Building a hide boat: an archaeological experiment

Marstrander argues that most of the curved ships in Scandinavian Bronze Age rock carvings represent hide boats. He points to features that set them apart from dugouts: curved hulls, raised double prows, hull furrows that could show ribs, and loop-like prow forms. He disputes Glob's view that the ship type came from the eastern Mediterranean, noting that the Scandinavian carvings show no sails, and he finds no real evidence for sails in Scandinavia before the 6th century CE, citing Gotland picture stones of the 6th–7th century. He also notes that a hide-boat tradition in the British Isles can be traced in literary sources to about 500 BCE.

The test vessel was built in 1971 for a project of BBC Television and the Norwegian Broadcasting Company. Odd Johnsen made it at Fredrikstad from wood, skin and rawhide with some modern tools: an almost flat-bottomed craft with a wooden frame, rawhide lashings and a covering of eight tanned cow-hides (pp. 16–20).

Trials included load tests, paddling over a measured distance, a sea trial and a test with an alder branch as a sail. Paul Johnstone devised the scheme under the supervision of Humphrey Case, and six Oslo University students crewed the speed trial. Marstrander reports the boat as stable, dry and seaworthy in the mild conditions tested, with a double bow that increased the prow's lifting ability. He says the experiment leaves open whether the rock-carved ships were hide boats and shows that a seaworthy craft of this kind could have been built (pp. 20–22).