A Dutch carpenter built a replica of Noah’s Ark said he’s going to sail it to Israel.
Johan Huibers’ Biblical boat features wooden animals and was constructed about six years ago for $1.6 million, and it’s currently an attraction in Dordrecht in the Netherlands.
The wooden vessel is 390 feet in length and is 75 feet in height.
“I love the land, I love the country, I love the people,” Huibers said of Israel. “They don’t obey, they do what they want, they drive like mad, shove while waiting in line and don’t listen to anyone. Just like me.”
The ark, he said, was built with seven people over four years. “I wanted children to come here and feel the texture of the wood, see the nails and see that what is written in the book is true,” he said.
“I wondered whether someone, Disney perhaps, had already built a replica of the ark,” he said. “And then I said out loud that if none had, I would.”
His wife, a police officer, was incredulous that he could build it. “She told the kids that after I finish building my ark, we can all go on vacation to the moon,” he told JTA.
About 13 years later, he built a smaller ark that Dutch media called “Johan’s Ark,” but it was only about 230 feet long and 33 feet wide. “When everyone asked me: Why is it only half the size of the one in the Bible? So I sold the smaller one and built a life-size one, too,” he said.
The ark, however, isn’t designed to save the life of Huibers’ family, he said. “Maybe it will, who knows, but my survival is not its purpose,” Huibers added. “It’s meant to educate, a reminder that our world is changing.”
Huibers said that in case of catastrophe, he keeps another boat that can hold 100 people.
“The vessel itself is an immense life-sized exhibit with multiple floors. Visitors will experience Bible-based stories and exhibitions, attractions, a movie theater and more. The Ark of Noah Foundation will bring the Ark of Noah to Brazil with the help of worldwide supporters,” it stated.
