Boom

This cargo vessel first appeared in the 20th century but its lineage is ancient. Its hull form closely resembles ships from 500 to 1,000 years ago. The boom is perhaps the most common of all the trading vessels all over the Gulf and the Western Indian Ocean. Motorised booms still operate in the western Indian Ocean. They range in size from approximately 15 to 37 metres in length, and weigh 75 to 400 tonnes.

Military Battil

This design was developed several hundred years ago; it is frequently mentioned in early European accounts of Arab shipping. The battil was famous for its speed and was employed as a military vessel, as well as for trading and raiding. Smaller ones were used in the pearling industry.

Shashah

The shashah is assembled from the rachis (midribs) of date palm fronds. It is actually a raft, not a boat. Modern shashahs rely on polystyrene for flotation, which is sandwiched between the bottom and the deck. Before the plastic age, the butts of palm fronds were used for flotation. Because the shashah is inexpensive, easily handled by one or two people, quick to build and easy to repair, it remains popular as an inshore fishing craft along the Batinah coast. Some have been adapted to use outboard motors.

Houri

The houri is a dugout canoe made of mango wood from India. Some houris are planked, or are combinations of dugouts with planks. They are used as inshore fishing boats, ferries and lighters. Usually they are paddled.