Viking Shipbuilding - part 1

Before you even think about building a long ship you must find yourself an oak tree that is at least twenty-five meters tall. The oak is used to make the keel of the ship. The keel is what the ship sits upon so it must be solid, it runs along the bottom of your ship from the prow which is the front to the stern which is the back. The planks that run along the outside of the hull are called strakes. There are usually sixteen strakes on each side, these planks overlap and give your ship beautiful lines. Inside on top of the keel, we fix the keelson, which is what the base of your mast sits on and above that, forming part of the deck, is the mast fish; this is what locks the mast in place. The actual deck boards can be lifted up so that you can store supplies and belongings underneath out of the way. Our ships are made so that you can take the mast down and stow it away when you don’t want it.