What do you think?
Rate this book
Noah's Ark: Thinking Outside the Box
TIM IS A NAVAL EXPERT AND ENGINEER, HE THINKS THAT ARK DIDN'T LOOK LIKE A CRACKER BOX AND THE SHAPE WAS PROBABLY MORE LIKE THIS.
80 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
7 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 15, 2023
AN ENGINEER LOOKS AT MANY ‘PRACTICAL’ ISSUES ABOUT NOAH’S ARK
Author Tim Lovett recalled in this 2008 book, “I became intrigued by the engineering challenges Noah had to solve when he built the ark. Was such a huge wooden vessel viable, or would it take a non-stop miracle to keep it afloat? This book reveals my research and answers to these questions.” (Pg. 19)
He explains, “It was God who gave the specifications but Noah who built the ship. As an engineer myself, I was interested in the engineering of such a vessel, and began to search for clues in the history of wooden ships and the science of a vessel in ocean waves. Using the proportions that God provided Noah, I built and tested various models to see how they performed. Based on advice from naval architects and my own model testing, some patterns began to emerge about what works best. Faced with the prospect of months at sea, I am sure Noah was keen to refine every detail regarding the ark’s shape, strength, and stability. I don’t know if I have come any closer to Noah’s original design, but it was obviously nothing like the storybook Sunday school ideas that many Christians have been taught.” (Pg. 27)
He argues, “the Bible has been attacked for thousands of years… A specific area of attack is the account of Noah and the flood. It is undeniably a global flood, according to the Bible… Yet skeptics clamor, ‘There could never have been a worldwide flood, and Noah could never fit all the animals on board. The account of a universal Flood is not a weak point in the Bible. It is exactly the opposite… It is only in the past 200 years that Christians have begun to be swayed by secular ideas and have retreated to the idea of a local flood, as if embarrassed that the Bible tells the story. Instead, the Bible gives the real history of the earth, and we should proclaim it more strongly than ever.” (Pg. 13)
He acknowledges, “‘No Hebrew expert knows for sure what gopher wood is in modern terminology.’ … If gopher was a type of tree then perhaps it did not re-grow in the Middle East and was soon forgotten. If gopher was a process (for example, a special construction method for large ships), it must have been rarely used after the Flood.” (Pg. 23)
He explains, “It’s easy to see why some claim Noah’s ark was too big to be made of wood. It’s a real claim, backed by proof. The typical ‘proof’ comes from 18th century ship builders who had trouble making the largest ships rigid and leak-free, despite reinforcement with iron straps… What was the problem exactly? A long hull would flex in the waves, causing the planks to slide against each other and break the waterproofing seal. To address this problem, they added steel straps diagonally across the frames to stiffen the structure. Yet Noah’s ark was at least 50 percent longer than any of these. A better way is to build the hull properly in the first place so the planks will not slide. There are two ways to do this. CROSS-LAMINATION… multiple layers of diagonal planking adding stiffness to the hull… EDGE-JOINTED PLANKING… an outer shell of planks … to which the internal frames (ribs) were added… So, the methods existed to construct a seaworthy vessel of wood in Noah’s day, even with the God-given dimensions.” (Pg. 37)
What about meat eaters on the Ark? “Animals were originally created vegetarian, but carnivory was well-entrenched in the pre-Flood world---an obvious result of the Curse. God told Noah to ‘take all food that is eaten’ (Gen 6:21). Carnivores need meat, but this would only be a small fraction of the total food. Live tortoises could be kept for large meat-eaters, since they can last a year without food or water. Another easy source of fresh meat is certain fish that … go dormant without water. Many carnivores will accept preserved or dried meat. If live food is needed, mealworms breed rapidly on grain or even manure, and insect-eaters could prey on crickets emerging from small holes in an infested grain bin. In the unlikely event that an exceptionally fussy eater refuses all of the above, Noah could breed mice or rabbits for emergencies.” (Pg. 52)
He notes, “There have been many reports of Noah’s ark surviving on Mt. Ararat… in Turkey… Yet Mt. Ararat… never yielded a shred of evidence… A wooden ship would not be expected to survive this length of time. After leaving the ark, the animals [would] have to make their way down a fresh 17,000 foot … volcano considered a challenge to modern climbers… God does not normally preserve icons. The Ten Commandments have been lost… and the Temple was destroyed---twice. It seems out of character for God to miraculously preserve Noah’s ark.” (Pg. 62-63)
This book will interest creationists studying the Ark.
