Ships for trading and fishing

Ships for trading

Trading ships used in Adriatic area are gajeta, trabakul and bracera. Gajeta is a ship with rounded sides and firm keel and frame, which were made of oak. It has a covered deck mostly on the bow and to a lesser extent on the stern. During centuries it has not changed a lot because its purpose was always transport, and to a lesser extent fishing. Gajeta can be shorter, 6–8 m, and longer, 9–12 m.

Trabakul is a wooden ship that used to serve for freight transport and it sailed along the coast. It is up to 30 m long, up to 6 m wide, its hull is built from oak and it has similar elements as the bracera.

Bracera is a wooden sailing ship with wide sides, one or two masts, and it serves for freight transport. Its construction began in the 15th century.

Ships for fishing

Fishing boats used in the Adriatic area are leut, kaić, guc and batana. Leut is a larger wooden ship with exceptional maritime attributes. Length of the leut ranges from 7 to 12 m and according to length these ships can be divided into smaller, up to 8.5 m, and larger, up to 12 m.

Kaić is a smaller ship with oars or a sail. Its purpose was sailing near the coast, rowing could be done from the bow, the middle and the stern, so it was ideal for fishing and pot lifting.

Guc is a smaller fishing boat with sharp bow and stern, suitable for fishing and ideal for rowing. Regarding the size, there are small, medium and large guc ships.

Batana is a smaller ship with a flat bottom with sharp bow and mirroring stern and flat slanted sides. It is ideal for fishing along the coast.