The Shetland Faerings are direct descendants of the Gokstad boat. The lines are apparent in the larger boats used by the Vikings. The photos below shows the larger Gokstad boat which can been seen in the Viking Museum in Oslo. This would have been used for deep sea Voyages under sail and oar. That's not a bad starting point for a camping dinghy.
Most contemporary designs treat rowing as an activity of last resort.
They have big fat transoms, either to carry the weight of an outboard or to plane under sail. They are short so that they will fit into a garage. Not surprisingly, rowing them is not much fun. Which is a pity, because a well-designed boat is a pleasure to row and requires suprisingly little effort. First on the shopping list was two sets of oars.