Author Tim Lovett recalled in this 2008 book, “I became intrigued by the engineering challenges Noah had to solve when he built the ark. Was such a huge wooden vessel viable, or would it take a non-stop miracle to keep it afloat? This book reveals my research and answers to these questions.” (Pg. 19)
He explains, “It was God who gave the specifications but Noah who built the ship. As an engineer myself, I was interested in the engineering of such a vessel, and began to search for clues in the history of wooden ships and the science of a vessel in ocean waves. Using the proportions that God provided Noah, I built and tested various models to see how they performed. Based on advice from naval architects and my own model testing, some patterns began to emerge about what works best. Faced with the prospect of months at sea, I am sure Noah was keen to refine every detail regarding the ark’s shape, strength, and stability. I don’t know if I have come any closer to Noah’s original design, but it was obviously nothing like the storybook Sunday school ideas that many Christians have been taught.” (Pg. 27)
He argues, “the Bible has been attacked for thousands of years… A specific area of attack is the account of Noah and the flood. It is undeniably a global flood, according to the Bible… Yet skeptics clamor, ‘There could never have been a worldwide flood, and Noah could never fit all the animals on board. The account of a universal Flood is not a weak point in the Bible. It is exactly the opposite… It is only in the past 200 years that Christians have begun to be swayed by secular ideas and have retreated to the idea of a local flood, as if embarrassed that the Bible tells the story. Instead, the Bible gives the real history of the earth, and we should proclaim it more strongly than ever.” (Pg. 13)
He acknowledges, “‘No Hebrew expert knows for sure what gopher wood is in modern terminology.’ … If gopher was a type of tree then perhaps it did not re-grow in the Middle East and was soon forgotten. If gopher was a process (for example, a special construction method for large ships), it must have been rarely used after the Flood.” (Pg. 23)
He explains, “It’s easy to see why some claim Noah’s ark was too big to be made of wood. It’s a real claim, backed by proof. The typical ‘proof’ comes from 18th century ship builders who had trouble making the largest ships rigid and leak-free, despite reinforcement with iron straps… What was the problem exactly? A long hull would flex in the waves, causing the planks to slide against each other and break the waterproofing seal. To address this problem, they added steel straps diagonally across the frames to stiffen the structure. Yet Noah’s ark was at least 50 percent longer than any of these. A better way is to build the hull properly in the first place so the planks will not slide. There are two ways to do this. CROSS-LAMINATION… multiple layers of diagonal planking adding stiffness to the hull… EDGE-JOINTED PLANKING… an outer shell of planks … to which the internal frames (ribs) were added… So, the methods existed to construct a seaworthy vessel of wood in Noah’s day, even with the God-given dimensions.” (Pg. 37)
What about meat eaters on the Ark? “Animals were originally created vegetarian, but carnivory was well-entrenched in the pre-Flood world---an obvious result of the Curse. God told Noah to ‘take all food that is eaten’ (Gen 6:21). Carnivores need meat, but this would only be a small fraction of the total food. Live tortoises could be kept for large meat-eaters, since they can last a year without food or water. Another easy source of fresh meat is certain fish that … go dormant without water. Many carnivores will accept preserved or dried meat. If live food is needed, mealworms breed rapidly on grain or even manure, and insect-eaters could prey on crickets emerging from small holes in an infested grain bin. In the unlikely event that an exceptionally fussy eater refuses all of the above, Noah could breed mice or rabbits for emergencies.” (Pg. 52)
He notes, “There have been many reports of Noah’s ark surviving on Mt. Ararat… in Turkey… Yet Mt. Ararat… never yielded a shred of evidence… A wooden ship would not be expected to survive this length of time. After leaving the ark, the animals [would] have to make their way down a fresh 17,000 foot … volcano considered a challenge to modern climbers… God does not normally preserve icons. The Ten Commandments have been lost… and the Temple was destroyed---twice. It seems out of character for God to miraculously preserve Noah’s ark.” (Pg. 62-63)
This book will interest creationists studying the Ark.
December 13, 2019
I've heard the Ark story my whole life, yet when we visited the Ark Encounter in KY, I learned so much more. There were so many details I hadn't thought about. This book explains what the Bible says and then shows historically what they think the ark really looked like and how it would have functioned.
Lots of good information in this book. I gave it 3 stars only because I thought it was a little disorganized. The last chapter seemed an afterthought that could have been worked in elsewhere.
Lots of good information in this book. I gave it 3 stars only because I thought it was a little disorganized. The last chapter seemed an afterthought that could have been worked in elsewhere.
August 28, 2025
some interesting info but definitely more than young kids can understand
March 19, 2013
Within minutes of beginning this book, I knew why it had been named the Winner of the 2009 Christian Retailing Choice Award in Christian Education. The book, written by engineer Tim Lovett, covers a wide range of details in a fast paced manner. Lovett built and test various models of the ship and his thorough research shows clearly throughout the book. I have listed some of the chapter headlines and my favorite highlights below.
