Chapter 529: Launch of the Inland Sailboat (Please vote and subscribe)
. The speed of laying the shipboard is not slow, because they are all divided into different tasks and work on an assembly line.
The people in the lumber mill use windmill automatic saws to split the logs and saw the wood into planks. The people in the shipyard are also responsible for the steamer softening step. The rest are installers with hammers. They only need to nail the planks to the keel with nails.
In fact, the steps of shipbuilding are not complicated in general. It is to set up the keel, then cover the skin, that is, lay the shipboard, and then the sea trial. The bare ship is launched to see if there are any leaks. Finally, it is checked that there are no problems and then outfitting begins.
Outfitting is actually similar to decoration. What is launched is just a hull with nothing on it, which is equivalent to a rough house. The decoration of the ship is actually quite a lot, including painting the inside and outside, installing masts and sails, rigging, oars, adding appropriate furniture, weapons, special equipment, etc.
For example, fishing boats need to install or modify some special fishing equipment, fishing nets and harpoons are of course indispensable. If it is a military ship, then install some heavy crossbows, or modify special kerosene delivery weapons, and also modify special garrison cabins and weapon cabins.
However, the first inland sailboat of the Han tribe is not that complicated. It is just the most common transport ship and also an experimental ship. If any problems are found after the trial, it is also good to make modifications on the new ship later.
It took a week to make the keel, only one day to install the keel, and a week to lay the planks. Then it is time to waterproof the hull.
It is similar to the previous small boats, and it is the same this time, but in the past, deer antler glue and fish maw were mixed, plus some hair and hemp fiber, to mix into a thick paste filler, and use a small shovel or wood chip to stuff these paste fillers into the gaps in the planks, then scrape them flat, and finally paint them.
But there are still slight changes this time. First of all, there is the problem of fish bladders. Although the Han tribe often fishes now, it still cannot stop the consumption of various woodworking. Now carpenters do not use nails, but rely on glue and mortise and tenon joints to make wooden products.
So in order to meet the needs of shipbuilding, Luo Chong first ordered the new tribesmen in Weishan County to increase their fishing efforts, and the government funded the purchase of fish bladders. Secondly, a large amount of antelope horns and skins were used in the new waterproof filling paste to replace the small number of fish bladders.
Secondly, the hemp fiber inside was replaced with fine hemp rope, because the structure of hemp rope is more compact, and after mixing with glue fillers, it is better for this slightly larger ship, because the larger the size of the ship, the greater the displacement, and the pressure it receives from the water is also different.
Therefore, the size of different ships has different requirements for waterproofing, and craftsmen must flexibly grasp it according to the situation.
Use rags and hemp ropes, mix with glue to fill the gaps in the shipboard, and finally use the old version of waterproof filling paste to scrape it flat, and wait until it dries before painting.
In fact, there is another material that is more suitable for waterproofing the hull, that is asphalt. Unfortunately, this material is not so easy to find. The Han tribe does not have the conditions for artificial refining, and there is no mineral for naturally formed asphalt, so this kind of thing can only be thought about.
It took half a month, and the hull blank was finally completed, but in this way, it was the day for the wooden boat to be officially launched.
The launch of the first sailboat was not held publicly. Luo Chong's attitude was not to hide it, but he did not issue any announcements. Whoever wanted to see it could see it, but the official just didn't say it.
After all, it was the first time to launch it. If it sank just after entering the water, it would be a big shame, so it is better to keep a low profile for now.
Luo Chong set the time for the new ship to be launched in the afternoon, which was staggered with the time when a large number of vendors landed at the dock in the morning.
At about three o'clock in the afternoon of this day, in the dock by the river, the first inland sailboat of the Han tribe was launched.
All the poles and other things were unloaded, and the big ship lay obliquely on the mudflats on the shore. There were several small boats floating on the surrounding river, and many people were on the river to meet.
Luo Chong arranged the way to launch the boat with the bow facing the river, mainly to prevent possible capsizing.
There was a large group of people at the stern pushing the boat from behind, and Rourou and Huishan were towing the boat with ropes in the river. The two elephants had grown a lot over the years and were already three meters tall. Not to mention standing in the shallow water by the river, they could swim directly to the other side without any problems.
Although they were both heavy, they were actually all thick fat. Such a large swimming ring could increase their buoyancy.
Luo Chong stood on a small boat on the river, responsible for directing the actions of the two elephants, and the people on the shore would also cooperate.
After everyone worked together and made great efforts, they finally dragged the wooden boat slowly into the water. After
untying the ropes on the two elephants, Luo Chong was the first to jump onto the new boat. It must be said that the six-meter-wide boat was more stable than the small boat, and the boat didn't shake much even after the whole person jumped on it.
