Attached Link: Templar Militaris

All of the Longboats on the market are the cargo version of the long boat sometimes called the knarr.  All of the Longboats are descendants of the DeEspona Max edition of 2000.

The generic "Viking" boat is the basis of most ships built in the North of Europe by being built hull first, ribs after while the Southern ship building was ribs first.  This is preserved in the copies of the knarr available now.  The Knar was primarily a sailing ship, oars for maneuvering.  One cannot get any traction sitting on a box.

The problem of ship shape and designed for rowing as a principal methiod of propulsion is that all extant assume that the oars were pulled by the back instead of the legs where two thirds of body strength is retained.  

The modern racing boats with  one to eight oarsmen some with one oars and some with two, use a rolling seat that allows the butt to stay put while the rest of the body, arms, legs, and back do the propulsion.   Oar driven ships of the Middle Ages (Longboat or Dromon) did not use rolling or sliding seats so far as any evidence is concerned.

The question remains as to how can an oarsman use his full body strenght (mostly legs) with a stationary butt?  The answer is, he didn't sit when rowing.  This conclusion is not widely known or accepted, and were it not for the fact that I spent a semester on the University of California "Crew" of 8 oared shells, as a Coxswain. I was the little guy with the head mounted megaphone, and knockers in hand to steer the boats.  Several Factors prevail:

The race is won on the run, not the stroke.   The run is defined by equal power from each oarsman so the boat doesn't turn.  A turning boat is off balance which furhter screws up both port and starboard.

Each oar must enter the water (catch) at the exact same time and angle, and likewise with leaving the water (release).  The slightest variance also costs an imbalance port vs starboard.   On the run, the oars are held flat to preclude bumping the wrong wave. The wrists are cocked slightely down and on the catch rotate thumbs first and the blade catches the water without splash.  On release, it is the reverse so that the oars leap from  the water.  One big problem is what is called "diving" in which an oarsman (or woman) leans forward to get a bigger angle on the water, this also unbalances the boat.

It is complex enough while sitting on a seat that rolls forward and back.  In modern days, the feet are snug in straps that act as shoes.  

A standing & sitting rowing system is examined in the book "Age of the Galley" by Conway.  He does not appear to have practical experience in the variables I cite above.  But covers everything else in exquisite detail

The significance of the details above is that the oarlocks have to be positioned correctly so that an oarsman can get the correct angle from ship to water and be able to pull evenly with the rest of the crew.  On the 8 oared shell this is a level back and forth move, unlike the oblong shown in most illustration.   

Rowing at full strength in Galleys and Longboats was reserved for relatively calm waters such as rivers.   The longboar and galley had extremely low freeboards, which made sailing dangerous and required methods of preventing breeching.

From a Modeling standpoint, I am too clumsy to make the hull which must have a beam to lengh ration of at least 20 to 1.  The cross sections of the hull are readily apparent on line in pictures of the Gokstad ship, except that it had a deck laid on where the (rounded) thwarts for the oarsmen parked. It's the damn deck that keeps me from remodeling this for pillage, plunder and war.

There is no requirement for oar locks cut into the sides as shown on the Gokstad ship as the oarlocks were covered when not needed.  Likewise there are enough sails and masts to cut and paste.

;)

 

 

 

Gordon