Whhat is a Gulet? Bodrum Wooden Boats

WHAT IS A GULET ?
The gulet was born in Bodrum. Traditionally gulet-building was handed down from father to son or from master to apprentice, but nowadays gulets are built in an extremely modern and elegant way.

Boat masters work fastidiously on their shapesdistinctive forms and at the end a gulet is built by using hand labour and teamwork requiring at least a year of hard work. There are a many methods to build gulets i.e. the traditional system called accumulation is a very sound method although it is not recently applied so much.

Nowadays the laminated (bonding) system is more in demand for work is done in accordance with EU harmonization law and IMO criteria. Traditionally built gulets are used for practical and tourism purposes in the Aegean and Mediterranean oceans.

Gulet-building masters increasingly receive orders at home and from abroad as production is strongly demand-oriented. With their wide poop decks, sunbathe and relaxing areas called bangaca, and wide high cabins Conventional Bodrum Gulets belong to a special class of boats which are most suitable for yacht charter.

Gulets can be traced back to the Kayra era in ancient times and were used originally only for fishing purposes under the name of TRATA. Since the development of the tourism sector in Turkey and the development of the Blue Cruise Voyage originating from Bodrum the gulets were designed and produced with the comfort of tourists in mind.

Erol Özyurt, one of the best gulet-building masters in Bodrum, has produced numerous gulets different in size and type since the 1950s. He used a planer on his workbench until the 1990s and then he handed the job to his son Ýsmail Özyurt.

Thanks to his experience and strong personality Ismail Özyurt made it possible that ‘etemoglu boatyard’ became a brand all over the world and he continues to move ahead very successfully.