Of course, he was not the only one who went up there. There were also a large number of boatmen, all of whom were experienced rowers. There was no mast or sailing equipment installed on the hull, so the power could only be relied on rowing, which was actually a larger oar.
There is a sculling rack on the side of the boat, and then the oar is placed on it, so that the boat operator does not need to hold the oar with both hands to paddle. Only one hand or two hands are needed to hold the tail of the oar handle to slide the oar up and down and forward and backward to paddle.
This is not difficult to learn for people who often use wooden oars to row boats. In addition, many of the newly built boats of the Han tribe have been modified with sculling racks and oars. In this way, the boats that used to require several people to operate can now be pushed forward by only one person, saving a lot of manpower for the shipping industry.
After all, hiring one more person now requires one more person's salary. Some people who rent boats to do business can also row their own boats. Although it is a bit hard, they can earn more wages by spending less wages. Many people are full of praise for this small improvement. In fact, it is just another application of the principle of leverage.
Especially in this section of waterway between Hanyang County and Ruyang County, the shipping industry is very developed. In the past few months, the number of ships traveling in this section of the river basin can reach hundreds every day.
As for those who rent boats, some rent boats to transport goods, while others rent boats for transportation. Some vendors don't have much goods, so there is no need to rent a boat. They can find a boat that specializes in transportation, and then put the goods on it. The boatman will wait until the boat is full of goods before setting off.
In fact, it is similar to carpooling, except that this is a boatpooling, but it will still be slower than those chartered boats. After all, if the boatman wants to make money, he can only take more goods.
The boat rental business controlled by Hanyang County has also developed into a business model similar to the rickshaw business in the Republic of China. The car is the property of the car company, and the driver has to pay rent to the car company. The money earned by the driver from pulling the car is his own after deducting the rent he pays. In Hanyang City, all the people are boatmen.
The newly launched big ship directly boarded a hundred people, and each person weighed more than 100 kilograms, which is more than 10,000 kilograms, which is incomparable to the small boat.
Some people were rowing at the stern and sides of the boat, while others went down to the cabin below the deck, holding up oil lamps to check for leaks.
Luo Chong was standing on the deck at the bow. There was no second-floor building on the boat, it was all bare, and Luo Chong had designed a low freeboard, with the side of the boat less than one meter from the waterline, so from a distance it looked like a group of people standing in a large wooden tub.
At this moment, this was the scene that the people on the shore saw. Many people noticed this scene and called their friends to the shore to watch. Niu Wei, who was curious about the Han tribe, was naturally among them.
"Look, it's a big ship. It seems to have come from the newly built shipyard."
"Wow (⊙ｏ⊙) This ship is so big. One is bigger than two of the previous ships, no, three."
"So the new shipyard is for this. I guess the Liuyang River will be full of these big ships in the future."
"The previous ships could only carry 30 people at most. This one can probably carry 200. I think there are at least 50 or 60 on it, and it looks very empty."
The farmers, workers and vendors standing on the shore commented on the new ship and were amazed at its size and carrying capacity.
As they talked, they saw Niu Wei and the accompanying clerk suddenly appear beside them, and they also proudly puffed their chests. At this moment, they were proud and proud of being members of the Han tribe. In front of outsiders, when they talked about their identity as members of the Han tribe, they felt very proud and would definitely arouse the envy of others.
Niu Wei also greeted some familiar vendors, but his eyes never left the big boats on the river. He had lived in the Han tribe for almost a month. He had seen the bamboo rafts or boats that often came to the shore to sell goods. He even paid to ride a small boat once.
At first, he was also impressed by the shipbuilding technology of the Han tribe. He had seen bamboo rafts, but this kind of boat made of wood was the first time he saw it.
However, at the beginning, he didn't have any idea about this thing. There was a small river with fresh water on Zhudao Island, but they were not good at traveling by water. Even if they went there occasionally, a bamboo raft was enough. It wouldn't be of much use to get a small boat.
Because Zhudao is surrounded by the sea, if you want to go out to sea, it's useless to rely on such a small boat.
But the big boat in front of him made Niu Wei's heart pound. It was a heart-thumping feeling.
"This ship is so big. It can hold so many people at a time. It must be able to hold a lot of goods. I wonder how much salt it can hold?"
"Such a big ship must be able to safely cross the strait, right? If it is possible, the Xin tribe will not have to wait until the end of each month when the tide is low to travel to the mainland. By then, a dock will be built and they can go whenever they want."
"Sir, can you help me ask the Han leader tomorrow if this big ship can be sold to our Xin tribe? If so, how many cattle, horses and sheep are needed?" Niu Wei suddenly asked the translator beside him.
(End of this chapter)
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