It's time to build a boat

Nord Coast is not just about designing and making goods.  It is about finding adventures in and round the Great Lakes.  We have long been inspired by the small boat Scottish “Raids”, WaterTribe Everglades Challenge, and Race to Alaska. These Sail and Oar races harken back to simpler times on the water, and the Nord Coast crew wants in. It’s time to build a boat.   

The Plan: 

• Build a CLC replica Gislinge Boat 

• Learn coastal navigation (We are mere dinghy sailors at the creation of this plan) 

• Join the Duluth Yacht Club and race in the “Duluth to Knife River” “Duluth to Port Wing” “Duluth Triangle” to gain experience on the Big Lake

• Enter the  WaterTribe Everglades Challenge, to learn how to sail overnight 

• Enter in the 2027 Rust Belt 950

• Film the whole adventure and share it with you 

Timeline: 

• Spring 2025: Dreaming and armchair sailing  

• Summer 2025: Set up workshop in Wisconsin barn. Start building the boat.  Learn coastal navigation. Crew a couple Duluth Yacht Club races  

• Fall 2025: Boat Building

• Winter 2025: Pause for more dreaming and armchair sailing 

• Spring 2026: Finish building the boat. Travel to Demark's Viking Ship Museum to see the original Gislinge Boat.  

• Summer 2026: Sail the Duluth to Knife River, Duluth Triangle, and Duluth to Port Wing races 

• Spring 2027: Enter the WaterTribe Everglades Challenge 

• Summer 2027: Complete the Rust Belt 950.   

Gislinge Boat Background: 

• In 1993 archeologists excavated a small Viking-era boat near Isefjord, a large bay west of Copenhagen, Denmark.  Dated to 1130 CE, this clinker-built workboat made of oak and iron was preserved under many layers of silt and sand.   

• In 2015, The Viking Ship Museum of Roskilde, Denmark began the “Gislinge Boat Project”.  Museum workers built a replica boat, measured the lines, and published the design as an open-source project for anyone to study and build. 

• In 2019, John Harris and his team at Chesapeake Light Craft began developing a modernized, CND-cut wood-epoxy replica of the Gislinge Boat. 

• In October of 2024, Nord Coast co-founder Jeff turned 40 and decided it was time for an adventure.