India, circa 1870
by John P. Nicholas

Until the harbor was constructed in Madras, massulah boats were the primary means for passengers to negotiate the trecherous coastal surf and arrive ashore. The 18th century memorist William Hickey said of these craft, «The boats are formed of broad planks, literally sewed together with the twisted fibers of a bark from the coconut tree… Notwithstanding the dubash and the rowers [who] assured us the surf was very moderate that morning, I thought it the most terrific thing I had ever beheld…»