Utility Boats

Small boats and cargo skiffs used along the coast, into fjords, on lakes, and rivers are referred to as utility boats. These had their heyday before motorboats took over. Some boat types, with traditions dating back to the Iron Age, are still in use today.

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The Gravdalsbåten from Laksevåg (original). Used when the gentry went to town. Foto: Silje Katrine Robinson / Stiftelsen Museum Vest

In a country with poor or no roads, it was the sea that connected people. Boats were essential for navigating an island and fjord landscape like ours, and boats evolved differently in different parts of the country, depending on local conditions and uses.

The museum has a large collection of boat models, based on the extensive documentation and measurements by Bernhard Færøyvik (1886-1950). In addition, several full-sized small boats, primarily from Western Norway, are included, featuring a beautiful example of an Oselvar built by Søvik and Sons Boat Builders in Os in 1938, a newly built Nordland boat, and the so-called Gravdalsbåten in its original form.