The year was 1986. The incurably fatal Mad Cow Disease swept down from England. The Challenger Space Shuttle blew up killing all seven astronauts onboard. And, the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded, releasing radioactive material across much of Europe. But, the news wasn't all bad.

Two brothers, Moshe and Yuvai Lefan, from Kibbutz Ginosar, made the famous discovery of the remains of an ancient fishing boat from the 1st Century AD as they examined a newly exposed beach on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Kibbutz Ginosar was founded in 1937 by socialist Zionists on the eve of Purim. This festival commemorates the survival of the Hebrews marked for death by their Persian rulers in the 5th Century BC. A story told in the Book of Esther.

In Ancient times, Ginosar was an agricultural community on the western shore of Galilee. Now a popular tourist area, Ginosar is located on Highway 90 north of Tiberias. The ancient town of Gennesaret, that is mentioned in Matthew 14:34, provided the plain's Modern Day name.

A drought at the time the Lufan brothers made their discovery reduced the Sea of Galilee's water level. Mud that covered the boat had prevented bacterial decomposition when the craft sank to the bottom of Galilee all those years before.

When their discovery was reported, members of the Kibbutz Ginosar, the Isreal Antiquities Authority, who is responsible for excavating and conserving discoveries from Antiquity, as well as several volunteers commenced to dig in the area. This chore lasted for twelve painstaking days and nights.
When exposed to the atmosphere, the boat's ancient wood was extremely fragile, which caused the need to wrap the boat in fiberglass and insulating foam. These held the boat together and helped float the craft to its new location.

Once there, the one-of-a-kind archaeological discovery was submerged in wax for twelve years then displayed at the Yigai Allon Galilee Boat Museum in Kibbutz Ginosar. Features of the boat included being row-able, with four staggered rowers. A mast also allowed the boat to be sailed when desired.

The boat was constructed primarily of cedar planks, but contained ten different types of wood united together by pegged mortise and tenon joints. Nails had also been used in its construction. Two explanations for this are either there was a wood shortage at the time the boat was built or the vessel was made from scrap wood with extensive and repeated fixes.

The boat has been radiocarbon dated to 40 BC (plus or minus 80 years). A cooking pot, a lamp, and other pottery discovered inside the boat indicated its age may range from 50BC to 50AD. The wear of the repeated repairs made to the boat over the course of time demonstrated it was used for several decades. Perhaps as long as a century.

The boat remains historically important to Israel as an example of the type of boats their ancestors used for fishing and crossing Galilee. The only Israeli sources of information before this boat was discovered came from biblical references and Roman authors.

Mosaics, such as the one in Magdala, also offered insight into these boats. Believed to be the birthplace of Mary Magdalene, Magdala was located three miles north of Tiberias.

The boat is important to Christians because it was the sort of vessel used by Jesus and his disciples. The Gospels contain fifty references to this type of boat, though there remains no direct evidence connecting this particular boat directly to Jesus or his disciples.

So, is it or is it not Jesus' boat?

The mystery remains.