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Section
of a lagoon boat.
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For
the vast majority of tourists who spend just a few hours
in Venice, all the boats in the canals are gondolas. In
actual fact there are at least a hundred types of boat
each of which were developed to respond to a specific
need.
The
salient .characteristics of these boats are: the flat
bottom that enables the boat to reach the furthest
recesses of the lagoon, the rowing style 'alla veneta'
where the oarsman faces forwards and uses the
characteristic rowlocks (forcole); the large
rudder that also functions as a keel fin and which can
be adjusted to adapt to the depth of water available,
and the lugsails and rigging. Another characteristic
shared by all types of Venetian boats, even those used
for the humblest task, is their extraordinary elegance.
Each
of these boats is photographed and inserted in a large
database in which a brief record holds the most
significant information such as: date, where it was
built, the name of the boatbuilder, dimensions,
equipment, etc. For the rarest and most interesting
boats we make a more detailed survey of the boat, both
in terms of its general shape and in the details of its
construction in order to create a 'knowledge base' that
can be referred to for restoration work, replicas or
modelmaking.
This
is a long and difficult task, so any contributions to
this catalogue will be greatly appreciated.
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