The Hindu Business Line : KSINC's first houseboat ready

THE State-owned Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) is all set to deploy its first houseboat constructed for the Karnataka Tourism Department.

The houseboat, constructed at a cost of Rs 40 lakh for Jungle Lodges and Resorts Ltd, Bangalore, a company under the Karnataka Tourism Department, will be put to water here on Friday.

Mr K.N. Satheesh, Managing Director, KSINC, said the wooden houseboat was constructed as per IRS approved plan at the Slipway Complex owned by the Corporation in Kochi. The hull of the boat is fibreglass-coated so as to prevent probable decaying of the wooden hull.

The boat, with a length of 18.59 metres and width of 4.5 metres, is provided with two air-conditioned rooms and a modern kitchen onboard. Chemical toilet system and other environmental standards are followed. The order was bagged by the KSINC in an open tender. Though it generally takes up to a year to make a houseboat, most of the work on the boat got over in just over four months, Mr Satheesh said.

Proper planning and availability of raw materials are vital for manufacture of quality houseboats. Only seasoned wood has been used. Anjili has been used widely in most of the woodwork. Even the floor is made of wood, to give the traditional charm. All iron frames have been covered by coir, at the customer's insistence that everything has to have a Kerala touch.

The roof has been made of two layers of bamboo reeds, with a polythene layer in the middle. The area below this and the ceiling has been filled with thermocol to give maximum cooling effect. A 140 HP engine powers the boat and solar panels have been fitted on the roof.

With `kettuvallams' or houseboats becoming popular in the backwater-related tourism ventures, Mr Satheesh said the KSINC haddecided to foray into the manufacture of houseboats in a big way.

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