The Republic of Maldives, where fishing is a major industry, has a fleet of about 5500 traditional fishing craft. Most of them are in the 8-15 m range in length. As these craft, built with local and imported timber, are not coated with antifouling paints or sheathed to protect the timber, they are hauled on to the beach at least once a month for scraping of the hull and application of protective oil. Traditionally, the boats are hauled on to the beach by 50-80 men and women pulling the ends of a rope attached to the stern and the sides of the boat.

With labour becoming scarce in the atolls because of migration to tourist resort islands in search of more remunerative work, the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture of the Maldives (MOFA) requested the Bay of Bengal Programme (BOBP) to develop simple low-cost manual hauling devices which would help to reduce the hauling crew. This paper documents the devices developed and the favourable reactions of the local fisherfolk.

This paper is the result of contributions made by MOFA staff, BOBP staff, Varuna Construction and Design Company, Madras, and all those who regularly hauled the boats on to the beach during trials in Madras, and the fisherfolk of the Maldives, both men and women, who participated in the trials.