Summary
"Kon-tiki" was a wash through type raft. Fitted with a bipod main mast carrying two dissimilar size square sails and a mizzen mast carrying a small square sail. Kon-Tiki was made of nine balsa tree trunks by Thor Heyerdahl at Callao in Peru, launched 28 April 1947 and was used to prove the feasibility of pre-Columbian Peruvian raftsman reaching the Polynesian islands. The six-man crew of the raft reached the Tuamotu Group on 7 August 1947 having travelled 6970 kilometers in 101 days. This model was received by the Museum in 1952.
More Information
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Collecting Areas
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Acquisition Information
Long-term Loan from G. L. Harris, 20 Sep 1952
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Maker of Item Modelled
Thor Heyerdahl, Calao, Calao Constitutional Province, Peru, circa 1952
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Classification
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Overall Dimensions
4320 mm (Length), 1780 mm (Width), 3810 mm (Height)
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Keywords