Ferriby Boats

Three Bronze Age boats lie behind a village on the Humber estuary. They were sewn from oak planks with yew withies, caulked with moss and sealed with oak laths. Radiocarbon dating places the oldest, Ferriby Boat 3, between 2030 and 1720 BC, while Ferriby Boat 1 spans 1880 to 1680 BC. Archaeologists still debate how far these vessels ventured. Keith Miller, a regional archaeologist, argues they crossed the North Sea, though some doubt their seaworthiness. The Ferriby Heritage Trust calls Boat 3 Europe’s oldest known seacraft, while Dover Museum favours its own Bronze Age boat as the earliest seagoing example. Visitors to North Ferriby find an information board on the foreshore path. Hull Museums now care for the original remains, while two replicas sail or stand on display. The half-size Oakleaf, built in Southampton, is kept at Ferriby, and the full-scale Morgawr, launched in Falmouth, is on land beside the Maritime Museum in Cornwall.