How much are these?
What comes in the box?
Has anyone done this before?
How did this project come about?
Is this considered a ‘green’ funeral?
Is this funeral ship only for humans?
Is it dangerous to store my ship?
Can I have my ship explode?
How do you make sure the ship sinks when it is supposed to?
What happens to my ashes and the ship after it sinks?
Do I have to have it burn?
How long will it burn?
What if I pour lighter fluid or gas on it?
Can I decorate my own sail?
Can I paint the hull and the shields?
How well do these sail?
Is it legal to do this?
How deep should the water be?
Were these funerals really done in the old days?
What are the cremains like?
When do you put them into the ship?
What if there is a wind blowing when we have the ceremony?
What is the best way to launch the ship?
Isn’t this a little irreverent?
What about putting little gifts on the deck?
Ideas for ceremonies
Can I have my ashes split up?
How much are these?
A Viking Funeral Ship costs $2,892 and shipping costs are not included.
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Has anyone done this before?
Yes. We were surprised when USA Today did a story about a guy who did just this. He built his own boat and had a fine ceremony.
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How did this project come about?
I was having lunch at restaurant in Saint Paul with an old friend of mine, Bob Slattery. We were talking about friends and parents who have died and about their funerals. Some of them have been inspiring and sad, but some left us flat and were actually kind of boring. I asked Bob what kind of funeral he wanted and he thought it’d be really cool to have his ashes put into a Viking ship to burn on the water and have lots of fireworks and a big explosion at the end. That caught my attention and a couple of months later I started hunting for information on Viking ships.
I learned a lot about how they were built, their handling characteristics, the materials used, where they are, and much more. My great grandparents came from Norway and I know very little about them or their culture. That gave this project some really good traction for me when I started digging into it.
It took more than two years of development to figure out how to build the present ships. I made many mistakes and now know many ways not to build these. Mostly I build half hulls and hulls 48 and 50 made up my first floating ship.
I had to make them big enough to comfortably hold the cremains of a big human. When I loaded (with dry sand) and sailed my first ship I was surprised at how stable and seaworthy it was.
With a successful hull, I next had to figure out how to sink it consistently. I did a lot of experimentation including having waterproof cannon fuse burning along both sides of the keel to separate the bottom of the ship. Although that was a fun idea, it did not work. I considered coating the wood with a flammable substance that would burn but realized that I did not want to have anything like that sitting around. Now there are holes drilled under the waterline to let the water in. Sometimes the simplest answer is the best.
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Is this funeral ship only for humans?
Nope, you can put use it for pet cremains as well. You do not have to fill the hull, small animals do just fine. The ship is designed to hold the cremains of a large human body, so you wouldn’t be able to use one ship for of the cremains of an entire horse.
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Is it dangerous to store my ship?
Storing your ship is very safe. It is simply wood, glue and cloth. There are no explosives built into it.
Some people will want to keep their ship in the box and tucked away until it is time. Some people will want to put it together and have it on display. It is a very cool model, handsome to look at and you have a great story to tell.
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Can I have my ship explode?
Yes, and we do not provide explosives. This was considered during the early days of this project and we decided against it for several reasons.
1. The burning ship could float out next to a bigger ship, say a nice white sailboat, and blow up leaving a black mark on the bigger ship.
2. If the explosion does not happen someone would probably row out to get it lit again. It could literately blow up in their face and that would be bad.
3. If the wind changes direction just before the explosion, the ashes could come down all over the friends and family. That would be tacky.
4. If there is a big explosion you could get a sudden visit from law enforcement types and that will change the tone of the ceremony.
5. Some of these ships will be stored for several years before being used and storing explosives is not something we want to get involved with.
6. Shipping explosives legally gets complicated fast.
Some people will set up their ship with bottle rockets and other fire works. What you do in that department is entirely up to you. Be wise and use common sense.
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How do you make sure the ship sinks when it is supposed to?
There are small holes drilled into the wooden hull below the water line. If you lift off the decking you will see a strip of cloth on the inside of the hull. This cloth prevents the ashes from pouring out and lets the water come in.
When the ashes are poured into the hull they do not flow out of the holes. When the ship is put into the water it actually starts sinking right away. The water does not flow in very fast and between five and ten minutes your ship will quietly slip under the water.
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What happens to my ashes and the ship after it sinks?
Your ashes will begin dispersing under water just as soon as your ship begins it’s underwater journey. The glue holding your ship together will dissolve in a few days. Every plank and piece of wood will drift away from the ship within a few days of sinking. By then your ashes will be naturally mixed with the surrounding sand and water.
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Do I have to have it burn?
Not at all. Some people want their ship to simply float out and quietly sink. Along the hull there are special holes in the hull that ensures a graceful sinking. It takes five to ten minutes for the ship to sink, a lighter load will take longer to go down.
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How long will it burn?
