Jewel of Muscat
Videos, photos and information on the reconstruction of a 9th-century Arab ship, and its historic voyage from Oman to Singapore.
Does the mast wood need to dry before use?
Ideally, the masts should be dry. However, in our case we
have no choice - we need new masts and fresh trees are all we can find in
large enough size. It is preferable to have seasoned timber for two reasons:
it is stronger than fresh timber, and lighter in weight. One advantage of
unseasoned timber, however, is that it is flexible, and some flexibility in
a wooden mast can be advantageous.
Tom on board the Jewel