Sewn boat facts for kids
A sewn boat is a special kind of wooden boat. Its planks are joined together by sewing or stitching them. People used things like animal tendons or flexible wood for this. This method was common before metal fasteners were invented. It also helped save money on smaller boats.
What's in a Name?
The name sewn boat can be a bit confusing. It's not like sewing clothes! Some people prefer to call them laced boats instead.
A modern boat-building method called stitch and glue is similar. It uses wire to stitch plywood panels together. Then, strong fiberglass is added to make the seams very strong.
How They're Built
Building a sewn boat is different from other boats. You start with the outside "shell" first, not the inner frame. This is like building a strong eggshell.
The wooden planks are carefully shaped. They overlap each other, like scales on a fish. Then, they are sewn together through holes along the edges. This makes the boat very flexible. After the planks are sewn, a frame can be added inside. This frame helps make the boat even stronger and hold its shape.
This method was often used for smaller boats. Larger ships usually used wooden pegs, called treenails, to hold thicker planks together.
A Look Back in Time
Sewn boats have a very long history! The oldest known example is a huge boat from ancient Egypt. It's called the "Solar Barque" and is about 4,500 years old. It was found near the pyramids.
Other very old sewn boats were found in North Ferriby, Britain. One of these boats is about 4,000 years old. Ancient Greek ships also used this method. The oldest sewn boat found in northern Europe is the Hjortspring boat from Denmark, built around 300 BC.
In some parts of Finland, Russia, Karelia, and Estonia, people built small sewn boats until the 1920s. This was especially true in poorer areas where metal was expensive.
People in the Indo-Pacific region, known as Austronesian peoples, also built sewn boats called "proas". They also used a method called lashed-lug construction. Boats from the Middle East and South Asia, like the dhow, also used sewing. Even though these boats are near each other, their sewing styles are different. This shows they probably developed their methods on their own.
For example, the sewing on Austronesian boats is only seen from the inside. But on boats from South Asia and the Middle East, you can see the sewing from both the inside and outside.
Examples of Sewn Boats
- Dhow
- Mtepe
- Nordland
- Itaomacip
See also
- Lashed-lug boat
- Hjortspring boat
- Bell Beaker culture
