Technical and Construction Aspects of FRP Coated Wooden Gillnetters of Ratnagiri, Maharashtra

It was observed that there is a trend in the Ratnagiri fishermen to cover the hull portion of their gillnetters by FRP, to extend its life. The overall length of such type of gillnetters ranged from 06.81 m to 10.00 m. Similarly, overall breadth and depth ranged between 1.25 to 3.10 m 0.47 to 1.6 m, respectively. Inboard engine of 7 to 24 hp were normally installed on the FRP coated wooden gillnetters having gross tonnage of 0.34 to 7.42 t. Construction cost of average size (8.5 m length, 2.2 m breadth and 1.0 m depth) wooden plank built boat coated with FRP, was approximately Rs. 4.0 to 5.0 lakhs, having a average life span of around 15 to 18 years, if maintained properly.