The Fish Boats
The boats form part of our heritage, the coastal landscape and our culture. They also express a way of life.
The Estrella Polar and the Gacela are two unique museum pieces, authentic and unique examples of craftsmanship. They come from a traditional shipbuilding model in which wood dominated, a material doomed to disappear from boats, replaced by more competitive and cheaper materials, such as fibreglass. A world of trades and professionals which is gradually disappearing from our ports.
Estrella Polar
Boat with its base port in Palamós, dedicated to purse seine fishing since 1970. It was modified several times over its useful life to ensure it remained competitive. It is an evolution of llaüt sailing boats, the most characteristic type of traditional boat on the Catalan coast. The wide beam and minimal freeboard of the deck stand out, providing the necessary space to unload the boxes of fish and reducing the effort required when bringing the net in. Purse-seine boats like the “Estrella Polar” took along an auxiliary boat to provide lighting.
Technical sheet
Typology: purse-seine fishing boat
Length: 14,70 m
Beam: 5,13 m
Construction material: wood
GRT: 24,39 tonnes
Boat-builder: Narciso Cardona
Year and place of construction: 1970. Barcelona
14,70 m
Length
5,13 m
Beam
Glòria Mauri
Joan Miquel Saló
Gacela
A trawler built in 1959. It has a high bow, a large keel and a generous length. The boat’s characteristic shape is ideal for the needs of red prawn fishing in the fishing grounds near Palamós. Throughout its lifespan, the engine has been changed three times and two major renovations have also been carried out. It has always used Palamós as its base port.
Technical sheet
Typology: trawler
Length: 20,2 m
Beam: 5,20 m
Construction material: wood (oak for the structure, pine from Oregon and Flanders for the hull and deck)
GRT: 41 tonnes
Year and place of construction: 1959. L’Ametlla de Mar (Tarragona)
20,2 m
Length
5,20 m
Beam
Conrad Masseguer
Joan Esteve
