These lithographs of outrigger canoes were based on sketches made by artists aboard the French ship Astrolabe, which charted the north coast of New Guinea in 1827. The outrigger, with its much smaller secondary hull fixed parallel to the canoe, increased the craft’s stability. The wooden struts were lashed to the outrigger and the main hull. The natural flex in the wood and lashings provided some flexibility for the vessel as it went through waves, which helped to stop it from tipping over.
Using this item
National Library of Australia, Rex Nan Kivell Collection
Reference:
nla.pic-an8327448
Permission of the National Library of Australia must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
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