Steampunk toy
This issue Coen builds a Viking longboat
Having been bitten by the steampunk toy bug recently I couldn’t resist trying once again to bring the theme to bear on another model. I have always admired the elegant lines of the clinker-built Viking longboats, their savage, war-like image on storm-tossed seas, and the whole mythology of the Viking era. I decided to see if I could combine that vision with steampunk to produce a modern take on the old boats.
As with my other steampunk toys and models, I chose a central element around which to base this one. The ultra-smooth mirror-like hard-drive disks I have used as hub caps in a previous steampunk toy are especially well suited to replicate (with a modern twist) the Viking shields that adorned the gunwales of their longboats.
Copper hull
Originally I intended to construct a traditional model using steam-bent planks for the ship’s hull, however I settled on using copper sheet instead. Copper sheet has the advantage of being easier to bend and shape to the desired hull form. It also gives the model more of the steampunk look. It was still a labour-intensive part of the project,
I decided to see if I could combine that vision with steampunk to produce a modern take on the old boats
especially as I used the small discarded screws from the disassembled hard drives as the ‘rivets’ for the overlapping hull planks.
What I have ended up with is a longboat hull that pays some homage to the original Viking builders but is more a modern interpretation of what they might have created if they had access to more advanced materials and technology. Like the Vikings’ longboats, my model was still constructed using the clinker method of overlapping planks, however, of copper rather than timber.
Smooth lines
I started by cutting a wooden keel from a wide board of Tasmanian oak and attached to it three frames to define the basic shape of the hull. I then cut strips from some thin sheet copper and bent them over along their long sides to give them a bit more solidity. Each strip was then laid on the frame and massaged into the correct position using a combination of tiny screws rescued from the aforementioned hard drives; persuasion with fingers; and, when necessary, a small hammer.
This was a very finicky and timeconsuming process, especially as I wanted as much as possible to recreate the smooth, rounded lines of the original longboats. If I were to do it again I would opt for more frames to help better define the desired shape of the hull.
I cut and shaped a piece of heavy-gauge aluminium in such a way that it would also act as a battering post
Steampunk approach
Once the hull was completed and the timber gunwales were attached, I turned my attention to the more obvious steampunk elements of the model. First of all I had to convince myself that steampunk Vikings would avail themselves of new technology if they could, while still retaining their original war-like habits. Adorning the longboat with shields was never in doubt, however I decided that they wouldn’t bother rowing their boats if they had another means of propulsion.
As a craft designed to be run aground on foreign shores and beaches, the perfect propulsion unit would be like the ones seen plying the rivers and lakes of Asia — a small engine counterbalanced by a long shaft and propeller, the depth and direction controlled by the helmsman. The helmsman needs somewhere to stand and has to be able to swing the motor to control the direction of the vessel. I built in a small aft deck and ensured that the placing of the warriors’ shields would not interfere with the free movement of the motor.
The power train
I constructed the actual ‘motor’ by bolting together three bearing centres from the hard drives to give a somewhat futuristic impression of a three-rotor rotary engine. Attached to the rear of the engine is a section of 5mm shaft that was fitted through a small swivel from an old sewing machine, then inserted in the stern post. This gives the motor and propeller its full range of movement. At the end of the shaft I constructed an aluminium propeller and a small coneshaped counterweight to balance the whole unit at the swivel point.
The next part of the construction involved finding a suitable prow and figurehead, both such an integral part of the genuine longboats.
Again, in keeping with the steampunk nature of the model, I opted for a modern interpretation. To extend the prow to a suitable height, I cut and shaped a piece of heavy-gauge aluminium in such a way that it would also act as a battering post to protect the wooden keel and at the same time support the figurehead made from two computer hard-drive pickups. I glued it to the riser on the timber keel and also used it secure the front stay rope for the mast.
Crew’s positions
To finish the model I lined the inside with thin wooden strips secured to the frames and affixed three cross benches for the crew.
I believe that the finished model blends the Viking longboat heritage and mythology nicely with my interpretation of steampunk to create a unique piece of imaginative maritime architecture.