Does anyone know the size of Noah's ark?

Question

I think that I once heard that the bible gives dimensions.

Did it have sails?

Answer 1

A cubit is the distance between an adult's elbow and tip of the finger, generally 18-inches. Most Hebrew scholars believe the cubit to have been between 17½ -21½ inches long. This means that the ark would have been 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high if the 18 inch cubit was used. If a larger cubit was used it would have been proportionately longer

Answer 2

About 450 feet, give or take depending on how long-limbed Noah was.

HOWEVER: No wooden vessel that size will float. Ask an engineer. The thing would crack in half under its own mass. The only way a vessel that size would float would be if it were made out of strong mterials like steel or titanium.

In addition, there is simply no way that something that size could possible hold two (or seven) of all the creatures in the world. Even if they were babies. Never mind the space needed for feeding and excrement disposal. Or the need to keep predators from eating their prey. Or any of a hundred other logistical, real-world problems.

Answer 3

Size comparison between average size one-story home and Noah's Ark. Illustration from The World that Perished.How big was Noah's Ark?

"And God said unto Noah… Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt though make in the ark, and thou shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of… the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A window shalt thou make in the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side therof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it." (Gen. 6:14-16)

A cubit is the distance between an adult's elbow and tip of the finger, no less than 18-inches [45.72 centimeters]. (Scene from The World that Perished.)Most Hebrew scholars believe the cubit to have been no less than 18 inches long [45.72 centimeters]. This means that the ark would have been at least 450 feet long [137.16 meters], 75 feet wide [22.86 meters] and 45 feet high [13.716000000000001 meters]. Noah's Ark was said to have been the largest sea-going vessel ever built until the late nineteenth century when giant metal ships were first constructed. Its length to width ratio of six to one provided excellent stability on the high seas. In fact, modern shipbuilders say it would have been almost impossible to turn over. In every way, it was admirably suited for riding out the tremendous storms in the year of the flood.

These dimensions are especially interesting when compared to those given in the mythical, Babylonian account of the Ark. Here the ark is described as a perfect cube, extending 120 cubits in all directions and with nine decks. Such a vessel would spin slowly round and round in the water and from the standpoint of stability, would be a disaster.


David T

Answer 4

I just saw this on TV the other night. I was huge!

"This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. [d] 16 Make a roof for it and finish [e] the ark to within 18 inches [f] of the top"

Gen 6:15-16

Of course, the real measurements were in cubits or a similar measure used at the time. ("300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high" (about 140 meters long, 23 meters wide and 13.5 meters high))

Answer 5

Scripture says it was 300 cubits long. That is about 450 feet. (cubits varied somewhat, usually being between 18 and 22 inches) The ark was huge and rather square. It was not built for forward motion, but just for floating. It is our understanding that it did not have sails, but likely had an anchor stone to help keep it stable

Answer 6

Yes the Bible does give dimensions. At Genesis 6:15, 16 it gives the instructions God gave Noah as to how to build the ark. Interestingly, it was nothing like a boat, which is pictured in a lot of artwork but rather like an oblong box."
The ark (Heb., te·vah′; Gr., ki·bo·tos′) was a rectangular chestlike vessel presumably having square corners and a flat bottom. It needed no rounded bottom or sharp bow to cut rapidly through the water; it required no steering; its only functions were to be watertight and to stay afloat. A vessel so shaped is very stable, cannot be easily capsized, and contains about one third more storage space than ships of conventional design. In size the ark was 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. Conservatively calculating the cubit as 44.5 cm (17.5 in.) (some think the ancient cubit was nearer 56 or 61 cm), the ark measured 133.5 m by 22.3 m by 13.4 m (437 ft 6 in. × 72 ft 11 in. × 43 ft 9 in.), less than half the length of the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2. This proportion of length to width (6 to 1) is used by modern naval architects. This gave the ark approximately 40,000 cu m (1,400,000 cu ft) in gross volume. It is estimated that such a vessel would have a displacement nearly equal to that of the mighty 269-m (883 ft) Titanic of this 20th century. No cargo vessel of ancient times even slightly resembled the ark in its colossal size. Internally strengthened by adding two floors, the three decks thus provided gave a total of about 8,900 sq m (96,000 sq ft) of space." -- Insight on the Scriptures Volume 1 page 164

Answer 7

The HMS Caroline is a C-class light cruiser that would be a closer match then just saying a battleship.

450 feet overall, beam 42 feet 9 inches, draught 14 feet 9 inches, displacement 4,180 tons

http://www.worldwar1.co.uk/light-cruiser/caledon-line.gif

The ark had no sail. It was in a box shape shoe box design. The bottom was 50% wider then the hight making it easy to float.

The schooner Wyoming, launched in 1909 was the largest documented wooden-hulled cargo ship ever built, measured only 329.5 feet. The ark was the LARGEST wooden boat ever built in human history. 450 feet.

A picture of the Ark:
http://www.genesisfiles.com/Images/Ark2.jpg

Answer 8

Genesis 6:15
"This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high"

It's about the size of the USA's battleship.

Answer 9

Genesis 6:15
This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high.

Answer 10

Tiny compared to the aircraft carrier that I was on. That thing was like a quarter-mile long and literally takes 3 minutes to walk the length.