View source for Oselvar

{{short description|Wooden rowing boat traditionally used in Norway}}
[[File:Oselver3.jpg|thumb|An oselvar under construction.]]
[[File:Os Hordaland komm.svg|right|thumb|Oselvar on Os Kommune coat of arms]]
[[File:Oselver2.jpg|right|thumb|Oselvar with sail]]
The '''Oselvar''' or '''Oselver''' is a small wooden rowing boat traditionally built and used along the west coast of [[Norway]]. The Oselvar is a [[Clinker (boat building)|clinker built boat]] with thin, very wide planks. Almost all parts of an Oselvar are made of [[pine]], with only the keel of [[oak]].<ref>{{in lang|no}} [http://www.snl.no/oselver ''Oselver'' (Store norske leksikon)]</ref><ref>{{in lang|no}} [http://www.oselvarverkstaden.no/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=2 ''Tradisjon i tre'' (Os kommune)]</ref>
==History==
This type of boat has been very common in the outer regions of [[Hordaland]] for hundreds of years.  It was named after the major important building site for this type of boat during the 18th century, at the mouth of the Oselva River in [[Os, Hordaland|Os]] in [[Hordaland]] county. In the early 1800s, boat building was an important industry in Os and the neighboring village of [[Tysnes]], on the other side of the [[fjord]]. The stylized figure of an Oselvar appears on the coat of arms of the municipality of Os.<ref>{{in lang|no}} [https://oskommune.no/artikkel.aspx?MId1=87&AId=775 ''Oselvaren - om båten og båtbyggjartradisjonen'' (Os Kommune)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724182308/https://oskommune.no/artikkel.aspx?MId1=87&AId=775 |date=2011-07-24 }}</ref>
Dating from at least the 1500s and continuing until 1860, these boats were exported in kit form principally to the [[Shetland]] and [[Orkney]] islands.  During the [[North Sea]] crossing, the wooden boats were taken apart and then 'flat packed' for shipping. Instead of sending complicated assembly instructions, they sent Norwegian boatbuilders to re-build them.<ref>{{in lang|no}} [http://www.oselvarverkstaden.no/  ''Strilebåten'' (Oselvarverkstaden)]</ref>
Although initially a working row or sail boat, the Oselvar also has a long tradition as a leisure craft. A boat which could achieve both grace and speed was perfect for sailing and rowing competitions. The first regatta was arranged by the Bergen Sailing Association on [[Midsummer|Midsummer's Day]] in 1871. Today several clubs and sailing associations are engaged in promoting the traditions of the Oselvar, both as a sports and leisure boat. In 2009, the boat was voted Norwegian national boat in a poll held by the [[Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bt.no/nyheter/Seier-til-oselveren-909299.html |title=Seier til Oselveren |author=Kristin Jansen |date=17 August 2009 |publisher=bt.no |accessdate=8 October 2010 |language=no |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090820045246/http://www.bt.no/nyheter/Seier-til-oselveren-909299.html |archive-date=20 August 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==See also==
*[[Yoal]]
*[[Faering]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Related reading==
*Leather, John (1990) ''Clinker Boatbuilding'' (Adlard Coles) {{ISBN|978-0-7136-3643-7}}
== External links ==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wTMaDLNdqs Film footage from Oselvar-regatta.]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqBE9EvKCSI Video from sailing the Oselvar at Austevoll, west coast of Norway.]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGmgGsjt6sk Video from sailing Oselvar regatta at the Tysnes island, June 2016, Norway.]
*[http://www.bt.no/nyheter/lokalt/Ny-nervekamp-mot-troenderne-906287.html bt.no], Video, ends with footage of two brothers rowing an oselvar.]
*[http://www.oselvarverkstaden.no/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27&Itemid=30 Photograph Gallery]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20101120215719/http://bergen-guide.com/749.htm Oselvar Boat Yard]
[[Category:Os, Hordaland]]
[[Category:Boat types]]