How Houseboats are designed and built in Kerala?
Houseboats are the yesteryear Kettu vallams or the knotted boats. These kettu vallams were used to transport goods from one place to another in the absence of roadways.
The Emergence of Houseboats in Kerala Backwaters
These Kettuvallams of the yesteryears are called the houseboats of the present. When the road network started , the goods started moving through the roads and these kettuvallams became redundant. They were lying useless. A few years back an innovative entrepreneur at Alumkadavu converted one such traditional boat into a houseboat for taking tourists around from one place to another.
From only two boats in the nineties it has come to more than 200 houseboats now. You can see varieties of them from ordinary single bedroomed houseboat to the large houseboats with several rooms. At first only the traditionalboats were transformed into houseboats but in the recent times houseboats of various sizes and capacities are just being built for this purpose.Classification of Houseboats
The Department of Kerala Tourism has brought about a scheme to classify the houseboats in Kerala just to evaluate the safety and service standards. To sustain the houseboats tourism the ourism department has brought about some guidelines to classiify them. These houseboats can be classified into three categories namely Gold star, Silver star and Green palm certificates.
According to the level and the grade of the houseboats, interior decorations vary from boat to boat. There are different categories like standard, deluxe, A/c and Non A/c and economical boats for the tourists to choose from according to their needs and budget.Structure of Houseboats in Kerala
The hull of the houseboat is made by joining wooden planks from the trees like Jackfruit, teak and bamboo, with coir ropes and coconut husk fibres stuffed in between wherever is needed. the sticky resin which is prepared and collected from cashewnut shells is then applied onn the coconut husk fibre and sealing the gaps between the wooden planks. Correct calculations are needed for keeping the balance and to prevent tilting on the sides.
The roof is prepared using bamboo, arecanut tree stems and cane as well a other eco friendly materials. The framework is made with bamboo poles and mats made of thinned bamboo used for covering the roof. The shape of the roof differ according to the size and design of the boat.Decoration inside the Houseboats in Kerala
Colour and texture of the boat is yellowish brown, the natural colour of the dried bamboo and a similar colour of the coir fibre. the woods and the bamboo that are used in the design and the build of the boat are shaped beautifully so as to fit into the overall design of the houseboat.
The interiors of the houseboats have bedrooms one, two or more may be up to five with attached bath and toilet, an open lounge, a balcony and a kitchenette. The flooring is carpeted with coir mats.
Cane furniture which are aesthetically made are used in the houseboats. Solar energy is used in the nights in most of the houseboats otherwise kerosene or hurricane lamps are used. Solar energy is used for refrigeration and air conditioning in the boats as well. Purified drinking water is stocked in the houseboats before the trips and you can also avail soft drinks beverages. Water for the kitchen and the toilets is stored in the overhead tanks and these pipes are covered with mats for the aesthetic purposes.
Toilet facilities change fromboat to boat, some will have attached facilities and some will have common bathroom and toilet for 2-3 bedrooms. For fixing the toilet seats, Ceramic floor finish and a concrete slab is laid at the bottom of the hull.
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