Viking boat building on History Channel

[Jim Dunn]

Thursday, evening or afternoon I don't remember which, the History Channel had a program on that was titled The Big Build. During one segment they featured a boat builder, think Bob Smalser, hand building a Viking long? boat. After they finished up they gave it away to a local who is the president of a Viking re-enactment group. Just thinking about Bob as I was watching it.

Jim

[John Shuk]

Funny you should say that. I too thought of Bob while watching it.

[David Fried]

Hhhmmmm...he does kinda look like a viking...

[Jim Dunn]

Don't remember seeing pictures of "hair challenged" Vikings Course my hair is going south too. Probably have enough left for a nice mustache.

The boat building was done, as I remember, with mostly hand tools to boot. Thats why it reminded me so much of Bob. That and the fact it was on the west coast too.

Jim

[Dave Richards]

Not having cable (nor even an antenna on the TV) I didn't get to see that program. Sounds like I missed an interesting show.

Boats like the viking longboats and Norwegian faerings (four-oared boats) were built without plans. Everything is done by eye. The faerings, for example, have their shape determined by the garboard strakes, the two planks closest to the keel. Those planks are carved with the curve, not bent. The rest of the planks are installed and positioned with prop sticks to the ceiling.

They're still built that way along the Hardanger Fjord at Hardanger Fartøyvernsenter, http://www.fartoyvern.no/eng/

[Jim Dunn]

Dave, I don't know anything about boats, other than that 20' fiberglass monster in my drive, parts and where they go but the top slope of the sides was done with a hatchet chopping to get the angle then smoothed with a plane. Looked like the builder had an angle in mind but waited till one of the last things to trim to size. Wish I had paid more attention to the whole show.

[Dave Richards]

Yeah, that bevel is cut after the plank is on the boat.

Amazing thing really. You'd think that a hatchet wouldn't be the appropriate tool for creating what will need to be a water tight seam. Kind of seems like using a chainsaw to cut dovetails. I guess it works though.

[Vince Stamper]

The viking longboat episode of "The Big Build" featured a good friend of mine, Jay Smith of Guemes Island, which is across the water from Anacortes. I checked the History.com site and it is available on DVD. The viking re-enacter group has since destroyed the boat, having paused from oiling the boat to go get even more drunk, leaving the rags behind to ignite, at which point it burned to the ground. Not too surprising considering that the great first voyage scene in the show took multiple takes due to the high state of inebriation of the modern day viking want to be's. The one happy outcome is that Jay has since gotten a commission to build an even bigger longboat, 65', for some Canadians who are going to use it for a camp.

[Hank Knight]

The viking re-enacter group has since destroyed the boat, having paused from oiling the boat to go get even more drunk, leaving the rags behind to ignite, at which point it burned to the ground. Not too surprising considering that the great first voyage scene in the show took multiple takes due to the high state of inebriation of the modern day viking want to be's.

A video of the oiling party, including the conflagration, might be fun. It would be a good instruction on what NOT to do with oily rags!