Page 55 - Журнал Sozvezdye Review - «СОЗВЕЗДИЕ» #36

the old, time-tested hulls of the Solombala karbasses –
those used by the residents of Solombala, an insu-
lar district of Arkhangelsk. Old residents remember
that the first engines for those boats were the various
decommissioned engines, in particular, from ship’s
motor pumps.
Later, in the 1950s, the Soviet industry launched
the production of smaller and lighter stationary en-
gines L-Z, L-6 and slightly more powerful L-12. With
a 6 HP outboard engine p L-6, karbasses could go as
fast as 12 kilometers per hour, and with the L-12 al-
most 15 kilometers.
All of these engines were gasoline, but the folk
masters soon realized they could use other types of
fuel, for instance, diesel. They usually installed two
fuel tanks on the boat (one with gasoline and other
with solar oil commonly called “solyara”). Started on
gasoline, the engine would be switched to solar oil,
once it was hot enough, as a cost-effective and com-
monly available fuel in the Soviet times. The switch
didn’t cause engines to break! The fuel tank would be
normally installed under the aft deck so that the fuel
could flow to the engine by gravity. Before stopping
the engine, the fuel supply had to be switched back
to the gasoline tank.
Despite such a harsh operation mode, the engines
worked for many decades. According to the owners
of those wooden Solombala boats, in terms of relia-
bility and strength their engines is not inferior to the
famous old sewing machine, and in terms of simplic- optimal shape of the cross section in underwater part
ity to a children’s tinker toys. of the karbass body was semicircular: it provided a
minimal contact surface with water and thus reduced
From Yola to Solombala karbass friction resistance and increased sea-going perfor-
mance.
Unlike the usual sailing and rowing karbasses of Those artisanal motor-driven karbasses were, of
Dvina design, the motor-powered karbasses had a course, slow but much more cost-efficient than their
low wooden deckhouse with portholes and a metal factory-made counterparts. Moreover, many Archan-
stove with tin pipe. This design was copied by Arch- gel residents received ship building skills as early as
angel residents from the Norwegian sailing and row- childhood age and were able to make small wooden
ing fishing boats known among Pomors as yolas. The boats on their own.
roof of its deckhouse tower was made of thin, narrow
planks, just like on Norwegian yolas, and was abso- The fate of the wooden fleet
lutely airtight. To achieve such design, the roof, and
the deck of the boat, was covered with canvas soaked Among the prominent Arkhangelsk-based de-
in oil paint, which, once dry, provided a tight cover signers and builders of Solombala karbass boats was
to uneven surfaces. Later, the deckhouse, bulwarks, engineer and yachtsman Erich Germanovich Guveli-
and in some cases even hulls, started to be made of aken, a descendant of russified Dutch m erchants.
plywood. During his life, he created a multitude of unique ma-
The Solombala karbass had two bunks along its rine projects and built a number of small (and not
sides, made of Norwegian spruce. However, on the only small) wooden ships. In 1939, under his lead-
Norwegian sailing boats the superstructure served ership, a 22-meter sailing schooner was built in the
mainly as protection from tailwind and spray and was premises of Arkhangelsk Children’s Yacht Station. In
therefore located in the aft part of the boat, whereas the 1960s, he designed and engineered the Solombala
the Solombala karbass had its superstructure in the karbass Pomor, which is still considered as the speci-
bow as a protection from headwinds and waves. men of its type. The boat was tested in the White Sea
Despite its low sides, the small Solombala karbass and successfully passed the way from the Northern
has proven itself reliable during the strongest storms Dvina through the stormy Kubenskoe Lake and the
on the Northern Dvina and in the White Sea. Its sta- White Sea Channel to the Volga – from Arkhangelsk
bility was provided by the rounded cross-section of to Volgograd.
its body. The open part of the cockpit was often sur- The residents of port cities and coastal regions
rounded by a high bulwark to protect it from waves. globally are trying to preserve their maritime cul-
Before the storm, it would be covered with tarpaulin ture and heritage of wooden shipbuilding. Volunteers
to strengthen its tightness. carefully preserve and restore old boats and repli-
The rudder blade would be operated by means cas of ships, contributing to the maritime glory of
of a long metal rod – rudder arm, which sometimes their nations. Where describing their impressions of
had an extension cord (tiller) – or with the help of the replicas of old wooden ships they see in Norway,
cables passed along the sides, connected to a small Netherlands, England and France, the Russian trav-
steering wheel located at the entrance to the wheel- elers often note, “we should follow their example.” SOZVEZDYE #36
house, depended on the owner’s choice. In both cas- In the meantime, Russia’s first commercial sea
es, the navigator was in the open part of the cock- port, Arkhangelsk, is losing its traditions of sea-go-
pit, so they often used special waterproof clothing to ing karbass construction. The amazing boats of наследие
protect themselves from splashes. Before the inven- Solombala design are rapidly falling into oblivion. legacy
tion of rubber overalls, the Pomor often used Nor- Here, there is no such tourist service as a boat ride
wegian tarpaulin fishing pants and hooded cloaks in the narrow channels of the island Solombala on-
soaked in fat. board a replica of Pomor karbass or a cozy Solombala
The seaworthiness of the Solombala karbass was wooden boat, which is wrong… It is still hoped, how-
ensured not only by deckhouse and bulwark, but also ever, that one day the wooden Pomor fleet will see its
by a special, time-tested flaring frame along the en- revival and be preserved for posterity through joint 53
tire length of the hull – like in Pomor karbasses. The efforts of the citizens and the authorities.