Mast refers to a tall pole, a long round wooden pole or metal pole with sails and flags hanging on it, and an antenna to support the observation platform on board. A lower truss, boom or diagonal truss that usually stands vertically from the keel or middle plate of a ship and can support the transverse truss sail. The mast on a ship has many uses. For example, use it to install signal lights, hang flags and erect telegraph antennas. In addition, it can also support the cargo boom, lifting and unloading goods.
Sand boats appeared in Chongming, Jiangsu Province in the Tang Dynasty. The predecessor of the sand boat can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period. In Song Dynasty, the sand boat was called "anti-sand gondola", and in Yuan Dynasty, it was called "gondola" until Ming Dynasty. Therefore, the ship type of the sand boat was not available at the beginning, but it was developed through continuous improvement of people.
The square head and tail of the sampan, commonly known as "release"; Spacious deck, small depth and low freeboard; The use of large arch beams enables the deck to release waves quickly. Sandboat adopts flat keel, which is weak. It adopts a watertight cabin, which improves the ship's anti-sinking, and can sail smoothly in a windy day of level 7, so the sand boat can reach Africa as far as possible.
Shipbuilding was widely distributed in the early Ming Dynasty, and its scope was constantly expanding. Fuzhou was one of the main shipping bases of Nanyang in Ming Dynasty. At that time, the Ming government carried out tribute trade with overseas countries, established the city ship lifting department at Wuhumen outside the Minjiang River mouth, and built tribute factories, grain transportation halls, warehouses and so on. Merchant ships were built outside the mouth of Minjiang River. The appearance of all these lucky boats provides favorable conditions.