Boat Push Pole

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January 1st, 2009 admin Leave a comment Go to comments

boat push pole
Ugh! What is this type of boat thing they use in Venice?

I am having a complete blank out! Can someone please tell me what The Boat things are called that they use in Venice? The ones with one person on the back with a giant pole pushing them along?
I know its a dumb question, but my brain is moving slowly today!

Thanks!

A Gondola

The gondola is propelled by an oarsman (the gondolier) who stands facing the bow and rows with a forward stroke, followed by a compensating backward stroke. Contrary to popular belief the gondola is never poled like a punt as the waters of Venice are too deep. Until about two hundred years ago, gondolas often were fitted with a "felze," a small open cabin, to protect the passengers from sun or rain. A sumptuary law of Venice required that gondolas should be painted black, and they are customarily so painted now.
It is estimated that there were several thousand gondolas during the 18th century. There are a several hundred today, most of which are for hire by tourists, while a few are in private ownership and use.
During their heyday as a means of public transports, teams of 4 men; 3 oarsmen and a 4th person, primarily shore based and responsible for the booking/administration of the gondola (Il Rosso Riserva), would share ownership of a gondola. However as the gondolas became more of a tourist attraction than a mode of public transport all but one of these co-operatives and their offices have closed. The main Gondola offices are situated in San Polo. The office is of course shaped like a gondola and floats on the water making it indistinguishable. The offices also have no official telephone number, so its just a matter of finding a gondola with office chairs on board.
The construction of the gondola continued to evolve until the mid-20th century, when the city government prohibited any further modifications. The oar or rèmo is held in an oar lock known as a fòrcola. The forcola is of a complicated shape, allowing several positions of the oar for slow forward rowing, powerful forward rowing, turning, slowing down, rowing backwards, and stopping. The ornament on the front of the boat is called the fèrro (meaning iron) and can be made from brass, stainless steel, or aluminium. It serves as decoration and as counterweight for the gondolier standing near the stern.
Gondolas parkingGondolas are hand made using 8 different types of wood (fir, oak, cherry, walnut, elm, mahogany, larch and lime) and are composed of 280 pieces. The oars are made of beech wood. The left side of the gondola is made longer than the right side. This asymmetry causes the gondola to resist the tendency to turn toward the left at the forward stroke. It is a common misconception that the gondola is a 'driven' vessel when the correct term is 'prodded' ie. "I prodded my gondola to work".
I advise you to check out the links I have gathered for you below and explore this boat and what it has to offer in more depth.

Enjoy!