Flood legend--Included on these pages is a helpful bar graph giving a wide range of cultures (Persia, Syria, Peru, Italy, and Hawaii etc.) that have a partial or full representation of the biblical ideas behind the flood. I appreciated this information as it allows one to see at a glance how widespread the account of the flood is.
Figuring out the design --On these pages, Tim Lovett lists the three places he had as choices for investigation: The Bible, testable science, and tradition. He gives a background of each and how they can compliment each other.
Ship-like proportions--Here we get a view into how a world class ship research center analyzed the proportions give for the biblical ark to see what would happen if the dimensions were altered from the Genesis account. The study concluded, and it was confirmed that no improvements could be made over the biblical proportions given to Noah by God.
Could ancient man have built a boat that big? This was one of the best sections in the book. Lovett touches on a subject that is touched on by few—that of ancient man. Facts such as the Egyptians erection of 400 ton obelisks, and a 420 foot galley that is described by the writing of ancient Greek historian, all point to evidence that ancient man did not start out as less knowledgeable and grow in knowledge. Ancient man had more intelligence than he is given credit for, and although we analyze the structures that they built, they continue to amaze and confound us today. I only wish this section were longer--Fascinating!
Feeding the Animals—Kids of all ages will enjoy these pages as Tim Lovett comes up with some “out of the box” diagrams for possible methods of feeding the animals!
Timeline of Noah’s flood-- Another useful tool for capturing in a short concise way the building, travel, and landing of the ark. People that have trouble remembering details (how many times was the dove sent out!?) will appreciate the clear layout of this graph.
How is Christ like the ark?— Although this takes up only a two short pages of the book, it was ink well spent. Tim Lovett does a fine job of metaphorically explaining how Christ is like the ark using Scriptures 2 Peter 3:7, Genesis 7:16, and John 10:9.
The books illustrations are beautiful and numerous. (The only one I objected to was a drawing of Noah's family where a couple of the daughter-in-laws are presented unnecessarily in strapless dresses.)Despite this one drawback, this is a book that all of the kids and adults in our home will continue to enjoy for years to come. Nowhere have I seen drawings and facts of Noah’s ark presented in a more realistic way. Tim Lovett has done well in presenting this book to our generation.
*Thanks to Master Books, a division of New Leaf Publishing Group for providing a free copy to me in exchange for my honest review.
Flood legend--Included on these pages is a helpful bar graph giving a wide range of cultures (Persia, Syria, Peru, Italy, and Hawaii etc.) that have a partial or full representation of the biblical ideas behind the flood. I appreciated this information as it allows one to see at a glance how widespread the account of the flood is.
Figuring out the design --On these pages, Tim Lovett lists the three places he had as choices for investigation: The Bible, testable science, and tradition. He gives a background of each and how they can compliment each other.
Ship-like proportions--Here we get a view into how a world class ship research center analyzed the proportions give for the biblical ark to see what would happen if the dimensions were altered from the Genesis account. The study concluded, and it was confirmed that no improvements could be made over the biblical proportions given to Noah by God.
Could ancient man have built a boat that big? This was one of the best sections in the book. Lovett touches on a subject that is touched on by few—that of ancient man. Facts such as the Egyptians erection of 400 ton obelisks, and a 420 foot galley that is described by the writing of ancient Greek historian, all point to evidence that ancient man did not start out as less knowledgeable and grow in knowledge. Ancient man had more intelligence than he is given credit for, and although we analyze the structures that they built, they continue to amaze and confound us today. I only wish this section were longer--Fascinating!
Feeding the Animals—Kids of all ages will enjoy these pages as Tim Lovett comes up with some “out of the box” diagrams for possible methods of feeding the animals!
Timeline of Noah’s flood-- Another useful tool for capturing in a short concise way the building, travel, and landing of the ark. People that have trouble remembering details (how many times was the dove sent out!?) will appreciate the clear layout of this graph.
How is Christ like the ark?— Although this takes up only a two short pages of the book, it was ink well spent. Tim Lovett does a fine job of metaphorically explaining how Christ is like the ark using Scriptures 2 Peter 3:7, Genesis 7:16, and John 10:9.
The books illustrations are beautiful and numerous. (The only one I objected to was a drawing of Noah's family where a couple of the daughter-in-laws are presented unnecessarily in strapless dresses.)Despite this one drawback, this is a book that all of the kids and adults in our home will continue to enjoy for years to come. Nowhere have I seen drawings and facts of Noah’s ark presented in a more realistic way. Tim Lovett has done well in presenting this book to our generation.
