It was demolished in the 1970s. Or as we say: before the woodworms had a chance to tear it down.

We believe the old shed dates from around 1905, though we’re not entirely sure. The buildings here have been extended and altered so many times that it’s not always easy to know what was built when.

When Christen started out in 1875, he built a small boathouse so that he could build the boats indoors. As far as we know, the first boats were generally around 30 feet long.

But the boats grew larger, and orders increased. The boathouses were extended, and eventually there were two of them.

The longest boats we built here were around 90 feet. If the boats were 40 feet, we could have two under construction at the same time inside a single boathouse.

And that space was needed. In one year, ten boats were built here.

Ten boats, in one year.

That was before we had electricity. Most of the work was done with hand tools.

And, after all, a boat isn’t made up of right angles and planks of standard dimensions. It’s all about curves and shapes that have to fit together. You’ll hear more about the tools and the work in a later post.

Today, we would probably have restored the old boathouse. When it was demolished, part of the boat-building community here at Moen disappeared too.

But fortunately, much has been preserved.

Since the early 2000s, both we and the other boathouses have received funding to restore the boathouses, jetties and the surrounding area. The Cultural Heritage Fund, the county, the local council, the UNI Foundation and the Directorate for Cultural Heritage have helped us.

Without that support, several of the sheds would probably have been lost.

The buildings are now well maintained, and there is activity in all the sheds. We’re delighted about that. There will continue to be people and work here.