Bowon Mongkol Shipyard - อู่คานเรือบวรมงคล

It's the end of the monsoon season, and the water is currently knee-high in the shipyard. The owner, Mr. Parinya, is making his way through the water masses along with his faithful follower, the dog Namkang (Ice), who is mainly there to protect him from the unwelcoming alligators. For the next three months, they are at the mercy of the Chao Phraya River, and most of the work now takes place in the afternoon when the water level is slightly lower.

Parinya has been running the business for the last 50 years but has no formal education in the field. He began as an apprentice in his grandfather's shipyard further down the river near the Sanghi Bridge. After his grandfather passed away, he took over of the company, but had to move because the land was turned into condominiums. Fortunately, the area was teeming with possibilities since most of the riverbanks on the Thon Buri side were covered in forest, and there were only a limited number of roads. This factor also affected the prices compared to modern Bangkok.

In the early years before the Phra Pinklao Bridge and later the Rama VIII Bridge, most of the clients had small wooden transport boats. Later, they were replaced by larger aluminum ships, and the shipyard started a year-long collaboration with the Chao Phraya Express Boat. The shipyard is able to build a ship entirely from scratch, but nowadays things get especially hectic in the days leading up to the yearly Loy Krathong festival, where all the high-end hotels need to have their boats ready for the festivities.

Parinya has just celebrated his 68th birthday and is not looking to retire anytime soon. He now has company from his two sons who have joined the company, mainly helping with communication and tasks that require a computer. Hopefully, they are interested in taking over the business, but he understands the new generation has different expectations and possibilities.