A falkusa (Croatian: falkuša) is a traditional sailboat used by fishermen from the town of Komiza on the Adriatic island of Vis, Croatia. Falkusa is a subtype of gajeta, a traditional Dalmatian fishing sailboat, and is sometimes called gajeta falkusa. Its design was adapted to specific needs of Komiza fishermen, who went to long fishing expeditions in the open seas, a unique practice in the Adriatic and Mediterranean.
The Falkusa is a unique wooden boat, tapered narrowly on both sides, and is about seven to eight metres in length by 3 metres wide. It had a low draft under a large (120 m2 or 1,300 sq. ft.) lateen sail made from flax, mounted on a mast which was typically as high as the ship was long. It was very fast both under sail and with oar, able to achieve speeds between 8 to 12 knots. Its distinctive feature were two removable wooden side strakes called falke, after which falkusa got its name.The strakes raised the rim of the boat by about half a metre, protecting it from high waves in the open seas. To ease the hauling of the nets, the strakes were removed during fishing.The vessel could carry up to eight tonnes of salted fish barrels.
Here are some “Falkusa” model that were built in my shipyard:
