"Once a busy centre of sea trade, Kuala Terengganu has seen sea-faring vessels from the world over, trading silk, spice and ceramics. This gave rise to the craft of boat building and repairing in Terengganu, such as those in Pulau Duyong."
Just 2km off shore from Kuala Terengganu, lay Pulau Duyung, an island where the art of boat building runs in the blood of some of its inhabitants. Pulau Duyung is perhaps the most well known boat-building centres in Terengganu. Most of the boats built here are regular fishing boats, but there are a few exceptions. But even so, the craftsmanship of every boat built here is immaculate.
So much so that many have made a beeline for this tiny island to place orders on leisure boats costing as much as RM1million. A majority of them are foreigners, particularly from Europe, who highly appreciate the handiwork and long durability of these vessels. Several shipyards here build boats that can measure up to 80 foot long. What's most astonishing to visitors and sailboat afficionados is that these boats are built practically from memory, in most cases no blueprints are used as guideline by these boat builders.
Last viewed - May 17, 2008
Getting there
By Bus
You can catch a mini bus from Kuala Terengganu town centre that goes across the Sultan Mahmud Bridge to Pulau Duyung.
User recommendation
"you have very minor details of this attractive p[ace, pulau duyong, esp. boat building. you should highlight this famous site. your photo gallery shows nothing. you should have pictures . you should load as many as possible. IT is hardwork. You do'n load anything, is a picture of what one is." by hassan musa
"pulau duyong is a beutiful for tourism. " by nazairi
"pulau duyong is a good palces for any people come for tourist. hj abdullah is a boot marker profesional." by nazairi