Small boat used to ferry supplies to ships moored away from the shore
Tourist-oriented bumboats on the Singapore River
A bumboat is a small boat used to ferry supplies to ships moored away from the shore.[ 1] The name comes from the combination of the Dutch word for a canoe —"boomschuit " ("boom " meaning "tree"), and "boat".
In Tobias Smollett 's 1748 novel, The Adventures of Roderick Random , a "bumboat woman" conducts business with sailors imprisoned on board a pressing tender moored near the Tower Wharf on the Thames River , London , England.
In HMS Pinafore , W. S. Gilbert describes Little Buttercup as a Bumboat Woman.
In Singapore , the term "bumboat" is applied to small water taxis and boats that take tourists on short tours.
See also
References
^ Bradwell, Judy (12 March 1979). "The private fun of Lodge and Heath". New Zealand Woman's Weekly : 24–26.
External links