Noah S Arktotb (Approx. 1300 Words)

Noah S Arktotb (Approx. 1300 Words)

Noah’s arkTOTB (approx. 1300 words)

Page A1

THE BOW AND STERN

Why the fancy bow and stern?
Okay, so they are rather conspicuous. But the fancy additions are not a great deal of work compared to building a seagoing vessel 300 cubits long.
Their purpose is to align the ark with the wind so that waves will pass by the stern. Without them, the vessel could be trapped side-on to the waves.
To get the shipto point into the waves,
1. Round the ends for bettercomfort and handling
2. Use the wind to keep the stern pointed into the waves
3. Let the wind drive the shipslowly with the waves
This setupworks a bit like a weathervane that rotates on an axis nearer the stern than the bow.

ABOVE: AS THE ARK IS BLOWN ALONG TO THE LEFT, IT ALIGNS ITSELF LIKE A WEATHERVANE

THE STERN OF THE ARK NEARS COMPLETION

Page A2

For a given wind speed, waves will eventuallyreach their peak, in what is known as a “fully developed sea”.The stronger the gale, the longer it takes to create these full-sized waves.
And there was plenty of time. At the height of the global flood, there was no land to block the wind, so when God “made a wind to pass over the earth” (Genesis 8:1), there was nothing but the friction of the water to lessen the waves.
Large, long waves can travel great distances in deep water and would reach the ark as “swell,” regardless of the direction of the local wind. These swells could hit the ark from all sides at once.

Taken to the extreme, waves might come “from all directions with the same probability.” This is what scientists assumed in a secular study of Noah’s ark at one Korea’s top ship research centers, KRISO.
They calculated an extraordinary sea limit of 47.5m (156 feet) waves before the ark would reach a heel angle of 31o. But even then it would stay afloat, the water only having reached the edge of the deck. Theirark passed seaworthy tests with flying colors.
Yet in all probability, the ark was built with a larger cubit and had greater buoyancy, resulting in even better performance than the Korean study revealed.

LARGE LONG WAVES CAN TRAVEL VAST DISTANCES.

Page A3

DISTANT SWELLS

High waves are one thing, but steep waves are agreater menace. Any vessel can happily ride over enormous waves with a shallow slope. But steep waves do not travel so well. They tend to die out faster than the longer ones, which is why distant swells would be less steep and less dangerous when they reached the ark.

But unlike a modern ocean, the floodwaters could also create vast mats of pumice, vegetation, uprooted trees, and floating debris brought together by swirling wind and currents. These could dramatically suppress wave energy while another floating object, the ark,would naturally end up among the debris.
But whether the debris helped or not, distant swells are not the first concern. Local wind-driven waves are potentially the steepest, so the added precaution of a design that steers with the wind would have beenwell worth the effort. And even if the wind suddenly changes, the arkwouldstill perform in a confused sea just like the ark in the Korean study or better.
If the details of the bow and stern are only an extra precaution, couldthey have been smaller and more subtle?
No, there is a minimum size that ensures the wind’s turning effect overcomes the wave’s turning effect. On the other hand, if the features were oversize, the vessel wouldsimply align with the wind a little tighter.

SWELLS FROM TWO DISTANT SOURCES

Page A4

ADDING TO SCRIPTURE?

Is this bow and stern detail an exampleof adding to Scripture?
The Bible warns against adding to Scripture. “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it”(Deut. 4:2). This does not banevery logical deduction or details that are not explicitly stated.
Genesis gives the explicit dimensions of the ark but not the shape, so even a rectangular box is making an assumption.
Does the ark have a roof? No mention of that in Genesis. Yet a roofis routinely illustrated as a result of plain old common sense.
What about the door? How big was it and whereabouts on the side? So far, the “explicitdetails only” ark has no shape, no roof, and no clearly defined location for the door.
Obviously we must fill in the gaps by putting our thinking caps on—not to change the historical details, but to flesh them out. “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter”(Prov. 25:2).
Some claim that Noah could skip the seaworthy issues because God would have kept him safe no matter what he built. After all, “it only had to float.” Hang on a minute. So in heavy seas, when the half-way-good-enough ark begins to leak, it becomes God’s job to keep it afloat by miraculous intervention? But isn’t that adding to Scripture?

STRICT DEPICTION OF NOAH’S ARK WHERE INTERPRETATION IS FORBIDDEN:
*DIMENSIONS WE KNOW, BUT NOT THE SHAPE.
* AN UNKNOWN DOOR GOES SOMEWHERE IN THE SIDE.
* IT HAS NO ROOF BECAUSE ONE IS NOT MENTIONED.

In the end the Ark Encounter might appear to resemble a ship, but it is really a design of a giant lifeboat, optimized for all sorts of waves. This design is a logical outcome of the ship-like proportions, the fierce conditions of the global flood, and a bit of common sense.

Page A5

STEADY AS SHE GOES

How it all works for the voyage:

  • The stern catches the water like a fixed rudder.
  • Keels deepen sternwards to help grip the water.
  • Outboard keels dampen the roll.
  • Triple keels provide launch and grounding protection.
  • Keels stabilize for construction and grounding.
  • Fifth layer of planking protects from abrasion.
  • Fourth layer protects from floating debris.
  • Bilge radius increases strength and impact tolerance.
  • Rounded bow steers more freely with the wind.
  • Narrowed stern cuts through waves in a following sea.
  • The moonpool increases drag near the stern.
  • Sheer and flare of the hull reduce waves on deck.
  • If all else fails, a high freeboard (height of deck above the water) handles waves from any direction.

This is not, of course, the only possible design for Noah’s ark. Other solutions could also fit the Genesis account, and even a simple box might survive. But since every design requires some interpretation, why not search for the most appropriate solution for such a critical mission?

<Label>Bow designed to catch the wind
<Label>Entry door is on second deck but sealed by God
<Label>Additional restaurant makes the ark a little taller than 30 cubits
<Label>Direction of travel
Label>Bow
Label>Stern

THE ARK ENCOUNTER UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN KENTUCKY

Page A6

STAYING IN ONE PIECE

The Ark Encounter is a true timber-framed structure, but it only approximates the proposed design of Noah’s ark. Both hulls look strikingly similar, and even the internal structures match up quite well. But one hidden detail highlights the difference between the two. The wall of the Ark Encounter is only 2 inches (50 mm)thick with occasional 20-inch (508 mm)frames. In contrast, Noah’s vessel most likely had20 inches (508 mm) or more of planking in a wall of timber that was easily 70inches (1778 mm) thick.

Label>Threelayers of planking for structural integrity
Label>Fourth layer of planking for protection against floating debris
Label>Fifth layer of planking for abrasion and grounding
Label>Bilge radius for strength and impact tolerance
Label>Outer keel for protection and stability
Label>Planking layers 1,2,3,4, & 5
Label>Mortise and tenon edge-jointedplanking
Label>Frame
Label>Frame chock
Label>Inner ceiling and edge keys

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