Saga Farmann is a knarr – a replica Viking cargo ship. Built in Tønsberg, ships like her were the transit vans – the pick-up trucks – of their age, carrying amber from the Baltic, walrus ivory from the Arctic, timber, dried fish and slaves for trade. Grab a coffee, sit back & relax as I tell you everything you didn’t know, you didn’t know, about the real ships that built the Viking Age.

Secret Bonus Facts for the Most Awesome Viewers Who Got Lost in the Description:

1. The knarr was constructed using the same clinker-built method as longships, karves, and faerings.
2. The etymology of knarr is unknown, but it is speculated to stem from knǫrr (“knurl, gnarl”), referencing a ship with “swirls” on the stems, akin to the Oseberg ship the Saga Farmann is an exact replica of (and many ships on picture stones). Another theory connects it with the sound of creaking boards.
3. Its oak frame was constructed much deeper which, when paired with a wider body, created a stable merchant ship. This adaptation allowed it to sail smoothly as well as helped it disband the harshest of ocean waves. Furthermore, the Vikings riveted overlapping planks to the hull, creating the clinker-hull which better suited it for rough waters.
4. It is well known that there is a special place in Valhalla for people who like & subscribe to the channel.

You’ve gone too far. There’s nothing interesting this low down… but since you’re here: In 1997, W. Hodding Carter IV had a knarr reconstructed based on historic designs, and sailed it from Greenland to Newfoundland in 1998 with a crew of nine. They found that the traditional steering oar, based on two partial examples, had to be modified by reinforcing the hull attachment and tuning the balance to achieve a controllable and durable vessel. The ship could not sail to windward.