For years, craftsmen in Mauritius have been making pirogues by hand — flat-bottomed, wooden boats designed to easily cross the shallows.

But fiberglass boats are beating out the wooden ones and traditional boat making is disappearing, CCTV reports.

One man is determined to keep the tradition alive. Meet Pop Hoota, a pirogue carpenter from Vieux Grand Port, Mauritius.

Hoota learned how to make the boats from his father and he’s teaching his son. It takes Hoota six weeks to build a wooden boat.

Not so long ago 1000 people built them from wood — now there are maybe 10 doing the work, CCTV reports.

“All the carpenters are old and many are dead,” Hoota said said. “Now I’m the only one in the region.”

Fiberglass boats are popular, especially the ones with navigation and fish-finding capabilities.

Fisherman Louis Antonio Verloppe told CCTV wooden boats are hard to repair and it’s difficult to find anyone to repair them. You can get a fiberglass boat off the shelf.

Many fishermen insist its the future.