During the excavation of Skuldelev 2, the location of the individual fragments were documented. Each fragment was numbered before being recovered.
Drawings of the recovered fragments is reduced to a scale of 1:10 and mounted on carboard. The planks are joined by pins inserted through the nail holes. The original lines and form of the plank - and hence of the ship - have been recreated in this way.
It takes several years to build a reconstruction model on the basis of cardboard model. The missing parts of the keel were constructed from the pattern formed by the preserved parts of the keel. The upper part of the ship, along with missing details such as oars, anchor, rigging and sail, were constructed on the basis of other archaeological finds, features of traditional clinker-built square-sailed vessels, experience gained from previous reconstruction projects, and depictions and accounts from the Viking Age.
