Nobody Makes Boats Like This Anymore!

The Nette lakes near Mönchengladbach were formed by centuries of peat cutting and are too shallow for conventional boats. The solution was the Machen — a three-board flat-bottomed punt built from oak heartwood, sealed with tar and moss, and propelled by pole. In this film, boatbuilder Johannes Vorstellen and his son Klaus build one from scratch using traditional hand tools, while fishermen Franz Heessen and Rudolf Elvers demonstrate the fish driving technique the boats were designed for. Filmed in the 1970s, this is one of the last records of both crafts in practice. Credit: Alltagskulturen Im Rheinland Dreibordnachen auf den Netteseen