There are strong traditions in boat building in our villages and valleys. The boat clamp, which is used to hold the boards together before clinching when building wooden boats, was therefore chosen as the symbol in the municipal coat of arms of Hemnes municipality. The boat clamp is also the main element in the mayor's chain of Hemnes municipality.
Historical development
It is claimed that as many as 1850 boats have been built in the valleys above Okstindan, in the areas along Røssåga and on Hemnesberget since 300.000. For more than a hundred years, the area was a national center for boatbuilding.
For a long time, most of the construction activity took place on farms where there was plenty of wood, but in time Hemnesberget would become the central production site. 1882 is a landmark year. Then came the construction of Finneidfjording og Finneidboat in progress. The boats had sleek, beautiful lines and were described as the greatest advance in Norwegian boatbuilding in many decades. From the late 1800th century they were used in large parts of Northern Norway.
This was the start of a boat building adventure. At first with many small manufacturers, eventually with Præsteng Industrier and Rana Båtfabrikk as the major players. In a longer phase, a large proportion of leisure boats in Norway were produced here. Several thousand clinker-built boats were built, until one switched to plastic construction. From 1981, the boats were mainly produced in glass-fibre reinforced polyester.
At the same time, Hemnesberget, including Sund, was a clear leader in ice skating in Northern Norway. In the period 1910-1988, more than 2000 ice skating rinks were built, eventually with Rana Skipsbyggeri as the central company.
Taking care of the past
Fortunately, there are still those who master the art of building wooden boats, and many are eager to share their knowledge with younger generations. The latest addition here is Naval cadets in Ranfjorden, where children and young people are invited to participate, experience and learn about boat building and sea life.
The interest in the rich traditions has inspired several volumes to be written about the boatbuilding history and boat culture around Ranfjorden. We hope that we can eventually share some of these stories with you here on this site.
One story that we already know a lot about is the story of the Viking ship replica. leif erikson which was built on Øverleirvollen in Leirskarddalen, transported to Hemnesberget and sailed to New York in 1926. From there it sailed on and is now safely at port in its own park in Duluth in the USA, "The Leif Erikson Viking Ship Park".
If you are interested in boatbuilding and traditional boats, we recommend a visit to Hemnesberget and a trip out on the newly restored fishing boat. MK Remi KetilYou'd be hard-pressed to find greater enthusiasts than the volunteer group in Hemnes Boat Building Historical Association!
