Flexible planks
Viking ships were built of fresh wood. They had a light, flexible design that placed considerable requirements on material quality. As a basic principle, the natural structure of the timber is utilised to achieve elements that are light, pliable and strong. Hence, strakes are cleaved from straight trunks and subsequently hewn to shape using axes. It takes about 4½ days to cleave, hew and form a single plank. Altogether, 14 large oak trees, providing 90 planks, will be used to build the longship.
See a film on making a plank.
