Objective and background

DILMUN IV was developed as a direct result of the experiences gained during the ABORA III North Atlantic expedition. While the DILMUN I to ABORA III projects demonstrated the basic maneuverability and seaworthiness of reed boats, a previously underestimated technical problem became apparent on the stormy and wave-tossed Atlantic: the long-term stability of the lower centerboard mountings.

Until then, all lower sword mountings had been secured with rope slings and technically complex triangulated with ropes. This solution had proven itself on inland waters, coastal areas, and even over longer ocean voyages. However, under the extreme conditions of the North Atlantic, these connections regularly loosened—usually after 200 to 300 nautical miles. This meant that repairs had to be carried out on the open sea.

These repairs proved to be extremely dangerous: heavy seas, the rolling of the ship, spray, and the exposed deck beams made every repair a considerable accident risk. The experiences on ABORA III made it clear that a fundamentally new design solution was needed for future large-scale expeditions.

Technical innovation: the wooden sword holder

Against this backdrop, Dominique Görlitz and Peter Schmolke teamed up with experienced craftsmen—including Peter Usbeck, among others—to develop an alternative design. Görlitz had long had the idea of a wooden lower sword mount, but it was only the experiences in the North Atlantic that made the need for action imperative.

Parallel dazu bestanden ab 2008/2009 konkrete Planungen für eine zeitnahe ABORA-IV-Fortsetzungsmission. Ermöglicht wurden diese Ambitionen auch durch den neuen Sponsor Fred Olsen (Oslo), der noch kurz vor dem Start von ABORA III eine größere Menge Geld in ABORA III investierte. Aus den daraus entstandenen Überschüssen beauftragte Görlitz bereits 2008 den Bootsbauer Fermin Limachi mit dem Bau eines neuen 6 Meter langen und 2 Meter breiten Schilfbootes.

The boat was exported to Germany and rigged at Holzbauwerke Gotha, creating another vessel in the DILMUN series.

The central innovation of DILMUN IV was a wooden lower sword mount. It was attached to the hull using solid wooden spikes, which also served as the upper deck beams. The aim was to replace the rope-based technology with a form-fitting and force-fitting construction.

Testing and road trials

The main objective of DILMUN IV was fully achieved during numerous voyages. The lower centerboard holder, constructed from simple pieces of wood, functioned reliably—even under demanding conditions. What's more, when the hull was used again a year later on the Baltic Sea and Lake Constance and was already showing the first signs of aging, such as softening and shrinkage, the new construction continued to withstand the stresses.

Diese Ergebnisse untermauerten die zentrale Erkenntnis, dass sich das neue System auch für zukünftige Großexpeditionen eignet. Der Schilfsegler wurde anschließend aufwendig restauriert und steht heute in der Zentralwerkstatt Pfännerhall in Braunsbedra im Mittelpunkt der ABORA Sonderausstellung „Kam Kolumbus 15.000 Jahre zu spät?“. 

A look at the permanent exhibition at the ABORA Science Center in the Pfännerhall Braunsbedra. Since 2018, the DILMUN IV has been the centerpiece of an interactive exhibition about all major ABORA expeditions.