Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 584 - 283: Northern Shipyard, the Starting Point of Navigation!_2

"Eh! Similar to Polynesian double-hulled canoes? And similar to Papua New Guinean multihull canoes?... Hmm, this design philosophy indeed resembles the iron chain linked boats from the Red Cliffs naval battle."

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Xiulote shifted his gaze, only to see at the top of the scroll, two canoes drawn side by side. The two boats were connected by wooden beams aligned parallel to each other, onto which planks were laid for carrying goods or people. At the tail of each canoe, a stern paddle was positioned to control the direction of the boat.

Further down in the scroll, there were several canoes aligned side by side. Similarly, the canoes were connected by wooden beams to form a solid structure. On the outside of the multicanoes, a simple extended row was attached. This row floated in the water, further increasing buoyancy and the vessel’s cargo capacity. Naturally, this would correspondingly reduce the vessel’s speed.

"Your Majesty, the upper wind canoe moves very fast, designed for naval battles and marching. Wooden planks between the two boats can carry twice the samurai and also provide a shooting platform for archers! The lower water serpent canoe carries heavy loads, designed for transporting personnel and materials. People, or water-resistant goods, can be placed on the outrigger! Of course, to securely connect the boats, expensive copper nails and copper chains are required. But the advantage is that you don’t need real large trees to build usable large boats..."

Pucuta looked up, his eyes shining, he looked up at the king, his words brimming with confidence.

Xiulote slowly nodded, showing his admiration. This method of connecting two or more hulls, even installing outriggers, not only increased the load capacity but also greatly enhanced the canoe’s stability and resistance to wind and waves. The improved canoe would possess basic deep-sea navigation capabilities, representing the pinnacle of current technological development in canoe evolution.

The tribes of the Polynesian language family relied on this type of canoe to continuously sail and conquer islands across the entire Pacific Rim. They ventured from Malaysia to Luzon, from the Indonesian archipelago to New Zealand, from the Papua New Guinea islands to Fiji, Tonga, Honolulu, all the way to Easter Island, and even a group that left from Sumatra, floated across the entire Indian Ocean, and finally settled in Madagascar!

After pondering for a moment, the King, taking cue from the Polynesian design, prudently made a suggestion.

"Pucuta, it’s a very nice design! For these double-hulled canoes, you can erect two cotton sails on the head and the connecting beam in the middle, allowing you to harness wind power for sailing..."

Xiulote took out pen and paper and sketched a simple diagram. Hearing this professional advice, Pucuta was quite surprised. He carefully examined the improved design, thought for a while, and then sincerely nodded in agreement.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right!"

Xiulote smiled satisfactorily, patting Pucuta on the shoulder.

"Pucuta, the water is the home of fish and the den of water serpents. From this drawing, I know that you are not a short-sighted river fish, but a water serpent that can roam and hunt! Since the craftsmen of Prepetcha have such exploratory capabilities and sufficient metal riveting experience, I confidently entrust this important task to you!"

As the King spoke, he took out three drawn diagrams from his robe. He motioned to the surrounding master craftsmen, and several of the most senior shipwrights gathered around to observe them with Pucuta.

Pucuta carefully examined the drawings, noting the first depicted a large, flat longboat with a slender hull, shallow draft, and low gunwales.

The dimensions of the vessel were marked as about 18 meters long and about 3 meters wide. The longboat was divided by the deck into upper and lower sides. On the lower sides of the deck, a dense row of paddles extended out, with a steering paddle at the stern. In the middle and head of the deck above, a large and small sail were erected. The central sail was larger, serving as the main sail; the sail at the head was smaller and auxiliary. A shining sharp metal ram was also indicated at the bow of the longboat.

"This vessel is a galley! Below the deck are the paddlers, and the deck above is for transporting soldiers and materials!"

Xiulote gave a light smile. This was an ancient ship type he roughly recalled from films, originating in Ancient Greece, historically known as the galley. Galleys relied on both wind and human power, with relatively simple manufacturing technology that had been in use from the 10th century BC to the 15th century AD. It was an early Mediterranean naval warship, now mostly used as a coastal trading vessel.

"The upper one is a simple single-row galley, where paddlers on both sides are arranged horizontally in a single row, making production easier... The one below is a double-row galley. That is, the sides of the vessel are built outwards, accommodating two rows of paddlers at different heights, allowing an increase in the number of paddlers, thus increasing paddling speed! By the same token, there is even a faster three-row galley."

At this point, the King paused, his expression becoming serious.

"Pucuta, these ships are a Divine Revelation bestowed upon me by the Chief Divine.