PINDA
Table from Pilots’ Almanac©
As
edited by James S. Watson
November
6, 2003
Revised:
March 20, 2010
The Pilots’ Almanac© contains
many useful rules for various aspects of building and sailing ships in an early
medieval setting. However, the rules do have
one glaring error with respect to calculations involving the Pinda. A modification with justification for
calculations involving Pindas follows:
|
Length |
12 |
15 |
18 |
21 |
|
Beam |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
|
Depth |
2 |
2.4 |
2.8 |
3.2 |
|
Burden[1] |
.6/1.2 |
.85/2.2 |
1.1/3.5 |
1.35/5.4 |
|
SG |
C |
C |
C |
C |
|
OG |
B |
B |
B |
B |
|
HF |
75 |
75 |
75 |
75 |
|
TGT |
56 |
56 |
56 |
56 |
|
VCF |
1 |
1 |
4 |
7 |
|
Time |
72 |
112 |
162 |
220 |
|
Cost |
432 |
675 |
972 |
1,323 |
The table as given in the Pilots’ Almanac gives the weight of a pinda in displacement tons. However, the figure for displacement tons, as it is used in the Pilots’ Almanac, is based on the figure used in merchant navy service where a displacement ton is equal to 100 cubic feet of space. This is the space that in early medieval times was taken up by a tun cask of wine.[2]
However, for a pinda the actual weight should be calculated in naval displacement tons where the weight is calculated on the actual weight of the material used to build the vessel. For pindas therefore the actual weight given in the table should be in hundredweights, which is the way I have given it in the table with this article. Using naval displacement weights shown by the figure before the slash a twelve-foot pinda would weigh about 60 pounds, a fifteen foot pinda about 85 pounds, an eighteen foot pinda about 110 pounds, and a twenty-one foot pinda about 135 pounds.
The number of persons a pinda can carry safely can be found by dividing the hundredweights shown after the slash by .25. This figure does not give the weight of the persons or any supplies that they might have with them it just gives a figure of how many persons can fit in the pinda without overloading it.
The VCF figure has also been changed from that in the Pilots’ Almanac to reflect the actual number of persons needed to handle a boat of the size given. Twelve and fifteen foot row boats (Pindas) can be handled by a single person. A single person can also handle an eighteen-foot boat but it would more likely use two or even three rowers plus a coxswain. A twenty-one foot pinda might need a crew of seven, six rowers plus a coxswain.