A Sydney lawyer has forked out about $80,000 to boatbuilders in southern Tasmania to replicate a Viking-like long boat - despite the fact he can't sail.

John Marchant, 73, has spent most of his life practising as a commercial lawyer but said he had always had a passion for history.

"I studied history as well as law and the Vikings were of interest to me," he explained.

John Marchant doesn't yet sail but plans to be on Sydney Harbour eventually. ( ABC News: Aneeta Bhole )

"My name comes from Normandy which was once occupied by the Viking Rollo ... they were explorers, traders and raiders and they helped establish many communities."

Mr Marchant said he was very happy to see the boat finally completed.

"It feels really good to have it done," he said.

Anne Holst says the project was "a bit more interesting" than other commissions. ( ABC News: Aneeta Bhole )

"You'll definitely see me sailing it in Sydney Harbour."

Mr Marchant said that while he was fairly inexperienced with boats, he hoped the vessel could help him learn a new skill.

"I haven't been sailing ... but I'll be a quick learner," he said.

"It'll be trial and error, probably more error than trial, but I think it'll be fairly easy to sail."

The replica is made from rare Huon pine and has taken about six months to build at the Wooden Boat Centre at Franklin in the state's south.

The centre's manager, Anne Holst, said it had been an interesting project.

"The timber we've used would be as old as the Vikings and if you're talking traditional boatbuilding the Vikings have been a big influence," she said.

"For example, the clinker [boat] technology was a Viking style adopted by boatbuilders."

The vessel comes complete with oars, a red and white sail, and a dragon head with Thor's hammer carved onto the side.

The replica includes intricate carvings. ( ABC News: Aneeta Bhole )

Peter Laidlaw, who designed and built the boat, said the vessel was "not a true replica" but was still interesting to build.

"It's built more like a Tasmanian dinghy, so it's not a true Viking replica," he said.

"It's from a book I've got of 1840s Norwegian fishing boats but I also based it on the little boats they've got in the north of Scotland - the Fair Isle skiffs."

Mr Marchant is transporting the boat to Sydney by trailer where it will feature in the Newport boat festival early next month.