Book Review: Shetland's Boats: Origin, evolution and use by Marc Chivers
"The cultural imprint of the wooden boat has – like traditional fiddle music – come to exemplify one of the strong and reviving currents within islanders' perceptions of who and what they are, and where they have come from."
Shetland's Boats: Origin, evolution and use is the book every boat enthusiast has been waiting for. There has yet to be a comprehensive study of Shetland's vernacular boats so rigorously carried out since Adrian Osler's The Shetland Boat: South Mainland and Fair Isle, originally published in 1984. This publication has, until now, been the 'go-to' work on Shetland's vernacular boats. But, for the first time, we now have a thorough compendium of Shetland's boats through history, all meticulously researched and interpreted, in one place.
Author Marc Chivers is well-placed to unpick the intricacies that define Shetland's vernacular boats. As a qualified boatbuilder and a keen sailor, he understands how boats are built and what constitutes a 'good' sea vessel. This book is the culmination of Marc's PhD, which he completed in 2017 and offers the reader a wealth of information. It's little wonder that our one-time 'authority' on the Shetland boat, Adrian Osler, wrote the preface to this indispensable book.
Shetland's Boats: Origin, evolution and use
Marc Chivers
The Shetland Times (2022)
£40
Shetlanders have long said that the unique design of 'our' distinctive 'double-ended' boats has been carried down from Norse times, and it's interesting to discover in this research that the reality is much more complex than I had previously given credit. Shetlanders are rightly proud of their maritime heritage, and boats are spoken of with the same fondness you might talk about your children. Each boat displays its own character and personality, for want of a better word. Boats hold a special place in the hearts and minds of Shetlanders, and this book tells the story of that relationship.
Focusing primarily on the use of four- and six-oared boats, the real workhorses of our history, this research examines the evolution of boats and how they have played, and continue to play, an integral role in Shetland life since the 16th century.
Having read various references about Shetland importing boats from Norway, I was particularly interested to learn more about this well-known trade relationship with Scandinavia in the book's early chapters. From early imports of unassembled boats to fully sea-ready vessels, this was a great trade until the 19th century. Also interesting is the correlation between boat imports and the haaf fishery growth that was pivotal to the Shetland economy until the late 19th century.
This trade of boats was far more complex than I had appreciated and has proved difficult for scholars to unpick. Many boats that came to Shetland were hidden amongst timber consignments to avoid paying customs duty. Therefore, it's hard to know the exact number of imported boats coming to Shetland before the 19th century.
Marc goes into great detail about the trade in so-called "kit boats", or boats-in-boards, and questions the assumption that they were reassembled in Shetland, pointing out that it was a much more complex process and that the "definition of what constitutes a boat-in-boards is ambiguous". His research has uncovered many fascinating sources, bringing new evidence that has shed new light on how this important trade operated.
Through Marc's diligent research, we learn that Shetland's vernacular boats are Norse, or Scandinavian, in origin but have been modified, adapted and sculpted to suit Shetland's waters and requirements for fishing, ferrying and pleasure. By the 19th century, Shetland's boats were firmly rooted to the islands, with individual boatbuilders putting their stamp on traditional methods to suit their needs, developing a distinct style of boat.
This book is undoubtedly a comprehensive study of Shetland's tradition of boatbuilding, packed with detailed technical information which would be incredibly useful for anyone interested in the art of boatbuilding, a skill that is quickly being lost to history. But for all its technical and in-depth research, it has managed to remain accessible to most readers who, like me, are only armed with a smattering of boatbuilding knowledge.
This publication is not just a compendium of Shetland boats; it's also a history of our islands that have historically depended on the sea for almost every aspect of life. Before Shetland's road network was established from the 1840s, the primary mode of transportation throughout the islands was by boat. Small, open boats transported people and goods. From the lords and the ladies to the cattle, sheep and mail, our dependence on the sea shaped early modern Shetland society. This research is not simply a book of boats; it's a cultural dive into the very fabric of Shetland's society from 1500 to the present day.
One of the most interesting chapters for me looked at modern Shetland boat use and the role of the famous sixerns in developing the haaf fishing. No research stone was left unturned, with in-depth analysis of everything from the fixtures and fittings on the boat to the clothing men wore to sea on their voyages and how societal development became a harbinger of change.
With the development of offshore cod and herring fisheries, taking fishermen further from home, combined with the introduction of decked vessels from Scotland and the devastating fishing disasters of 1881 and 1900, sixerns began to fall out of use as the leading fishing boat of choice amongst fishermen. The decked vessels that had been at sea in the Gloup Disaster of 1881 all came ashore unscathed, raising further questions about the viability and safety of the sixern.
As boats grew in size and transportation methods and refrigeration improved, the sixern became almost obsolete. These changes in the fishing industry saw a growth in the use of the spring and summer boats and the haddock boat, which continued to adopt the vernacular style of boatbuilding right into the 20th century. These boats are also explored in the pages of the book.
Shetland's Boats: Origin, evolution and use is an evocative insight into Shetland's seagoing traditions and offers a glimpse into how communities lived, worked and ate in the days before an extensive road system was developed. Shetland's long-standing reliance on four- and six-oared boats that had dominated life for generations changed with the coming of roads, steamers, and motorised travel, changing the landscape of the vernacular boat forever.
With Christmas around the corner, Shetland's Boats is ideal for anyone who loves the sea and the vessels that grace our waters.
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