Barge Thong Ba Bin

            The meaning of the name of the barge Thong Khwan Fa is the golden sky-axe and of the barge Thong Ba Bin the golden audacious one. The barge’s name Thong Khwan Fa probably is a corruption of Thong Khwaen Fa, literally, the golden thing hanging from the sky, which are twin barges in the royal barge procession of King Narai the Great (reigned 1656 – 1688) of the Ayutthaya Kingdom and of King Rama I (reigned 1782 – 1809) of the Chakri Dynasty. It is possible that a Thong Khwaen Fa  has been replaced by the new name Thong Ba Bin in later period.
           These barges are oil-lacquered barges with a gilded lacquered rising prow. They are the leading barges in the royal barge procession. Each barge has the length of 32.08 meters with a width of 1.88 metres at the beam and depth of 64 centimeters. It is manned by thirty-nine oarsmen with two steersmen, one officers and one signalman.