Boat Name
Boat Use
Boat Type
Build Date
Country of Origin
Area of Origin
Boat Dimensions
Length
9 ft 0 in
Width
2 ft 2 in
Description
Expanded polystyrene is man's answer to am-batch reed Herminiers Elaphronxylon. It is an adequate substitute but it is more expensive and lacks the slightly toughened casing which helps cohesion.
The reed itself varies in length depending upon the rainfall and subsequent level of the lake during growth. There had been little rain on Lake Beringo, in Northern Kenya when the reeds for this boat grew so a number of the lengths have had to be scarfed.
The reed is frail and rots if left damp and airless so there is a convenient degree of built in obsolescence - a feature not unpopular with boat builders in more places than Kenya.
We are indebted to Mrs Elizabeth Roberts of Lake Beringo for arranging for the building of this boat, but more particularly to Doctor Ruby Gee and Mr James Gee for photographing its building, for taking it, and two others, to Nairobi and for then giving us all three. Finally, we are grateful to British Airways for flying them to England.
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