The Gokstad Ship 900 AD by Siggi52 - 1:50

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  'Sounds like you had a rather warm spell, mate.  The Hamburg vicinity is supposed to have an average daily high of 72 deg. F ?

Below is the Sae Earn, a cobbled replica I rowed on in College - The ship's boat towed behind I built myself, named Herjan by the captain, Atli.

[Siggi52]

Hello,

John, today it is to be 27°C here and sunshine, but next week again it is only 22°C and rain. And it's a nice boot you have build. Did you have Viking genes?

 

Today I finished the standing rigg. And I know now exactly, why I don't like rigging. These stuborne and nasty twines, who go always the directin you don't want ☹️ It was realy loud yesterday in the basement!

But the result is great, I think. Now the ship looks fuller, more compact. Enjoy the pictures. The strongest rope is the forestay with 0,7 mm Ø, the shrouts and forestay have 6,5 mm Ø

Edited July 19 by Siggi52

[wmherbert]

Beautiful job! It's been very enjoyable watching the quality of your workmanship.

Bill

[Jim Lad]

Very neat rigging, Siggi.

 

John

[Siggi52]

Hello and thanks for your nice comments a d likes

 

Today I cleared the deck from rope ends, at least from the shrouts. The next thing to build is the sail. I ordered Silkspan, and it should arrive here someone next week.

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

Siggi,  I've received the steering board handle you sent me ... and now I see just how detailed many elements of your project are at 1:50 scale. I salute your skill and craftsmanship !    Johnny

[Siggi52]

Thank you, Johnny

and have fun with it

[Siggi52]

Hello,

today I finished the anchor. At the Gokstad ship they found only a rust trace of an anchor from 1,1 m length, and an anchor stock of 2.75 m length. At the Oseberg ship they found an anchor of 1 m length, and two anchor stocks. One of 1,5 m and the other of 2,7 m length. The anchor fits to the smaler stock. May be, they though that the dead in heaven did't need the large anchor.

 

So I build the smaler typ of anchor. Material are pieces brass wire of 0,8 and 1 mm, hammered flat and to form and for the rings 0,4 and 0,5 mm wire.

 

 

[Keith Black]

Nice anchor, Siggi. 

[Siggi52]

Thank you, Keith

[Siggi52]

Hello,

just a short sign of life, but no great progress. I'm bussy with the sail. My first try with silkspan did't work for me. The bolt rope tears out when I tried to sew it on. So for tomorrow plan B, linnen.

So should it look

And that is the the first try. Did't look bad, but did't work 😐 At least the color is't so red, it's more a red-brown

 

[Ian_Grant]

Siggi, do we know that the reef point was known to vikings? Maybe from tapestries or vases?

[Siggi52]

Hello Ian,

the only representations of Viking ships are available on the Gotland stones as far as I know. And they are not very detailed. Also they found only some fragments of densely woven wool fabric with rope of lime bast. So the sails are not very much documented, at least in the sagas. Im my case, I'm using what Vibeke Bischoff has reserched with her experimental archaelogy.

[woodrat]

 

On 8/1/2025 at 4:21 PM, Siggi52 said:

I'm using what Vibeke Bischoff has reserched with her experimental archaelogy.

It is a very controversial area to dive into. But the results of "experimental archaeology" do not seem to mesh with the iconography so far found dating to the viking period. The sail that ms. Bischoff depicts in her plans seems to be most like those used in 19th century norwegian coasters as seen in this drawing by R C Leslie:

The iconographic evidence from the viking period comes down to only a few sources: rock carvings, coins, rune stones  and graffiti.

 

The Gotland stones aconsistently show a low slung sail which is as wide as the ship is long and with a diagonal pattern on it beneath which are a series of lines attached to the foot of the sail

The carvings on rune stones demonstrate very wide rectangular sails

Coins from the same era show again a wide low slung sail with evidence of the sail being brailed up in a number of places but only one coin (the third one) could possibly represent a reefed sail but I doubt it.

The graffiti scratched on rocks in Trondheim show a longship and a ?knarr with lowered yards and the sail furled.

 

The modern reconstructions of sail and rig are more in keeping with the well tested and effective 19th century sail of the coaster which is high and narrow rather than the meagre evidence from the viking period of a wide and low slung sail. We dont have enough evidence to be dogmatic about this and, at the end of the day, Siggi you have built a beautiful model of a modern reconstruction of the Gokstad ship and it is perfectly fine to attach a reconstructed sail on it. The above is not meant as any criticism of your lovely build.

 

Cheers

Dick

ref.  The rigging of the viking age warship.  Ole Thirup Kastholm

 

 

[Siggi52]

Hello Dick,

one sourse you did't mention, the sagas. And Ms Bishoff worked up all the sources you mention and came to the result I have showed. After Ian wrote his coment, I re-read the chapter about the sail.

 

The sentence begin at the previus page with: The abondance of rigging

Did you have her Book? It is very interesting to read and she used every source available. ISBN 0901-778X and 978-87-85180-77-3. I got my copy through Amazon from California.

 

I'm sorry, but my english is't so good to make here scientific discoursions and I'm not an expert for Viking ships. You may be right that the sails they build today look more like modern sails, but she also has arguments for the shape of the sails she build and why the sails were not as wide as the ship is long at the picture stones and coins. 

 

have a nice day

 

[woodrat]

2 hours ago, Siggi52 said:

Did you have her Book? It is very interesting to read and she used every source available.

No, you're right, I dont have her book (it's way beyond my budget) and I also make no claim to be an expert on viking ships. That is why I said it was controversial. Ole Kastholm, whose paper I was quoting, is Prehistoric Archaeologist; Senior Researcher and Curator at Roskilde Museum. So that indicates the degree of controversy in the field. I was just trying to help answer Ian Grant's question on reef points. I look forward to seeing the completion of your superb model

Cheers

Dick 

Edited 7 hours ago by woodrat

[Siggi52]

Hello Dick,

if you wont to know more about these ships, you should get it. It's worth the money. I got my copy for 40€ + 13€ taxes and shipping.

Ones again to your „the sail should be as wide as the ship is long, 23,4 m“. Imagine, the ship is 5,2 m broad, than the sail would stand to both sides 9m over the board. How would you handle such a sail? And close-hauled sailing would't be possible. Ms Bischoff looked for the points where the sail was attached to the ship, close-hauled. And that was the width of the sail. Just simple.

Edited 6 hours ago by Siggi52