August 12, 2026
What if you could build a Viking-era boat almost entirely from the trees, wool, and materials on your own property? That is exactly what happened with Kaninia, a 25-foot replica of the 12th-century Gislinge boat. The original was a Danish working vessel recovered by Denmark’s Viking Ship Museum.
Nearly every piece of Kaninia came from the builder’s own backyard. Strakes were cut from second-growth cedar milled on-site. The keel, stems, and thwarts were hand-riven from blown-down Douglas fir. Frames came from blow-down oak, while the oars and mast were made from a wind-thrown grand fir. Even the caulking includes wool from her own Shetland sheep.
The build combines traditional techniques with modern materials, including copper rivets, hand-carved treenails, modern sailcloth, and Sikaflex. As the builder puts it, “I’m not a museum. The old Norse used what was local to them. If they’d had our materials, they’d have used those too.”
See Kaninia at this year’s Wooden Boat Festival.
