Knarr

A knarr (pl: knarrer) is a viking merchant ship built for Atlantic voyages. They were cargo ships with a length of about 16 m, a beam (width) of 4.5 m. Being shorter, wider and higher than a longship, so stouter than a longship, a knarr had an enormous capacity of up to 40 tons.

The knarr was an oceangoing vessel used to transport goods. The primary load were trading goods (like walrus ivory, wool, timber, wheat, furs and pelts, armour, slaves, honey, and weapons), but supplies (food, drink, weapons and armour), livestock and stores were common, too. Knarrer routinely crossed the North Atlantic, Baltic, the Mediterranean and other seas carrying goods to Norse settlements in Iceland and Greenland as well as trading goods to trading posts in the British Isles, Continental Europe and possibly the Middle East.

The central half of the knarr contained the uncovered freight space, framed by two “half decks” (elevated platforms) at bow and stern. It navigated nearly exclusively with its single 10 m square rigged sail, with two to four pairs of oars used mainly to navigate narrow water ways and harbours. The crew was very small, too, with a knarr going to iceland having a crew of 10 to 15 seamen.

Production
Like longships and faerings, Knarrer were of the clinker-built method. The stem consisted of a gnarly trunk, probably giving the ship type it's name.