1900 VIKING

Name/Title

1900 VIKING

Entry/Object ID

1900 Viking

Tags

Boats

Description

The wooden boat VIKING, a Cable Car Gig Sliding-Seat Lapstrake Double.

Use

San Francisco Bay: recreation, regattas, and piloting club open-water swimming events.

Made/Created

Date made

circa 1900

Place

City

San Francisco

State/Province

California

Notes

Originally designed and built by two carpenters in the SF Cable Car barn. It was then rowed for about twenty years on the Russian River north of San Francisco before being given to the Dolphin Club in 1943. In 1984 the boat was restored by Jeremy Fisher-Smith then working in Davenport, CA. See full history in HAER History document pdf.

Other Names and Numbers

Other Number

HAER CA-2388

Notes

Line drawings and a history of the VIKING are listed as HAER CA-2399 for the HAER (Historic American Engineering Records) for the Library of Congress.

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Length and beam of boat

Width

43 in

Length

22 ft

Weight

270 lb

Dimension Notes

Outriggers provide 63 inches between oar locks. Oar length 124 inches and 33" handle to button

Materials

Material

Wood

Material Notes

Port Orford cedar planking and various hard woods. Copper rivets and brass fittings. Le Tonkinois Varnish.

Location

Room

Zahler Boathouse

Condition

Overall Condition

Very Good

Relationships

Related Publications

Publication

WoodenBoat

Notes

Magazine article "Viking and Her Descendants" by Abner Kingman, in the May/June 2011 issue, No. 220, Page 52.

Publication

Dolphin Log

Notes

Newsletter Article: Fall 2007, Pages 6-7, "Jeremy Fisher-Smith: Keeper of the Viking Flame" by Todd Oppenheimer.

Research Notes

Notes

In Fall 2023, Jeremy Fisher-Smith returned a box of outrigger and oarlock parts from the original boat. These were on the Viking before he restored the boat and replaced those parts. He sent back the 4 outrigger parts, and 3 oarlocks. Photos in entry, originals were donated to SF Maritime National Historic Park museum collections in 2024. Each side of boat has two outriggers, a smaller toward bow (18" wide at base, each leg 12", and 10 3/4 height) and larger toward stern set (18 1/2 wide at base, each leg 13", 12" height). The single stays are 16 1/4" long. Oarlocks probably bronze or brass: 4 1/2" tall x 4 " wide Two parts of oarlocks together: 4 1/2" tall x 5 1/2 wide