Not many people read the story of Noah’s Ark and think, “I could do that” – but that is exactly what happened to Johan Huibers.

One night before bed, the Dutchman read the story of Noah’s Ark to his children.

Johan Huibers was suddenly inspired to build his ark.

When he first mentioned this to his wife, she was understandably hesitant.

One can only imagine the thoughts and questions that went through Mrs. Huibers’ mind at that time. Perhaps she began to question some of the decisions she had made in her life.

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Finally, she just joked with him that if he finished this project, the family would “go on a vacation to the moon.”

Johan completed the ark, and his family did not take a vacation to the moon.

Version 1 of Johan’s Ark

Johan completed his first version of an ark in 2006. That version, however, was only half the size of the one Noah built.

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Following the completion of his first ark, Johan was inspired to build a full-sized replica of the one depicted in the story.

Johan’s flood-related nightmares.

The Dutchman’s desire to build an ark was also fueled by nightmares. According to his family, Johan had nightmares about major floods in Holland when he was 24 years old.

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The construction of an ark has begun.

Johan began by studying the building plans found in the Old Testament.

He was also assisted in his efforts by a group of amateur carpenters who had heard about his first ark and wanted to help build the full-size version.

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The Huibers and their helpers set to work on the massive ship.

The project had cost the family $1.6 million by the time it was completed.

“We’re not professional boatmakers. A lot of stuff here is a bit crooked,” Huiber later admitted.

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A magnificent ship is being constructed.

A steel frame was used to construct the ship. The project also made use of American cedar and pine wood. The ship is about 75 feet tall, or about the size of a five-story building. It measures 95 feet wide by 410 feet long. It weighs 2,500 tons.

That’s a lot of space, but we’re not sure it’s big enough to fit two of every animal on the planet.

There are many animals on the planet, some of which are quite large. If you don’t want animals and just want to have people on the ship, Huibers estimates it can hold more than 5,000 of them at once.

The Ark is turned into a tourist attraction.

After it was finished, the ark became a tourist attraction in Dordrecht, Netherlands.

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However, the town and the Huibers family later fell out, and the tourist attraction was closed down.

Huibers had considered sailing the ark to Brazil for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. That plan, however, never came to fruition. He then had the idea to sail it to Israel, but the country’s wildfires prevented him from doing so as well.

Huibers is still hoping to travel to Israel by boat.

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Because it lacks a motor (as did Noah’s), he must rely on tugboats to pull it. The trip is estimated to cost around $1.3 million.

He is looking for donations to help him make this happen.

Watch the video below to know more about this life-size replica of Noah’s Ark!

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Sources: 12 Tomatoes, Euronews, Instagram – arkofnoahfoundation