Viking Boat Facts
Although the Vikings made different kinds of boats, they are best known for building the iconic longboat. Vikings used longboats to launch raids on European town and villages during the Viking Age, from 800-1100 AD.
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Construction
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The hull of a Viking boat was typically strong and flexible, consisting of overlapping planks of wood joined with iron rivets to each other, as well as to the keel. For more flexibility, the floor timbers were attached to the keel, rather than the hull.
Maneuverability
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Viking boats were light, very maneuverable, and able to navigate shallow water, a significant advantage to raiders. Longboats probably had a square sail and could also be rowed by oarsmen. Some of the boats were more than 100 feet long. The rudder mounted to the right side of the boat -- from which comes the English word "starboard."
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Fun Facts
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The drekar was a sea-going vessel with a dragon or serpent's head on the prow as protection against sea monsters and unfriendly spirits. The knarr was higher and wider than the longboat and used as a cargo vessel for overseas trade. Vikings traveled extensively in their longboats, into the Mediterranean, down rivers deep into the interior of Russia and as far as the New World, where they established a short-lived colony at L'ans aux Meadows in what is now Newfoundland.
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