The "Veng" boat Nidaros

Nidaros is a traditional (Åfjord-type) boat from the Trondelag region, which lies in the heart of Norway. These boats were used as combined freight carriers and fishing boats on the Trondheims fjord and along the Norwegian coast. "Veng" (wing) is the name of the aft cabin, which is bigger than the "løfting" (lifting; ie. used to be lifted off and set on shore during the fisheries at Lofoten in Northern Norway) of the more common boat "fembøring" of old norwegian "femr" (light) "byrding" (freight carrier).

Trondheim is the largest city in Trondelag and used to be the capitol of Norway until 1537 (when the Arch Bishop fled the town and the country). A well known copperplate engraving by the artist Maschius from 1674 (see below), shows several vengboats on the shore of the river Nid. This type of boat certainly has roots back to the medieval age and dominated the river bank in the late 17th century.

(click on it to see a bigger version)

"Nidaros" (the name is actually the same as the old name of the town, and means the mouth of the river Nid) was built by the boat builder Einar Borgfjord and students at the boat builder course at Fosen College in Rissa. The hull was built during the winter 1997 at the Museum (Museet Kystens Arv) at Stadsbygda in Rissa. In the spring, the boat was finished open for the public to see, at Fosenkaia in Trondheim.This was done the year when Trondheim celebrated the millennium (997-1997) to demonstrate the craftmanship of traditional boatbuilding and related crafts.

A lot of the work is done on a voluntary basis by the members/owners as building of a boathouse i whole timber, getting suitable building materials out of the forest, sewing of mainsail, ropes for rigging, oiling of the boat, etc.

Facts:

• Type: Traditional vengboat of Åfjords type.
• Length: Ca. 39' (16 alen på halsen)
• Rig & sail: Square rig with main- and topsail, ca 45 m2.
• Ores: Two set of orepair needing one person per ore.
• Engine: Inboard marine diesel, Volva Penta 18 hp.
• Passengers: Max 14
• Crew: Min. two ("høvedsmann" og "halskar"), ideal five.
• Veng: Contains a stove, a table and sitting place for at least 8.
• There is also room for five good friends sleeping in the veng. With the tent raised, another five persons can sleep on deck.

We have also built a timber boathouse for winter storage at the Museum "Kystens Arv" at Stadsbygd in Rissa, just across the Trondheims fjord.

Pictures; see "bilder"

Nidaros is normally located in the channel harbour in Trondheim, close to the Central station. When Nidaros is not out of town, Wednesday afternoons are sailing days open for guests from May to end of September. See city map.

Trondheim city web-pages.

Contact
Postal address: Nidaros, Fosenkaia, skur 40D, N-7010 Trondheim, Norway
Contact person: Øyvin Sæther, email:oyvin.sather@adm.ntnu.no,
phone: +47 9524 5290 (mobile), +47 7359 7679 (work) or +47 7391 5291 (home)