Viking Sailing Ships The Vikings were ranked among the best the best ship builders in the world. They built the ships out of wood from the Scandinavian forests, mostly oak. All the stakes are made of oak and the grain of wood runs with the curved planks. The ribs and planking under the waterline were bound together with spruce roots. This is what gave these ships their flexibility in the stormy seas. The ships ranged from fifty to ninety-five feet long, and about seventeen feet wide. They held from forty to sixty crew members. Viking ships sailed well in either stormy seas or calm waters. They tr