The Galway Hooker (Húicéir in Irish) is a traditional boat distinctive to Galway Bay and the coast of Connemara. This iconic craft, sturdy, yet elegant and agile, is characterized by a black-coloured hull (the colour was originally due to a tar coating) and rust-red sails. This peculiar colour, now considered as traditional, was originally due to a process known as “barking”: the cotton sailcloth was soaked in a solution made from tree bark, to ensure long-life of the fabric, protecting the sails from mould, mildew and rot. This treatment had the disadvantage of making the sails very heavy, a problem now solved by using rust-red Terylene. Built out of native white oak, larch and beech, the hooker has curved lines, a tumble-home hull and a raked transom; she has a single mast with a gaff-rigged main sail, a foresail and a jib extended beyond the bow on a bowsprit. Specially developed to sail in the treacherous waters of the rugged Connemara coast, the hooker has a shallow draught; the hull is generally half-decked, except in the smallest craft - the Púcán - which is an open boat. The internal ballast is made up mainly of local stones, carefully selected and skilfully arranged amidships.
The Galway Hooker
Classes of Hookers
Hookers are distinguished by four classes, according to the length and the type of the rig.
Bád Mór (Big Boat): length from 10.5 to 13.5 metres (35 to 44 feet), with decking forward of the mast.
Leathbhád (Half Boat): length approx. 10 metres (32 feet), very similar to the Bád Mór, with decking forward of the mast; this type is known as a half-boat, because the load it can carry is roughly half of that of the bigger one.
Gleoiteog: length from 7 to 9 metres (24 to 28 feet): similar to the previous one, this boat is generally open, even though some can have a small fore-deck. The class is further divided into Gleoiteog Mhór and Gleoiteog Bheag for racing purposes. The name of this boat is probably derived from the Irish term “gleoite”, meaning “pretty”.
Púcán: length from 7 to 9 metres (24 to 28 feet), while quite similar to a Gleoiteog, she differs because she is always an open boat. The rig too is different. The Púcán has a large dipping lug and a small jib. Its name may derive from “wrap around”, related to the peculiar swinging of the lugsail around the mast.
List of boats
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