page_title: The Viracocha expedition
section_title: How reed rafts are built
hierarchical_section_title: The Viracocha expedition / How reed rafts are built
caption_attribution_description: English: Ropes viracocha II picture
context_page_description: In 2000 and 2003, professional explorer Phil Buck led international teams across the Pacific Ocean from South America to Easter Island via two separate ancient style reed rafts. Both vessels were constructed in their entirety from only four Andean materials; totora reeds, natural fiber rope, cotton sails and wood.
  No one in recorded history has been able to reach the most isolated populated island in the world aboard an any ancient style vessel of any kind. The Viracocha expeditions proved that ancient South American mariners could have been the first to discover Easter Island. Who first reached the island and carved the numerous stone monoliths still remains one of antiquity's greatest mysteries and has baffled the scientific community for centuries.
context_section_description: The Viracocha I and II were 64 feet (20 m) long, 14.85 feet (4.53 m) wide at the center-line and weighed approximately 20 tons. Two and half million reeds were required for each boat and were harvested from the shores of the Bolivian/ Peruvian high altitude Lake Titicaca, where the totora reeds grow in abundance. The reeds were cut with a long cutting pole from small rowboat and bundled up into "amaros" (bundles) with roughly 500 reeds per bundle. They are rowed ashore and sun dried for two to four weeks with bundles stacked together in a standing position. After the drying process, the reeds are gathered up and stored, being careful to keep them from the rain. The reeds (Scirpus Riparius) are generally one half inch thick at the base (before being compressed) and 6 feet long.
  The reeds are then made into over 30 long cylinders or "chorizos", 1.5 feet (0.46 m) in diameter which are made the length of the boat. These form the main bulk of the ship. The jig is built next. This serves as a mold, constructed with eucalyptus poles every three feet, running perpendicular to the hull supported by poles from the ground. Two smaller boats that looked similar to "whales" are made to add rigidity to the boat with the technique the same as main hull, described later. They are laid side by side on top of the mold. The roles are laid on top of the "whales" until they form two large separate bundles.
  The "estera" or skin of the boat is the next phase and is made by weaving the best stock of the reeds, made the length of the boat. This skin is wrapped around the two large bundles. A heart, or third bundle is placed in the center of the much larger bundles. Two strands of sisal rope, each 2250 feet in length is than passed around one large bundle and around the heart in one foot revolutions for the entire length. The same is done on the other side.  Never does the rope wrap around the whole ship.
  The rope tightening is next. A pulley system is used to haul on the boats to get them gradually tighter. There are only two long continuous ropes, 2,250 feet on either side. The pulling begins on one end and is hauled on until taut. The ropes are pulled roughly thirty more times on each side, shrinking the size of the boat each time. This ingenious design now consists of two large bundles linked together by a heart that has now disappeared into the larger two bundles forming a stable, almost double hulled vessel.
  The next phase is to build up the bow and stern. Tapering cones of reeds are wedged together until a high bow and double stern are formed. The double stern adds more stability and carrying capacity to the ship while at sea.
  Attaching the two large bundles that form the gunnels or "sawi" is the last step of the hull construction. Rope is wound around each gunnel and passed through each main bundle rope along the length of the ship. The rigging will be attached here and the gunnels help break the larger waves.
  The crew and volunteers constructed the rest of the vessel. Two bipod masts were positioned on either side of a bamboo cabin for Viracocha I and a smaller mast was utilized further aft for the Viracocha II. The masts were held in place by "shoes" roped into the bundles. Two rudder oars were lashed to a steering platform placed above and to the rear of the bamboo cabin. The ship was rigged with natural fiber sisal rope, the same rope that holds the reed bundles together. Two center boards were positioned in the slide boxes placed in the fore and aft of the ship and aided in the tacking into the wind. Several lee-boards were placed on the lee-side of the ship and were removable. Two cotton lateen sails were hand-sewed for the first journey and five sails were used for the second.
caption: Ropes of Viracocha II
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