*Thanks to Master Books, a division of New Leaf Publishing Group for providing a free copy to me in exchange for my honest review.
February 22, 2017
Resource
This short, coffee-table style book briefly surveys the viability of Noah's family and all the world's animals surviving the Biblical flood account. Particularly in what the ark could have been like. It is a fast read with many interesting points, such as the global prevalence of flood and ark accounts. There is a great deal of speculation in the book, but it isn't claiming to have found the single solution for the shape etc. of Noah's ark. Rather, it demonstrates that such solutions are available. I found the secular South Korean study on the stability of the Biblical ark's dimensions of particular interest.
This short, coffee-table style book briefly surveys the viability of Noah's family and all the world's animals surviving the Biblical flood account. Particularly in what the ark could have been like. It is a fast read with many interesting points, such as the global prevalence of flood and ark accounts. There is a great deal of speculation in the book, but it isn't claiming to have found the single solution for the shape etc. of Noah's ark. Rather, it demonstrates that such solutions are available. I found the secular South Korean study on the stability of the Biblical ark's dimensions of particular interest.
August 3, 2010
"Noah's Ark" is an interesting, quick read about the feasibility of Noah's ark and the design details that the author thought might have been included based on his research. It's an overview of many aspects of Noah's ark, from how it was built to how the animals were fed and watered. Pretty much every other page was a full-page, full-color illustration (usually of what the ark might have looked liked, inside and out). Each page of text came with detailed illustrations of what the things being discussed might have been like. This book would make a great "coffee table" book to have out for visitors to browse through.
This book doesn't go in-depth on every aspect of Noah's Ark like "Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study" by John Woodmorappe does, but it probably contains all of the detail most people care about. Personally, I would have been interested in some of the specific steps, findings, and details of Tim Lovett's research rather than just the end result, but that wasn't the purpose of this book.
The topics covered: The Bible is true; how doubt about Noah's Ark really being able to hold all of those animals, etc., makes people doubt the truth of the Bible; how Noah's Ark has been illustrated in the past; how there are Flood legends from all over the world with similarities to the Bible account; God's Ark-building instructions and what certain unique Hebrew words fully mean ("ark," "gopherwood," "rooms," "pitch," "door," "cubits," "decks," "window," and "finish it to a cubit from above"); figuring out the ark's design based first on the Bible account and then by using testable engineering principles; the ark's proportions are an ideal balance of strength, comfort, and stability; did ancients have the technology to successfully build such a large wooden ship?; what tools they probably used; design elements the author added to the traditional "box-like" Ark design; items needed for human survival (lamps, jars, and ovens that might have been used); how they could have fed and watered the animals; ventilation and lighting; was the Flood global?; timeline for the Flood; modern searches for the Ark; is there evidence for a world-wide Flood?; and how is Christ like the Ark? There was also a nice fold-out poster in the back.
Overall, this is an interesting read with lovely pictures for anyone who wants a quick overview of what the Ark might have looked like, how the animals could have been cared for, and similar considerations.
I received this book as a review copy from the publisher.
This book doesn't go in-depth on every aspect of Noah's Ark like "Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study" by John Woodmorappe does, but it probably contains all of the detail most people care about. Personally, I would have been interested in some of the specific steps, findings, and details of Tim Lovett's research rather than just the end result, but that wasn't the purpose of this book.
The topics covered: The Bible is true; how doubt about Noah's Ark really being able to hold all of those animals, etc., makes people doubt the truth of the Bible; how Noah's Ark has been illustrated in the past; how there are Flood legends from all over the world with similarities to the Bible account; God's Ark-building instructions and what certain unique Hebrew words fully mean ("ark," "gopherwood," "rooms," "pitch," "door," "cubits," "decks," "window," and "finish it to a cubit from above"); figuring out the ark's design based first on the Bible account and then by using testable engineering principles; the ark's proportions are an ideal balance of strength, comfort, and stability; did ancients have the technology to successfully build such a large wooden ship?; what tools they probably used; design elements the author added to the traditional "box-like" Ark design; items needed for human survival (lamps, jars, and ovens that might have been used); how they could have fed and watered the animals; ventilation and lighting; was the Flood global?; timeline for the Flood; modern searches for the Ark; is there evidence for a world-wide Flood?; and how is Christ like the Ark? There was also a nice fold-out poster in the back.
Overall, this is an interesting read with lovely pictures for anyone who wants a quick overview of what the Ark might have looked like, how the animals could have been cared for, and similar considerations.
I received this book as a review copy from the publisher.
April 10, 2026
Awesome book to read with your family!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews