Neolithic boats

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PeterH P
PeterH Nov 20, 2005 19:10:58
Replying to fitzcoraldo

I think it's almost certain that the Scandinavian rock paintings depict skin covered boats over a wooden frame. Dug-outs (or log-boats as they are now called) clearly came first but were very laborious to make requiring fire and lots of chopping out. The result is heavy and rides low in the water unless the hollowing out is extreme leaving very thin walls. Planks are not difficult to obtain using wedges to split logs, but the real skill is getting them to fit before sewing them together with root fibres. Then you have to caulk the gaps. A flexible frame is the simplest and most effective and when used with skins or leather, the result is very light, flexible, buoyant and water proof. Thor Heyerdahl certainly proved the seaworthiness of reed boats from Africa and America, but did we ever have them in western Europe?

F fitzcoraldo
fitzcoraldo Nov 21, 2005 08:29:57
Replying to PeterH

As far as I can gather, the evidence for the Scandanavian rock carvings portraying skin boats is fairly scant and based upon carvings that portray boats with possible 'pegs' on their frame. The 'pegs' have been interpretted as being used to stretch the skin across the timber frame. I guess an alternative interpretation could be that the 'pegs' are rollocks - the anchors for oars or even stiffeners/ribs for the hull (the double entendre possibilities are endless).
I have seen a number of Scandanavian boat carvings and what struck, was a significant number of carvings show boats with high stem and stern posts. These boats reminded me of the beautiful merchant ships that the Phoenecians were sailing around the Mediterranean during the Bronze Age.
I very much doubt that these carvings portray Phoenecian ships as they do not show masts or sails but it's worth looking at the technology that was available in the Mediterranean during the Bronze Age when trying to imagine what sort of vessels were plying our waters during the same period and earlier.