Thai Boat Museum
Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya was once called the “Venice of the East”, which makes a visit to the Thai Boat Museum a must.
The Museum is home to numerous kinds of boats. The vast collection stands as a testament to waterways once being the city’s main mode of transportation. Learn about the kinds of boats that were used and their unique characteristics.
The Museum itself is in a two-storey, Thai-style house located within the compound of Professor Paitoon Khawmala’s own residence. The Professor is the founder of the Museum and has felt a special bond with Thai boats and rivers since childhood. His goal with the Museum was to preserve local knowledge and pass it onto future generations.
The Museum is comprised of 3 parts:
- Ancient Boat Building:
This section of the Museum exhibits antique boats from throughout history. Some are more than 100 years old; such as, the “Ruea Chala”, which is made from teak wood and measures 8.5 metres in length. There are also the “Ruea Mat Prathun” and “Ruea Mat Keng” that were made entirely from iron malabar wood.
- Thai-style Building
The golden teak wood house has on display models of the Royal Barge Suphannahong, the Royal Barge Narai Song Suban-HM King Rama IX, the Royal Barge Anantanakkharat, as well as many other kinds of junks, passenger liners and other local boats. Professor Paitoon began handcrafting these scale models in 1994. Although some of the boats no longer exist today, the Professor would search documents, Thai literature and mural paintings from temples around Ayutthaya to replicate them as models. Additionally, the Museum holds tools of the past; such as, axes, adzes and gimlets.
- Outside of the Building
Some of the larger boats on display outside are the teak “Ruea Krachaeng” that was used to transport rice paddies, and the “Ruea Khang Kradan” (Spice Boat), donated by the Puttan Family, that was used to trade spices and kitchenware up and down more than 10 provinces.
The Professor’s special bond to the rivers and boats that travel them has led him to write a set of 4 books on “Ruea Thai” (Thai Boats). These studies into different kinds of Thai boats reaffirm the Museum’s objective to truly be “the centre of Thai boat knowledge”.
Thai Boat Museum
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12 Soi Khao Mala, Bang Ian Road, Pratu Chai Sub-district, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya District, across from Wat Mahathat
-No entrance fee. Donations welcomed
0 3524 1195
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