Iain Oughtred - Norwegian Hardanger Faering

Sometimes beauty transcends reason. Form does not always relate to function, though in this case it is a marriage. Elf is a Norwegian Faering, or at least Iain's interpretation. This is a functional, seaworthy incredibly beautiful small ship. It is also one of the most ancient hull forms.

Faering Project

Iain Oughtred drew this 15ft Faering from extensive research in Norway. Woodfish is basically a traditionally constructed version of his plywood Elf, but redrawn for solid timber, larch in this case. She is his 100th design.

What is a Norse Færing?

The term "færing" refers to the number of oars on the vessel, not its site of origin in Norway (or anywhere else). "Færing" is a contraction of "firæring", which is a boat with four oars (two pairs). "Fire"="four". Therefore a "færing" refers to a norse boat of a particular size, rather than a special kind of boat. Note that a færing must be built within the norse boat building tradition to qualify as a færing. More info.

Faering Dory Launched

The Faering Dory was launched from Mystic Shipyard East in May, 2008. Despite windy conditions the boat handled well with John and Margarita aboard. It has good initial stability and while underway as well. The tracking was good despite all of the rumors about its drift boat characteristics. It took a broadside wind with ease.

The Faering dory sits proudly on the water after launching.

John Maxson taking his Faering dory on its first row

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