Yoal
Encyclopedia
The Yoal, often referred to as the Ness Yoal, is a clinker built
craft used traditionally in the Shetland Islands
. It is designed primarily for rowing, but which also handles well under her traditional square sail when running before the wind or on a broad reach. The word is cognate
with yawl
.
in Norway
. The traditional small wooden boats were known as Oselvar
from Os
in Hordaland
, Norway. The wooden boats were taken apart and then 'flat packed' for shipping to the Shetland Islands. Instead of sending complicated assembly instructions, they sent Norwegian boatbuilders to re-build them. However, increasing customs duty meant that Shetland builders took over the building but stayed mostly with the original Norwegian design.
All the parts of a yoal have a name, perhaps to make assembly easier when they came in kit form, or to make it easier to order spare parts. In many cases, the names of the parts bear a closer relationship to Norwegian
than British
usage. The descriptive text on this page names most of these parts.
There are six boards to the construction of a yoal, they are from the keel up, the gabbard straik; the Hassen Straik; the lower sool; the upper sool; the sand straik, and the upper wup.
The boards were fixed to three main frames baands which curved across the keel between gunwales, underneath the tafts (seats), and also to the stammerin or cant frame, near both bow and stern, before fixing to the fore and aft stems. The upper wups were joined by the hinny spot where they met the horn, at the top of the stem, for added strength.
The baands were not fixed to the keel, this again adding to the flexibility of the yoal.
The baands divided the boat into four sections: the fore room, for fishing tackle etc.; the mid room, for ballast; the owsin room, which was kept clear for bailing, owsin, any water which came aboard, using an owsekerri; and the shot room, which is where the catch was stored.
To save the gunwales from wear, at each aer, (oar), position a block of hard wood, the routh, was fixed in position with two wooden pegs called routh pins. Sticking up from the routh was the kabe, a hardwood peg, against which the oar was rowed. The oar was held in position against the kabe by a loop of rope called the humlieband.
One notable feature of yoal construction are the gunwale
s which stop short at both bow and stern leaving several inches of upper board with no gunwale. This is supposed to give the craft more flexibility in heavy seas.
The yoal was rowed by three men with a pair of oars each. The men were seated on tafts, which rested on the wearin a wooden support which ran across the three main baands, and for purchase they could brace their feet against a fitlinn, a piece of wood across between the baands. The floorboards of the boat were called tilfers.
When wind conditions were baand yoal carried a square sail, hoisted on a wooden mast which was stepped through the mid taft and braced at its base to the mid 'baand'
in the mid 18th century. Although there were some variations in size the yoal was generally 21ft 5in overall with 5ft 5in beam.
George Johnson of Skelberry, Dunrossness
, was one of the most prolific builders of Ness Yoals. Among the yoals built by Johnson, in his later years, were several larger ones up to 23ft 10in overall. One of these, which sadly has gone now, was the Oceans Gift, so named because all the wood for her construction came from driftwood. Unusual features of these larger yoals were that their gunwales did not stop short of the stem and stern like the normal yoals, and some of them had a full fourth 'baand'. The picture to the right shows one of these larger yoals, builder unknown. She is the Margaret, built pre. 1900, on display in the Unst Boat Haven. She is 23ft 5in overall, has a beam of 5ft 8in, and a keel of 14ft 10in. The picture clearly shows that she has a full fourth baand, between the aft taft and the stern, and the gunwales are complete all the way to the hinny spot.
In recent years the advent of yoal rowing regattas has seen an upsurge in the building of these traditional craft.
Ian Best of Fair Isle
, and Tommy Isbister of Trondra
, are the most prolific yoal builders today.
Clinker (boat building)
Clinker building is a method of constructing hulls of boats and ships by fixing wooden planks and, in the early nineteenth century, iron plates to each other so that the planks overlap along their edges. The overlapping joint is called a land. In any but a very small boat, the individual planks...
craft used traditionally in the Shetland Islands
Shetland Islands
Shetland is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some to the northeast of Orkney and southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total...
. It is designed primarily for rowing, but which also handles well under her traditional square sail when running before the wind or on a broad reach. The word is cognate
Cognate
In linguistics, cognates are words that have a common etymological origin. This learned term derives from the Latin cognatus . Cognates within the same language are called doublets. Strictly speaking, loanwords from another language are usually not meant by the term, e.g...
with yawl
Yawl
A yawl is a two-masted sailing craft similar to a sloop or cutter but with an additional mast located well aft of the main mast, often right on the transom, specifically aft of the rudder post. A yawl (from Dutch Jol) is a two-masted sailing craft similar to a sloop or cutter but with an...
.
