At 100% size (1:72 scale) this small Viking-era coastal trader model will be 187mm long. Trading ships were generally shorter, wider, and had higher sides than warships. Oars were not as important as wind, which was the main source of propulsion. The dimensions of the ship in real life would have been 14m long and 4m wide.
The hull can be printed out either in one single piece, or as two smaller pieces that are glued together in the middle.
These ship files also include the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Viking (let’s call them Gunnhild and Thorer). In modern times, they would have bought a Land Rover, but this is still the 10th century, so they use a Knarr. It is an entry-level model, good for coastal trading close to home, and they have named it the Baltic Beauty. They are accompanied by cousin Fritjof, who is steering the boat, as well as Ulf, a warrior who has asked to join them for a ride to the market (Ulf is visiting here from an ongoing “Vikings Standing Upright“ project for a warship under sail). Their boat is loaded with bags of turnips, and casks of ale. I made the sail with standard 80gsm copying paper and attaching it to the yard and to the mast (see the pictures).
This model is a general approximation of a class of ship that was common 1000 years ago. There are many sources for what these looked like and I have taken many liberties to get printability and easy assembly. Everything that you see in the pictures is also contained in the files, except the rigging (made of 0.5mm thread), the shield on Ulf’s back (borrowed from the Small Viking Warship) and I printed two Gunnhilds. Good sailing !
Update 28/11/2019: adjusted underside of the hull in the hull file to allow printouts at below 50% size. Two of the pictures show how the full scale ship at 100% size compares to a 35% size printout which is ca. 1:210 scale.
Update 12/12/2019: added two half-hull files for people with smaller printing plates.
Update 21/12/2019: the original deck had been open in middle to accomodate turnips and ale. Here now is a version with all the deck closed. Also, the mast stand was adjusted on all files.
Update 30/01/2020: Half hull files now set for vertical printing instead of original horizontal.
Update 06.06.2021: Added full-hull versions (open and closed deck) with smoothed-out planks on the sides of the ship. Also there is a new and improved rudder and the rigging can now be tied to holes in the ribs instead of pegs.
Update 11.06.2021: Gunnhild and Thorer have now been given a makeover too ! They both really deserved it since they were some my first figures.
Update 21.02.2022: Added waterline version of the hull based on some requests from MMF users.
