Gig (boat)

"Captain's Gig" redirects here. For the racehorse, see Captain's Gig (horse).
A painting of HMS Pique's gig in 1835

A gig /ˈɡɪɡ/ is a type of boat. It was optimised for speed under oar, but usually also fitted with a sailing rig for appropriate conditions. The type was in use by Deal boatmen in the 18th century. It first occurred as a naval ship's boat after Deal boatbuilders recommended a different design to boats ordered from them by the Royal Navy to equip the cutters purchased in the 1760s to combat smuggling. The captains of larger warships soon sought permission to substitute a gig for one of the heavier boats which were then used; some even had a gig built at their own expense. The gig therefore became part of the usual complement of ship's boats used in warships.

Gigs also had civilian uses, being employed to take pilots to and from ships, carrying mail and people for vessels waiting at anchor for favourable winds, salvage and lifesaving – and for smuggling. They could be found in places like the Mersey, as one of the faster and lighter boat types providing communication with ships anchored off the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts, and also from Deal to the Downs. The West Country is well known for its pilot gigs, with surviving and new-built examples now being raced at a large number of clubs in the region.[1][2]: 100–110 [3]: 46–47 

Gigs were lightly built, usually of clinker construction. They were narrow for their length. Typically, in naval gigs a beam of 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m) was used for hull lengths from 20 to 28 feet (6.1 to 8.5 m) – propelled by between four, six or eight oars. Exceptions included gigs pulling ten oars.[2]: 106 [3]: 87–88  Oars were always single-banked[a] in a gig.

Some would describe larger gigs as a galley, with regional variation on this terminology for civilian craft. Others regard the galley as a similar but different type.[2]: 106-107  In Royal Navy usage of the latter half of the 19th century, the captain's gig was always referred to as "the galley".[4] This contrasts with the US Navy usage: here the "captain's gig" was originally the traditional wooden boat, but in recent times a fibre-glass hulled powerboat which provided transport for the captain to and from their ship.[5]: 94 

  1. ^ "list of clubs". gigrower. December 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Leather, John (1982). Sail and oar. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-218-8.
  3. ^ a b May, W. E. (2003). The Boats of Men-of-war (Rev. and expanded ed.). London: Caxton Editions. ISBN 978-1840674316.
  4. ^ Blomfield, R. Massie (January 1912). "MAN-OF-WAR BOATS.—II". The Mariner's Mirror. 2 (1): 7–9. doi:10.1080/00253359.1912.10654564.
  5. ^ Palmer, Joseph (1975). Jane's dictionary of naval terms. London: Macdonald and Jane's. ISBN 0-356-08258-X.


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