Jonas Albert Victor of Praslin turned 85 in August 2024. For decades he built wooden pirogues — the traditional rowing vessel that once connected Seychellois families to food, trade, and neighboring islands. Today, many Seychellois youngsters have never seen one. Victor’s last pirogue left his workshop nearly ten years ago. His story opens a larger question: when a craft nearly vanishes, what does preservation actually mean?
“Many Seychellois youngsters have never seen one or do not know these boats’ importance.” — Jonas Albert Victor, pirogue maker, Praslin.
The pirogue is not a museum piece yet, but it is close. Fiberglass hulls and outboard motors have replaced hand-shaped wooden vessels across the archipelago. A handful of elder craftsmen still hold the knowledge. A single museum in Victoria documents the techniques. This article traces what remains of Seychelles’ traditional boat-building — who still practices it, what gets passed down, and what gets lost.
Traditional wooden boat-building in Seychelles is functionally extinct as a livelihood but survives in memory, museum collections, and the work of a few master craftsmen like Victor. The practice is not dead — but its continuity depends on whether younger generations find reason to learn skills that once took months to master.
| Vessel type | Primary use | Material | Construction time (pre-power tools) | Status today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirogue | Fishing, inter-island transport, cargo unloading | Takamaka wood (preferred), general hardwood | 1–2 months | Nearly extinct; last built by Victor ~2014 |
| Dhow | Fishing, tourism charters, cargo | Hardwood planks, traditionally hand-carved | Varies by size; often several months | Still in limited use, especially for tourist excursions |
Both vessels share a maritime lineage shaped by Indian Ocean trade routes and French colonial settlement. But their fates have diverged sharply in recent decades.
The last pirogue makers: Jonas Albert Victor’s craft
Victor learned boat-building from his adopted grandfather, a pirogue maker on Praslin. He began making fish traps at age nine and later worked as a carpenter and mason on housing projects around the island. For years he built pirogues after his regular job, working by hand with whatever wood was available. He preferred Takamaka for its durability. A single pirogue took one to two months to finish. After electrical tools arrived, the same job took about eleven days.
The size of each pirogue depended on the buyer’s needs — 12 feet or 15 feet, built for fishing alone or for transporting people and goods. Inside, two small decks sat at each end, with two bench-like seats between them. Underneath the seats, fishermen stored their catch. Two holes held long paddles for rowing. Victor painted most of his pirogues with a special black paint, sometimes adding a thin white layer along the upper edge.
At the time, a pirogue cost between SCR100 and SCR150. Raw materials were easy to get — Victor recalled cutting trees at a neighbor’s place for free or very little cost. Special nails were available because demand existed. Today, those nails are hard to find, and sourcing wood costs considerably more. Victor says he would still build pirogues if he could find an assistant and afford the materials.
Visitors to Domaine de Val des Pres on Mahé can see a long black pirogue built by Victor. It is one of the few intact examples of his work on public display. Ask staff about its history — the boat is not always labeled.
Victor holds a strong conviction about the pirogue’s safety: during a storm at sea, he claims a wooden pirogue will not sink even if capsized, while a fiberglass boat will. This is a contested view — no formal studies compare the two in Seychelles waters — but it reflects a craftsman’s deep trust in materials he worked for decades.
The dhow: Seychelles’ other traditional vessel
While the pirogue has nearly disappeared, the dhow — a larger wooden sailing vessel — maintains a quieter presence. Dhows were historically used for fishing and transporting goods between islands and along the East African coast. Today, some operate as tourist excursion boats, offering sunset cruises and snorkeling trips. The Victoria Maritime Heritage Museum includes exhibits on dhow construction, showing the tools and techniques that have remained largely unchanged for centuries.
Dhows are built from hardwood planks, traditionally fastened with wooden pegs or iron nails. The construction process is meticulous: planks are shaped, steamed, and fitted edge-to-edge without a modern blueprint. The museum’s displays include actual boat parts and models that demonstrate this joinery. Unlike the pirogue, the dhow has found a second life in tourism, which has helped preserve the building skills — at least in a modified form.
It is easy to romanticize the dhow as an “unchanged” tradition. In reality, many tourist dhows are built with fiberglass hulls and fitted with outboard engines, retaining only the silhouette and name. Genuine hand-built wooden dhows are increasingly rare. Ask specifically if you want to see traditional construction rather than a modern replica.
Preserving maritime heritage: the Victoria Maritime Heritage Museum
The Victoria Maritime Heritage Museum, located in the capital on Mahé, is the primary institution safeguarding Seychelles’ boat-building legacy. Founded by local historians and maritime enthusiasts, the museum holds collections of navigational instruments, ship models, fishing gear, and traditional sailing vessels. Its exhibits on boat-building include the tools Victor and others used, along with photographic documentation of construction sequences.
The museum also covers the broader maritime context: historic shipping routes connecting Seychelles to Africa, Asia, and Europe; the role of fishing in the island economy; and conservation efforts like marine protected areas and sustainable fishing practices. Guided tours are available, and the museum recommends allowing at least one hour to explore the exhibits thoroughly.
