Barotos

The Baroto is the smallest of the Filipino canoes. It is typically around 16 feet in length though some are under 10 feet and others approach 20 feet. You see a lot of them with only one person or a father and child fishing together. Most are simple dugout canoes with two small floats of bamboo lashed onto the cross braces with fishing line. A few are ply over frame but not many. These are paddled and many will have a home brew sail arrangement for running down wind. The paddles are single blade and provide steering as well as propulsion. Other equipment will be a 1 or two person finshing net, small can for bailing out the water that always gets in the bottom of the canoe, food & water, and odds and ends in a plastic bag. Some fishermen who can aford it will carry a large white styrofoam box filled with ice to keep the catch cool. The boxes are inevitably old and held together with clear or brown plastic wrapping tape. The sail is kept tied to the cross braces when not in use and is a simple square sprit rig with cheap nylong rope and bamboo spars for support. I have never seen a stayed rig in use.

Here in Mindanao where these pictures were taken a medium sized baroto can be had for about 1500 to 2000 pesos. Thats less than $40.00 US and will get you the main hull only. You deck it with 1/4 inch ply and any trim pieces you want., seal it with 2 part Epoxy, put in the thwarts & tie down pieces for lashing the cross braces. Then you paint it to your liking. Add your cross braces & bamboo floats, lashing everything with 120lb fishing line and craft a simple sail rig. The decking and other wood work is fastened down with epoxy and copper nails typically. Now you're all set to go fishing and you can probably earn about 3 or 4 thousand pesos a month. That is after you have a few years experience. You can go out at 5pm and fish until daylite. Your asawa will probably have a Sari-sari store to help with the financial load and the kids will help when they are old enough.