Kon-Tiki was the raft used by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl in his 1947 expedition across the pacific ocean from south america to the polynesian islands .. they constructed the raft out of balsa logs in an indigenous style as recorded in illustrations by Spanish conquistadores .. it was tied together with hemp ropes, using cross-pieces of balsa logs to give lateral support .. thick lengths of pine were used as splashboards, structural support between the balsa logs, and centerboards .. It was named after the Inca sun god, viracocha .. Heyerdahl and five companions sailed the raft for 101 days over 6900 km (3726 nautical miles) across the pacific ocean before smashing into a reef at Raroia in the Tuamotu Islands on August 7, 1947 .. i read his book "The Kon-Tiki Expedition: By Raft Across the South Seas" so many times as a boy that i know it by heart .. this is a representation of that raft, using Balsa Logs and Pine, just like they did .. the image on the sail (the sun god viracocha) was taken directly off of a picture of their sail .. this is a furniture item .. it has assorted poses around the raft, some romantic in nature, some let you go in the water .. this is JUST the raft, NOT the rooms .. NOT the shark .. the rooms and the shark can be found in my catalog..