jdlyall comments:
The March issue of Wooden Boat magazine has an excellent article on Haitian wooden boat building on Haiti's north coast.
...I spent more than a few days looking at the construction of haytian big boats. In Cap Haitian, mostly. Down by the jetty where the boat builders have a spot on the sand. I was thinking of getting a boat made. From what I saw, I wouldn't want one. Ingenious, but surely not safe.
Common steel carpenters nails abound, and rebar is used for pegs. The ones I saw, anyway. Common 2x6's are used for exterior planking. Those cannot last long. Mahogany planks are long gone in the north.
I guess rags and tar for stuffing between the boards is an ancient practice, but I'd be more comfortable with tighter fits between the boards.
The Okap boats are trash compared to the Dhows of the Indian Ocean, which I've seen being made in Lamu (Swahili Coast). I cannot figure out where the swahili boat makers get their good lumber. There is none around Lamu that I could see.
Haitian sailing rigs are similar to Dhow rigs. I will have to look up that Wooden Boat issue.