Along the steep mountain sides surrounding the Sognefjord, there were many places where it was simply impossible to travel by any means other than by boat. Even where the terrain allowed people to get around on land, it was far easier to use the fjord as a route, whether transporting people, animals, or goods. In the museum you will find all the common utility boats used by the people of Sogn, from the færing, which was the most common, to the storebåt, a small Sogne cargo vessel (jekt).
The Sogn Færing
The Sogn boat is a fjord boat that was easy both to row and to haul ashore. The færing was the most common type. As the name suggests, it was rowed with four oars, that is, two pairs of oars. Sogn boats could also be sailed. In that case, they were rigged with a square sail, like the old Viking ships.
In the exhibition, a færing, an åttæring, and a føringsbåt lie side by side. These tarred and black utility boats were used by farmers, fisher-farmers, and crofters along the Sognefjord to transport people and livestock, fodder, and other goods.
The Skåsheim Boat
The biggest boat in the collection is the Skåsheim boat. This is a storebåt, that is, a cargo boat rigged with a square sail and resembling a jekt, though smaller. The boat was built around 1840 on the farm Indre Slinde in Sogndal, and was later sold to Skåsheim in Balestrand. The boatbuilder was Ole Andersen Nybø from Leikanger, a legendary boatbuilder also known as Gamle-Risen.
It was a cargo boat with a deckhouse like a jekt, but smaller than the proper jekts. The jekts mainly handled the transport of goods to and from Bergen, while the storebåtar were primarily used for transport within the fjords.
The Skåsheim boat is 10.44 metres long and 3.33 metres wide. It usually had a crew of two and, under good wind conditions, could make a speed of 8–9 knots.
Passenger Boats (Skyssbåtar)
In the boat collection we can see several elegant passenger boats, all of which belonged to officers, landowners, or other members of the upper classes. These are "veng"-boats, painted white and decorated with flags and colours. The passengers sat in the rear under the veng (a small house on deck), which gave the boats their name. One of the passenger boats belonged to General Adjutant Ole Elias Holck (1774–1842), who was a representative to the Constitutional Assembly at Eidsvoll in 1814. He likely used this boat along the Sognefjord on his way to Eidsvoll.
The Ice Boat
One boat has a flat bottom with two iron-clad runners underneath. This is an ice boat, half boat and half sled. For a long time the fjord was the only route of travel, and the ice boat is a creative response to the challenge of travelling when the ice was unsafe. The boat was used between Flåm and Aurland.