The museum is walkable from central Victoria. Ask at the front desk whether any local boat-builders are currently giving demonstrations — the museum occasionally hosts visiting craftsmen. If not, the permanent exhibits on dhow joinery and pirogue construction are the next best thing.
Context and comparison: pirogue, dhow, and what replaced them
The shift from wooden boats to fiberglass is not unique to Seychelles, but the speed of the transition here was striking. Within a single generation, the pirogue went from essential transport to near-obsolete craft. Understanding the differences between vessel types helps explain why.
| Attribute | Pirogue | Dhow | Fiberglass boat (modern) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary material | Hardwood (Takamaka preferred) | Hardwood planks | Fiberglass |
| Propulsion | Oars / paddles | Sail, later outboard engine | Outboard engine |
| Build time (pre-power tools) | 1–2 months | Several months | Weeks (molded) |
| Cost at peak | SCR100–150 | Higher, variable | SCR10,000+ (modern equivalent) |
| Durability | High, with maintenance | High, with maintenance | Moderate; sinks if swamped |
| Current use | Virtually none | Tourism, some fishing | Dominant |
Victor’s claim that a pirogue “will not go down” even when capsized stems from the fact that solid wood is less dense than water. Fiberglass boats, when swamped, lose buoyancy. This physical property is well understood in maritime engineering, but Victor’s formulation — comparing his own work to modern alternatives — is a rare first-person account of the trade-off.
The broader picture is one of loss and adaptation. The skills Victor used — selecting trees, seasoning wood, shaping planks with adze and plane, fitting joints without metal fasteners — are not taught anywhere in Seychelles today. The museum documents them. A few elders still practice them. But no formal apprenticeship program exists.
- Traditional wooden boat-building in Seychelles survives through a handful of elder craftsmen and the collections of the Victoria Maritime Heritage Museum.
- Pirogues and dhows represent distinct maritime traditions; only the dhow has found a partial second life in tourism.
- The knowledge gap between generations is the most urgent threat — not the availability of wood or nails.
Questions readers ask about Seychelles traditional boat-building
Can I still see a real pirogue being built in Seychelles?
No active pirogue builder is currently taking commissions or giving public demonstrations. Jonas Albert Victor stopped around 2014 and has not found an assistant to resume. The Victoria Maritime Heritage Museum displays tools and construction sequences but does not host live building sessions.
Are dhows and pirogues the same thing?
No. Pirogues are smaller, rowed with oars, and typically carved from a single log or built from a few planks. Dhows are larger, sailed or engine-powered, and constructed from multiple hardwood planks joined edge-to-edge. They share a maritime heritage but serve different functions and use different building techniques.
Why did fiberglass replace wooden boats so quickly in Seychelles?
Fiberglass boats are cheaper to produce, require less maintenance, and are faster to build. They also do not need specialized wood or hand-forged nails. For a fishing economy facing rising costs, the switch made economic sense — but it also meant the loss of a craft knowledge base built over centuries.
Is there any effort to revive traditional boat-building in Seychelles?
No formal revival program exists. The museum preserves artifacts and records, but no government or NGO initiative currently funds apprenticeships or materials for wooden boat construction. Individual craftsmen like Victor remain the sole custodians of the knowledge.
Where is the best place to learn about the history of Seychelles boat-building?
The Victoria Maritime Heritage Museum in Victoria, Mahé, is the most comprehensive resource. It holds exhibits on both pirogue and dhow construction, historic navigation tools, and photographic archives. Allow at least one hour for a thorough visit.
What boat-building reveals about Seychelles’ relationship with the sea
The near-disappearance of the wooden pirogue is not just a story about boats. It is a story about how knowledge moves — or fails to move — between generations. Victor learned from his adopted grandfather in a household where boat-building was daily work. He watched, helped, and eventually took over. That kind of transmission cannot be replaced by a museum label. The pirogue’s fate will be decided not by whether wood is available, but by whether someone under forty decides it is worth learning to shape it. For now, the answer is not clear. But the craft is not gone yet — and that distinction matters.
For more on how Seychelles preserves its traditions, read our guide to La Digue’s unique approach to cultural preservation.
Sources and further reading
Mandy Bertin. “Remembering traditional wooden pirogues in Seychelles — now rare.” Seychelles News Agency, 2024. 🔗
Maarco Francis. “Seychelles Victoria Maritime Heritage Museum: Exploring the Island Nation’s Nautical Past.” 2024. 🔗
“Traditional Crafts Reflect the Cultural Heart of Seychelles.” Harbinger Standard, 2024. 🔗
Related reading on IslandHopperGuides
Seychelles Independence: Celebrating Freedom and Shaping a Nation’s Future — how independence shaped national identity and cultural pride.
Seychelles Family Values: Understanding the Importance of Community — the social structures that sustain craft traditions.
Seychelles Music Scene: From Sega to Reggae — another living tradition shaped by maritime connections.
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