Noah's Ark Landed... in the Netherlands?

[joeactor]

Full article here:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/30/world/europe/johans-ark-noah-dutch

A Dutchman has built a replica of Noah's Ark to biblical proportions, following a dream his homeland would be flooded.
Johan Huibers, a wealthy businessman, used the ancient measurement of the cubit -- the length of a man's arm from elbow to fingertips -- to build the vessel to the dimensions specified in the book of Genesis.
The finished craft -- which has just been opened to the public on the Merwede River in the Dutch town of Dordrecht -- is 300 cubits long (about 450 feet or 137 meters), 50 cubits wide (about 70 feet or 21 meters), and 30 cubits high (about 45 feet or 14 meters).
Huibers has filled his ark, which will operate as a "Bible museum," with life-sized plastic animals and an aviary of live birds to give visitors more to interact with.
"We want to tell people about God," Huibers told AFP. "We wanted to build something that can help explain the Bible in real terms."
It is not Huibers' first ark. He completed his first, a half-scale replica of Noah's Ark, in 2004, and used it to take tourists on canal trips, before beginning work on a full-scale version in 2008.

[Ali]

Wow!  He got like 5MM+ life sized plastic animal replicas on a 450 foot boat?  He must have excellent organizational skills!

[joeactor]

Wow!  He got like 5MM+ life sized plastic animal replicas on a 450 foot boat?  He must have excellent organizational skills!

... it's all how you stack 'em.

Good thing they don't poop or eat.

[markmcdaniel]

Wow, he wants to teach kids about the Bible. I presume that lesson number one is about how you can't even fit all of the pairs of land animals in a 450 x 50 x 45 foot ship. For lesson number two I recommend teaching about why it is a bad idea to take a long, narrow, ship with a high centre of gravity out to sea.

[xSilverPhinx]

"We want to tell people about God," Huibers told AFP. "We wanted to build something that can help explain the Bible in real terms."

Now that I would be interested in. How they managed to get all the animals into that ark is one question that burns my curiosity. A replica could help solve that mystery "in real terms".

[Ali]

"We want to tell people about God," Huibers told AFP. "We wanted to build something that can help explain the Bible in real terms."

Now that I would be interested in. How they managed to get all the animals into that ark is one question that burns my curiosity. A replica could help solve that mystery "in real terms".

I don't think this is going to answer your question.  I looked at the pictures, and it seemed pretty empty in there.  I just googled that there seem to be about 8.7MM species on earth (much higher than my original estimate!) so if you assume there are at least 2 of every one of them in there, that would be about 17MM animals.  He's got plenty of standing room in there, so I don't think his illustration is up to snuff.  Also, what kind of maniac leaves lions and gorillas uncaged? 

[Recusant]

Reading the quote in the OP, I wondered how this vessel had been designed to overcome the well known issue of hogging and sagging which plagues large wooden ships. Then I read the full story, and it became clear:

. . . Huibers and his team built the boat by welding together the metal hulls of 25 barges into a single frame, which was then covered with Scandinavian pine.

So, not really an attempt to build an "authentic replica" of the Biblical ark, but rather a floating Ark Encounter with a plastic menagerie.

[Sweetdeath]

I know this is late, but i just saw it and what the fuck...

This guy really has nothing better to do with his money?

[Tank]

I know this is late, but i just saw it and what the fuck...

This guy really has nothing better to do with his money?

What do you mean? He's turning his money into more money, it's what rich people do.

[joeactor]

I know this is late, but i just saw it and what the fuck...

This guy really has nothing better to do with his money?

What do you mean? He's turning his money into more money, it's what rich people do.

[Sweetdeath]

I know this is late, but i just saw it and what the fuck...

This guy really has nothing better to do with his money?

What do you mean? He's turning his money into more money, it's what rich people do.

haha 

[The Magic Pudding]

I'm fast developing a dislike for this picture.
I'm sure it will dim if I take that smug head.

[Crow]

I'm fast developing a dislike for this picture.
I'm sure it will dim if I take that smug head.

This one any better?

[xSilverPhinx]

Reading the quote in the OP, I wondered how this vessel had been designed to overcome the well known issue of hogging and sagging which plagues large wooden ships. Then I read the full story, and it became clear:

. . . Huibers and his team built the boat by welding together the metal hulls of 25 barges into a single frame, which was then covered with Scandinavian pine.

So, not really an attempt to build an "authentic replica" of the Biblical ark, but rather a floating Ark Encounter with a plastic menagerie.

They can't build a plausible replica, that would probably turn some people away from their faith. Noah had to have done it because god willed it so and so made a few supernatural adjustments...long ago...and the evidence is lost to us.

[Sweetdeath]

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