![viking ship construction viking ship construction](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/C4YPE9/a-replica-viking-longship-skidbladner-under-construction-at-haroldswick-C4YPE9.jpg)
![viking ship construction viking ship construction](https://www.donsmaps.com/images31/img_2833vikingsm.jpg)
The figureheads much depicted in Viking lore were carved out of the bow, stern posts, or both. This enabled the longship to go astern quickly or without having to maneuver or turn around. The bow and stern posts were carved at a taper to accept the curved strakes, which when fitted allowed both the bow and stern to be pointed. The keel was carved in a T-shape invariably from a straight piece of mature oak tree, and designed in such a way that when the bow and stern posts were fitted or carved, it resembled a long symmetrical shape known as a Hulk (banana shape). This involved overlapping and interlocking the boards to give extra protection against leaks. The Viking shipwrights (marine carpenters or joiners) were the first to use the clinker build method of fitting the strakes to the stems. They were also designed with a shallow draft mainly to facilitate river passage when raiding or trading. However, we do know that they were designed to be relatively light, allowing them to be lifted out of the water and beached or carried across strips of land between water. No actual plans for these ships exists to this day.
![viking ship construction viking ship construction](https://i.imgur.com/aAUc3Bx.jpg)
This governed their length, which ranged from around fifty feet for fishing and trading longships up to one hundred and forty feet for the largest warships.Īs I said in the introduction, the design and build method was carried only in the master shipwright’s head who would have been very experienced in the design and construction of Viking longships.
![viking ship construction viking ship construction](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/r-DKZTMPqoE/maxresdefault.jpg)
There were various categories of longships designed for different purposes such as fishing, trading/supply, military, and raiding.