The Motor Launches of the Rajang over the Years

I have often wondered who built the first wooden  motor launch for Sibu, and hence who created the design for such a remarkable vehicle on water in the 1920's in Sibu.





Did James Hoover supervise the building of his own wooden boat and ask his assistant Tiong Kung Ping to fix the American boat engine ?

Several years later, Tiong Kung Ping bought three engines for his own wooden boats to transport agricultural products and passengers between Sibu and Binatang


1950's saw a tremendous increase in river transport along the Rajang. The boats sailed as far as Belaga in the upper reachers and to the river mouths of the river and the Igan.

Wooden boats were purchased by various businessmen in Kuching,  Simanggang, Bintulu, Miri, Limbang, Lawas and other smaller places to transport agricultural products and passengers.



1960's to 70's  The political instability of the Rajang area caused a slow down in the economy of the Rajang Basin and other river valleys. Business was slow and the population started to move to the urban areas like Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu , Miri and Limbang. And the boat building industry almost came to a complete stop.

But after the curfew was lifted ion 1974 for the next ten years the rocket like Expresses came into the scene,and they were faster and built with steel.

Only a few of the useable wooden boats remain functional on the rivers of Sarawak.

However river transportation continues to be important in Sarawak, only the boats are made of steel nowadays. Timber is now scarce and the ship building scene in Sibu has been taken to another level.

The steel version of the river boats as in the 21st century.

Steel is the preferred boat building material and the shipbuilders of Sibu have gone global.