Blueprints for a Noah’s ark? Did Noah have blueprints? All signs are pointing towards… time to start building, or planning first.
The 1981 Winners of the Second Annual Great Technifax Design Ingenuity Contest. James River Graphics.
Fun ideas, however given short notice, where did all of the extra materials arrive from?
My dad’s entry focused on repurposing the log cabin which was given as the starting point. Where did the sphere or extra logs arrive from? Magic?
“It’s raining an inch an hour already. The roads below are washed out and the water is rising fast. You’ve only got a couple days to build this Ark — and single-handed too!
My father shortened the log cabin and used some of its logs for the raft/floats.
“Lower the entire roof structure and top log intact by driving in wedges at corners and rolling out one log at a time. Remover 8 layers of logs, leaving the entire floor and bottom three logs intact. This provides 24 full-length logs and a bunch of shorter ones to build the raft structure out of.” - D. R. Depew, P.E.
“Elevate cabin on foundation to provide working room underneath. Roll fifteen 50 pound stones up two-log lever to accumulate 800 pound weight in wheel-barrow. Four-to-one lever-arm provides one and a half ton lift to raise whole side of cabin at once. Saw chunks out of a nearby tree trunk for foundation.” - D. R. Depew, P.E.
Cartoon fantasy versus physical labor and realistic calculations… which will survive in a flood?
“Working under the cabin, form two giant pontoons our of 12 logs each. The center three logs in the bundle are made up of the shorter logs. Draw the bundle up tight by twisting a multi-strand band of the plastic webbing. Band pontoon bundles together with lengths of pipe sledge-hammered into place like giant steel-strapping.” - D. R. Depew,
Bathtub secured to roof to collect rain water and funnel into cabin… other culinary plans also detailed, bee ‘compass’ to a flowered land also in place. Volkswagon Bug provides paddle wheel power - destination a ski lodge up the mountain, bring along your credit card to get good service… My father gets into the gritty details of a survivalist who likes modern comfort too.
On the menu: “Cat tails, jeruselum artichokes, dandelions for hardy edible wild plants; garden also supplies fishing — worms; Hog weeds for chia seeds to sprout for vitamin C; Multi-hook fish line — hooks made from bed springs; Fish nets and lines made from unraveled webbing; Get a nanny goat for milk; sod patches roof and feeds goat, attracts insects for chickens; Chickens for eggs — Duck’s eggs are man-sized and ducks can catch fish; Bee tree on the roof for honey, watch the bees for direction to flowered land.” - D. R. Depew, P.E.
Survival requires shelter from weather and a way to drink and eat on a routine basis.
1981 contest was about surviving on an island.
How might you survive on a deserted island?
First place goes to David R. Romeo.
Second place was awarded to my dad, with an indigenous American tipi and tomahawk among the realistic self-made survival strategies. *These designs likely will work, he studied many indigenous and later inventions.
Third place went to Gaye Harris Knanishu.
“James River Graphics is a manufacturer of quality engineering films including TECNIFAX drafting film, Plotter films, Gridline films, DIAZOCHROME films, and TECNIFAX Diazo intermediate films. TECHNIFAX drafting film is the professional’s choice when job requirements call for permanence, reproducibility, erasability and dimensional stability.” *No longer in business. Their blueprint paper did last well though… 2025-1981= my dad’s 44-year-old blueprint contest entry is still readable.
Disclaimer: This information is being shared for educational or entertainment purposes within the guidelines of Fair Use. May your sea be calm and the wind steady at your back.