Construction
Until about 1860, yoals were imported in kit form from the area around BergenBergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The traditional small wooden boats were known as Oselvar
Oselvar
The Oselvar or Oselver is a small wooden rowing boat traditionally built and used along the west coast of Norway. The Oselvar is a clinker built boat with thin, very wide planks. Almost all parts of a Oselvar are made of pine, with only the keel of oak. -History:This type of boat has been very...
from Os
Os, Hordaland
Os is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. Due to its proximity to Bergen, Os is experiencing strong population growth. -History:...
in Hordaland
Hordaland
is a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark and Rogaland. Hordaland is the third largest county after Akershus and Oslo by population. The county administration is located in Bergen...
, Norway. The wooden boats were taken apart and then 'flat packed' for shipping to the Shetland Islands. Instead of sending complicated assembly instructions, they sent Norwegian boatbuilders to re-build them. However, increasing customs duty meant that Shetland builders took over the building but stayed mostly with the original Norwegian design.
All the parts of a yoal have a name, perhaps to make assembly easier when they came in kit form, or to make it easier to order spare parts. In many cases, the names of the parts bear a closer relationship to Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
than British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
usage. The descriptive text on this page names most of these parts.
There are six boards to the construction of a yoal, they are from the keel up, the gabbard straik; the Hassen Straik; the lower sool; the upper sool; the sand straik, and the upper wup.
The boards were fixed to three main frames baands which curved across the keel between gunwales, underneath the tafts (seats), and also to the stammerin or cant frame, near both bow and stern, before fixing to the fore and aft stems. The upper wups were joined by the hinny spot where they met the horn, at the top of the stem, for added strength.
The baands were not fixed to the keel, this again adding to the flexibility of the yoal.
The baands divided the boat into four sections: the fore room, for fishing tackle etc.; the mid room, for ballast; the owsin room, which was kept clear for bailing, owsin, any water which came aboard, using an owsekerri; and the shot room, which is where the catch was stored.
To save the gunwales from wear, at each aer, (oar), position a block of hard wood, the routh, was fixed in position with two wooden pegs called routh pins. Sticking up from the routh was the kabe, a hardwood peg, against which the oar was rowed. The oar was held in position against the kabe by a loop of rope called the humlieband.
One notable feature of yoal construction are the gunwale
Gunwale
The gunwale is a nautical term describing the top edge of the side of a boat.Wale is the same word as the skin injury, a wheal, which, too, forms a ridge. Originally the gunwale was the "Gun ridge" on a sailing warship. This represented the strengthening wale or structural band added to the design...
s which stop short at both bow and stern leaving several inches of upper board with no gunwale. This is supposed to give the craft more flexibility in heavy seas.
The yoal was rowed by three men with a pair of oars each. The men were seated on tafts, which rested on the wearin a wooden support which ran across the three main baands, and for purchase they could brace their feet against a fitlinn, a piece of wood across between the baands. The floorboards of the boat were called tilfers.
When wind conditions were baand yoal carried a square sail, hoisted on a wooden mast which was stepped through the mid taft and braced at its base to the mid 'baand'
History
The Yoal was the main vessel used for the Haaf Fishing, until the introduction of the SixareenSixareen
The sixareen or sixern is a traditional fishing boat used around the Shetland Islands. It is a clinker-built boat, evolved as a larger version of the yoal, when the need arose for crews to fish further from shore...
in the mid 18th century. Although there were some variations in size the yoal was generally 21ft 5in overall with 5ft 5in beam.
George Johnson of Skelberry, Dunrossness
Dunrossness
Dunrossness, . It is the southernmost parish of Shetland, and includes, Levenwick, Bigton, Scousburgh, Quendale, Virkie, Fair Isle....
, was one of the most prolific builders of Ness Yoals. Among the yoals built by Johnson, in his later years, were several larger ones up to 23ft 10in overall. One of these, which sadly has gone now, was the Oceans Gift, so named because all the wood for her construction came from driftwood. Unusual features of these larger yoals were that their gunwales did not stop short of the stem and stern like the normal yoals, and some of them had a full fourth 'baand'. The picture to the right shows one of these larger yoals, builder unknown. She is the Margaret, built pre. 1900, on display in the Unst Boat Haven. She is 23ft 5in overall, has a beam of 5ft 8in, and a keel of 14ft 10in. The picture clearly shows that she has a full fourth baand, between the aft taft and the stern, and the gunwales are complete all the way to the hinny spot.
Present day
Throughout Shetland many traditional yoals, built by Johnson, and others of his era, still exist. Very few are still in regular use, although in the Virkie Marina there are 2 which are used for pleasure fishing.In recent years the advent of yoal rowing regattas has seen an upsurge in the building of these traditional craft.
Ian Best of Fair Isle
Fair Isle
Fair Isle is an island in northern Scotland, lying around halfway between mainland Shetland and the Orkney islands. It is famous for its bird observatory and a traditional style of knitting.-Geography:...
, and Tommy Isbister of Trondra
Trondra
Trondra is one of the Scalloway Islands, a subgroup of the Shetland Islands in Scotland. It shelters the harbour of Scalloway and has an area of .-History:...
, are the most prolific yoal builders today.