I’ve participated in many boat parades, but I wanted to do something really spectacular for this year... I wanted to go BIG. And I had my heart set on trying to create a Viking ship. I’ll admit it took me almost a month of planning, ordering, and prep work. But in the end, as we sailed her 'round the lake, it was well worth it!
My husband and I have a pontoon boat, so this design was customized to fit the boat frame. Creation of the overall design, the hull panels, shields, and a lighting plan were all done in advance of the big weekend event. Then it was two days of putting everything together AND making sure it held together while moving. We were very fortunate to have great friends and neighbors who helped out with the assembly!
This parade float picture was my inspiration.
Click/Tap image center for full height
My first step was to start work on the shields. In preparation, I actually did some researching into the authentic Viking clan patterns. I used 22in by 28in white foam boards for their construction.
The centers were painted half-balls of styrofoam glued in place. I spray-painted the shields, and then added a wood grain look (which would probably never be seen from the lake, but I liked it as a finishing touch).
We purchased a box of large cardboard panels from ULine for the hull of the boat. We only had to cut to the height needed for covering the boat railings. I used black marker to create wood grain patterns and nail heads.
The shields would hang over the panels, fastened with zip ties to the boat railings.
Next came the harder part. We made a bow and stern armature out of PVC piping. We fastened these to the boat side rails with zip ties. We also clamped a 2x4 board to the front and center of the boat so the bow point could rest on it (not seen in this photo).
Now that we had the bow frame made, it was time to work on the bow hull and the ship's dragon figurehead.
Using zip ties to fasten the smaller wood panels to PVC and added lighting to outline the boat and head.
Every Viking ship needs a sail. Ours was made from a red & white tablecloth. We used a large PVC pipe, a patio umbrella base to rest in, and zip-tied it to the Bimini cover.
Important... openings need to be made in the sail that will allow wind to pass through.
Similar to the bow, we made another PVC armature for the stern and put ours around the motor to hide it.
Cardboard panels were then zip-tied to side railings and PVC pipes. And let's not forget to make a door panel for boarding the boat.
Finishing up one side of the boat with shields to protect us from any distant hail of arrows.
A short trip out on the lake so the boat could be turned around for completing the other side.
All sides of the boat are now completed. Can't thank our friends enough for all their assistance during this project!
What a fantastic sight! We took her around the lake to make sure she was sea-worthy and she looked amazing.
As it began to darken, we turned on the decorative lights we had strung around the boat.
The blue lights below the boat are special Marine lights that are remote-controlled.
And what would a Viking ship be without a Viking clan! Thank you to all our friends who helped and certainly dressed the part.
This was our bubble bath parade entry from the previous year. :-)
