The Viking Age, which lasted from 800 to 1100 A.D., was the age of the sleek, speedy longship. Expert woodworkers would split oak tree trunks into long, thin planks using a broad ax rather than a saw. They then used iron nails to secure the boards to a single sturdy keel and then to each other, one plank overlapping the next. The boatbuilders attached evenly spaced floor timbers to the keel rather than the hull, ensuring flexibility and resilience. They then added crossbeams for a deck and rowing seats, as well as a large beam to hold the mast along the keel.
