.; pl. {Monkeys}. [Cf. OIt. monicchio, It. monnino, dim. of monna an ape, also dame, mistress, contr. fr. madonna. See {Madonna}.] 1. (Zo[ o]l.) (a) In the most general sense, any one of the Quadrumana, including apes, baboons,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”