It is an assumption that the Vrbas boat appeared about the same time as the city of Banja Luka. At first, it was because a boat was the only way to get from one bank of the Vrbas River to the other and later, when the first bridges were built, it was the only way to cross the river without paying the bridge fee.
Over the centuries, this unusual vessel became a symbol of the city, leaving trace in the culture of the people of Banja Luka. A specific set of circumstances conditioned the cruising range of 15 kilometers from the center of the settlement through which the river flows and where the river is not too deep, along the banks and with a river bottom suitable for pushing with a rod, not for rowing.
Precisely that pole that serves for pushing the boat gives the boat the necessary acceleration for the river of changing currents and strong waterfalls of relatively low depth, where an oar would not be of much help, and precisely after that pole called dajak the Vrbas boat was named the dajak-boat.
Andrej Zamolo, who was born in Banja Luka and has a special bond with the Vrbas River, is traditionally dealing with boat making, and he inherited the craft from his late father. Andrej and his brother Dario are the only men in Banja Luka who are seriously dealing with the making of these boats.
“Occasionally, someone makes their own boat, but generally only our family currently makes dajak-boats. My brother Dario and I still make dajak-boats,” Andrej said.
Andrej says that it takes 20 days to make a good dajak and that around 70 dajak-boats currently sail on the Vrbas River.
“In addition to knowing a lot about wood processing and wood as a material, it is important to know a lot about boat characteristics, its behavior on the river, as well as about the steering. In order for someone to be a good master, they need to be a good boat navigator,” Andrej claims.
The length of the boat hull is 6.8 meters and total length of the boat is between 7.30 and 7.50 meters, depending on the length of the decorative part of the boat. Boat depth is 30 centimeters, width is 80 centimeters, and it weighs around one hundred kilograms.
Load capacity of the boat is almost 500 kilograms, so it can accommodate six adults, given that it is ideal for three people plus the boat navigator. Earlier boats were larger, so they could transport up to one ton of load.
Andrej notes that this boat is navigated upstream, which means that the boat navigator needs to overcome rapids, strong currents and waterfalls that a fast mountain river Vrbas has, and that is what makes the dajak-boat recognizable and unique in the world.
(Source: klix.ba/photo:avaz)
