Church boat

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Church boat "Brudpiga från Siljan" length 18 m, width 2.20 m with 10 pairs of oars
Finnish church boat

A church boat is a special, clinkered wooden rowing boat that is rowed by 14 people and a helmsman. The church boat is originally from Finland . Nowadays church boats are used in recreational and competitive sports.

history

At the time of the Reformation (around 1640), the first church boats were built in Finland based on the legendary long boats of the Vikings . The church sponsored the construction and maintenance of this type of boat, which allowed the boats to spread across Finland. They served as a link between individual parishes , as the transport links between the villages were poorly developed at that time. The church boat was primarily used for trips to church on Sundays. In addition, the boats were also used for removals, weddings, christenings, confirmations, funerals and other occasions with passenger transport. The journeys home from the service were traditionally carried out as a race between the congregations. The name “church boat” can be derived from the support provided by the church to build the boats and from the use by the village community for trips to church. The church boats of that time had stately dimensions, which were based on the individual needs of the village. The largest known boats were up to 40 meters long and 3 meters wide. They were rowed by 30 to 40 pairs of oars. There was space for 8 people on a row bench, so that a boat could hold between 120 and 150 people.

design type

Today's church boats correspond to a type of boat tailored to competitive sports. The boats are built in the traditional clinker construction with a wall thickness of 9 to 12 mm. The boat length is 12 m, the width between 1.80 and 1.95 meters. The weight of a church boat is between 300 and 350 kg. A church boat offers space for 14 rowers sitting in pairs and a helmsman. The oar straps have a length of approx. 3.20 meters, are turned from one piece of wood and are much narrower than the oar blades of modern rowing boats. But newer church boats also have modern Macon or Big Blade blade shapes . They are placed on the hull of the boat on curved metal pins and cannot be turned while rowing; In Germany, however, there are also five church boats with conventional oarlocks that allow the oar blades to be turned up and down. In older church boats the rowers sat on fixed benches, later so-called "sliding cushions" were used with which the rowers could slide back and forth on the benches. Today's church boats have mostly been retrofitted with roller seats or have roller rails with roller seats from the start.

Despite its length, a church boat is agile and fast. A well-rehearsed rowing team accelerates it to around 20 km / h for a short time. Continuous speeds of 12 to 16 km / h are possible, depending on the team and wind and water conditions. Church boats are very seaworthy due to their hull shape, transverse and longitudinal waves pose no problems.

Church boat race

In the 1980s, the small church village of Sulkava began to think again about building church boats in order to make the rowing regatta “ Sulkavan Suursoudut ”, which was launched in 1968, more attractive. The races are held on the Saimaa Lake District and cover a distance of 60 km. The number of participants in the largest Finnish regatta is considerable, at peak times the regatta has more than 10,000 participants (2003).

Church boats in Germany

As a rule, the boats from Finland are brought to Germany new or used. In 2015, 15 church boats in Germany were owned by rowing clubs or rowing associations, which use the boats for hiking and leisure trips. There are also isolated competitions with church boats in Germany, such as the church boat regatta in Speyer .

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