The cannon fuses burn brightly for about three minutes and near the end the sail will go up with a big and very satisfying flame which often sets the yard on fire. There are a few minutes just after the big fire before the ship finally slips beneath the waves. Pretty much everyone gets very quiet during these last few minutes.
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What if I pour lighter fluid or gas on it?
Besides being dangerous, it will burn really fast and hot. You will probably want the burn to last longer.
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Can I decorate my own sail?
Yes indeed. You can add your own designs with paints or markers. You could have designs stitched into the fabric of the sail or even have a different sail made for you. You could have people sign the sail with messages.
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Can I paint the hull and the shields?
Yes. You can paint your ship any colors you want, any paints or markers will work. The wood is raw and unfinished, so if you want solid bright colors you may consider putting a primer / sealer coat of paint on first. Painting the shields is an excellent way to get the kids involved.
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How well do these sail?
When the ship is loaded with ashes it is a heavy ship and actually behaves very well on the open water. It is very stable and will not tip over. It tracks very straight because of the long keel. So when you give it a push out to sea it may not travel very far but it does go very straight.
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Is it legal to do this?
There are very clear laws about burying bodies at sea, but there are no laws against disposing of ashes at sea. The EPA does want you to file a report if you dispose of cremains in any waterway. You have 30 days to file the form after the burial.
If you are going to burn your ship be aware of any local burning bans that may be in effect.
The best advice is to use common sense and be discreet.
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How deep should the water be?
Deeper than your hips. When the ship goes down it does not tip over and the mast is sticking straight up. You want to be sure the water is deeper than the tip of the mast. In a couple of days the pieces of the ship will separate and the bits of wood will float to the surface. No one will be able to reclaim the ship.
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Were these funerals really done in the old days?
Were these used for funerals of kings, queens and great leaders. In ancient times these ships were functioning ships and were very expensive. Commitment of a living ship to a burial ship was not a decision that was made lightly. Only the most powerful people who were held in the highest esteem were buried or burned in their ships.
No one knows how many ships were burned for burial ceremonies over the centuries. We do have several ships that were buried in the earth and this is where we get our best information about these wonderful ancient ships. Most of the information about the actual ceremonies are from stories that were written down. Unfortunately many of these stories were written by the foes of the Vikings and in some cases their truthfulness is suspect.
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What are the cremains like?
They are like fine beach sand only a little lighter in weight and sharper to the touch than sand is. They are a very light gray color and pour like white sugar with almost no dust.
When you pick them up from the funeral home they will come in a simple plastic or cardboard box. Inside the box is a heavy clear plastic bag closed with a twist tie. Inside, of course, are the ashes or cremains.
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When do you put them into the ship?
When your party is at the waters edge and just before launching. To load the ship remove the decking and pour the cremains into the open hull. Put the decking back on and slip the mast into the hole.
The decking is not a tight fit because your ashes should start dispersing as soon as the ship sinks into the water. If it were a tight fit the air would be trapped and the ship will have a hard time sinking.
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What if there is a wind blowing when we have the ceremony?
If there is a good wind blowing you might want to wait for a calmer time. A little breeze is fine but make sure it is not blowing towards the shore. An offshore breeze is ideal because you want the ship to float out to deeper water before it sinks.
Waves that are less than one inch high are best and no waves is ideal. This ship is very stable and rides low in the water when it is loaded. You will not want big waves sweeping over your ship.
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What is the best way to launch the ship?
1. Load the ship with the ashes just before launching it. This should be done right on the edge of the water. You will want to consider how you will dispose of the plastic bag and the box the ashes came in.
2. With the dragon head pointed out to sea, carefully place the loaded ship into the water nice and level.
3. Light the fuse or fire on the deck and give it a long and steady push towards deeper water. The ship will not go very far but it will go straight.
4. The fire is designed to burn brightly for about three minutes with the sail going up last. Within two to five minutes the ship will quietly slip beneath the waves.
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Isn’t this a little irreverent?
Your funeral can be a wild time with a lot of noise and celebration or you might want it to be a quiet, thoughtful and dignified ritual. Listen to yourself to figure out what kind of attitude you want to have.
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What about putting little gifts onboard?
The burial ships they have found are loaded with gifts and wonderful things that were buried with the dead. Often they were buried with things that would make their passage into the next life easy. They would have food, transport, money, along with cherished and sacred items.
If you put notes and paper things on the deck there is a chance that they will not burn and will float away for someone else to find. If you put metal or heavier objects on deck they will sink with the ship.
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Ideas for ceremonies
You could have the final send off done by a religious person.
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Can I have my ashes split up?
Yes. There are no legal rules about that, but some religions do not like that. Some people do have their ashes split up among their families and friends. There are special containers built just for that purpose. Some people will send some ashes to another country to have them scattered there. You get to decide what you want to have happen.
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