A Viking ship made from ice-cream sticks set sail across the Netherlands' IJsselmeer lake today and its stuntman builder hopes to cross the Atlantic later.

The 15-metre Thor was made from 15 million recycled ice-cream sticks glued together by US-born Robert McDonald, his son and more than 5,000 children.

"Pick up your ice-cream stick, send them to me and I will put them to use," McDonald, 48, said on radio, hoping to auction the ship later and donate the proceeds to charity.