Galway Hooker - the Irish fishing and transport sail vessel

The Galway Hooker is a traditional wooden sail ship, that sails the waters of western Ireland, usually built in the shipyards of Galway Bay. These boats emerged in the late 18th and early 19th centuries as part of the region's fishing and transport businesses. Built to navigate the rough waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the rocky shores of Connemara, hookers have become an iconic symbol of Irish seafaring. Hookers were a response to the harsh seafaring conditions of western Ireland, where strong winds, rough waters and shallow bays made deep draft vessels impractical. Local shipbuilders, renowned for their experience, built a solid and maneuverable ships, that could carry considerable loads and was easy to handle and did not require a large crew. Over the centuries, they were mainly used for fishing and transporting peat from Connemara to the Aran Islands and Ireland. Livestock, seaweed for manure and other cargo were also transported between neighboring land areas. With the development of the road network and innovative transport, hookers were used less and less, but recent renovation projects and regattas of these ships have brought back interest in them.

The model is designed according to J. B. Horner's drawings, made back in 1891, and recreates a 35-foot-long Bad Mor type ship. It is perfectly designed and maximally detailed, but not complicated, so it will suit both beginners and less experienced modelers, working under the supervision of a more experienced colleague. The greatest complexity of the model is its small dimensions. The sails and flag are printed double-sided, very clear graphic instructions, textual instructions are not very large, but quite detailed, in English and Polish.