 Click the image to load its full scale version (73Кб) Arriving at Prosperity haven on Solovki isles. July 2005. The ship's main dimensions: length ~ 12m, width ~ 2.8m, depth ~0.85m. Displacement 2-5 tons, dependently on the load. Rigged with one mast and square sail ~27 sq.m, and equipped with 2 pairs of oarlocks and oars for 1-4 people to row. Work has begun in mid July 2001, and continued till late November, when it was suspended for winter. Then the work resumed in April 2002, for all warm season till late October. One can follow the progress by the picture's dates on this site. Our initial ambition was to launch the boat in summer 2002 and sail to St.Petersburg to take part in the city's 300 anniversary celebration and navy parade, in May 2003. But this plan turned a little injudicious: many problems, both organization and technical, put the launching off till September 2003. |
Click the image to load its full scale version (52Kb)Shnjaka off the Murman coast, 1907. Photo from Thor Iversen's collection. Shnjakas were commonly used in coastal waters of White and Barents seas, in Kola, around Kola peninsula and Northern Norway, in Archangelsk and Holmogory, etc., since 15-16 th centuries up to the beginning of the 20 th century. They made the bulk of Russian Pomor cod fishing fleet. One can find a good description (in Russian) of that period: |
Click the image to load its full scale version (36Кб)Teriberka - Russian fishing settlement on Murman coast of Kola peninsula. A shnjaka is visible on the foreground. Early 20th century. |
Click the image to load its full scale version(58Kb)The original boat - a sewn shnjaka from the Murman coast, built in 1905(?). Now exhibited in Oslo Sjofartsmuseum, Norway. Russian word "Murman" is in fact distorted pronunciation of "Nurman", or "Normann", meaning Norse coast, - sort of a "Russian Normandy". |
 (52Kb) The hull is nearly done, tarred from inside and partly from outside (at the stem post). October 2002. |
Project goals and organization aspects:
The project's main goal is to reproduce the whole technological chain of traditional Pomor shipbuilding, and to test such a ship thoroughly in actual voyages. We are mostly interested in so called "sewing technique" i.e. clinker wooden hull building without any metal fastenings, - lashing planking together with twisted tree roots or withes. Neither modern tools (electrical or chain saws), nor industrial wares are used when building the hull. This archaeological experiment can yield some unique data on the seaworthiness of a sewn ship, some design solutions and labor consume estimation for the shipbuilding works. Historical analysis of the region's economy development is hardly possible in lack of these data, and no archaeological boatfind reconstruction could be done reliably without it.
Click the image to load its full scale version(39Kb)A group of youth from summer ecological camp visiting the construction site. The project's educational role is no less important, as it will vividly demonstrate many old skills and techniques in action. |
It is a volunteer project, all works being done by a group of 1-3 people, whose leader is Misha Naimark.
Scientific research is performed in close collaboration with Arctic Archaeology Group of the Archaeology Institute, Russian Academy of Science.The project is sponsored by Northern Seafaring Fellowship, this non-profit foundation owns the boat.
Construction site is located in Vodlozero National Park in Carelia, in old village of Koskosalma. This is a good location choice for such a project, since we work in the "natural habitat" and have immediate access to all the necessary materials in surrounding forests, and, on the other hand, we have some infrastructure, scientific work and public relations facilities, etc. Only in a national park all these conditions could be met in a same place.
last update: 02 March 2014 report problems with this page to 