RANTAU PANJANG: For most of his life, Wan Mohd Zain Wan Jaafar has earned a living as a rubber tapper in his village in Kampung Padang Licin, here.
But when the monsoon season became increasingly unpredictable, the 57-year-old father of four realised he needed a skill that could support his family and his community when rubber-tapping work came to a halt.
Today, he is one of the few villagers crafting fibre-glass perahu (small boats), a trade he learned from YouTube tutorials.
“I started learning last year, just to fill my free time. But around June this year, I decided to make perahu for sale,” he said when met at his modest workshop in the village today.
Since then, demand has been overwhelming.
“Demand for my perahu has been overwhelming and I can barely keep up with the orders,” he said, adding that his friend, Sukri Zakaria, 53, assists him in keeping up with production.
Zain added that each boat, made of fibre and measuring 18 feet long, can carry two to three people.
Depending on the weather, Zain said they can complete one boat in five to six days.
“I can produce three boats a month and sell about two, priced at RM1,350 each including delivery.
“Currently, l have five more orders in the queue, most of them from within the village.
“Some even come from outside. A friend from Kuala Lumpur ordered two units to use here in Kelantan,” he said.
For villagers preparing for floods, these boats are not a luxury but a necessity.
Among Zain’s buyers was 72-year-old Daud Ismail from Kampung Gual Mesa, who drove three kilometres to Zain’s workshop to purchase his first-ever boat.
“I cannot delay. Last year, the floodwaters at my house rose above chest level.
“There are six of us at home — me, my wife Zawiah Zakaria, 62, our three children and a grandchild.
“A perahu is the only way to move around when the water comes,” he said.
Another buyer was Wan Mohd Amirul Wan Imam, a farmer from Kampung Padang Licin.
“It’s our responsibility to have a boat. Before this, we always borrowed from others.
“But during this monsoon season, we need to be prepared,” said the 26-year-old father of three.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
