I have often referred to the Vikings style of ship construction as "Klinker Built" and as you point out this refers to the riveting. But, these rivets were not apparently always made of metal. At one time, the best ships were riveted with special wooden rivets, which consisted of pegs that had heads on one end and slits on the other. Wedges were driven into these slits to hold the planks fast, and this style was apparently a much more flexible vessel, but much more expensive to make.
One interesting thing about these ships. Most wooden ships are built with ribs that then have planking applied to them. Klinker ships are built with the planks, which then have the ribs custom craftd to fit inside. The primary structure is keel and planks, with ribs serving to brace things together.
I'd personally like to see a replica of the great Ormurin Langi, the great warship which took over 100 of Norway's mightiest oaks to build.
