![]() : 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". ![]() Others regard the galley as a similar but different type. Some would describe larger gigs as a galley, with regional variation on this terminology for civilian craft. : 106 : 87–88 Oars were always single-banked in a gig. Exceptions included gigs pulling ten oars. 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. Gigs were lightly built, usually of clinker construction. 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. 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. 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. The gig therefore became part of the usual complement of ship's boats used in warships. ![]() 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. 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 type was in use by Deal boatmen in the 18th century. A gig / ˈ ɡ ɪ ɡ/ is a type of boat optimised for speed under oar, but usually also fitted with a sailing rig for appropriate conditions.
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