Agent boat was a familiar expression along the coast and fjord in the first half of the 20th century. With these boats, a merchant traveler travels around with various merchandise exhibitions to merchants. Up to the last half of the 1900s, the sea route has been our "main road" in large parts of our country. To many cityes, villages and places along the coast and fjord, the only way to get to and from the sea was the fast way.
What ever who should be tranported, the boat was usually the natural choice. With it one came to where one should and could travel great distances in a short time, compared to what one could land. Many settlements and some larger towns also, only had access to the outside world via the sea.
The product range for the single-family and individual was often limited to the local grocer. Shopping in other cities, to be judged in the nearest town, was perhaps something he did a few
times during his life. Therefore, local merchants played a central role in the villages.
Since they had such a central role, it was not always easy for them to travel from store and village, they simply had a lot of responsibility and had to stay in their store most of the time.
This is where the agent boats came into the picture. With these agent boats, those who were cold agents could get around to the various merchants, who were located all over the country, in what today would have called isolated villages.
M/S Arnafjord was such an agent boat. It was owned by trader Markus Nese in Arnafjord and was hired to go agent business. In addition to being a trader in this small village of Arnafjord, he also carries on this business. Among his customers were among others Norske Shell, Storebrand, Langaard, Sundt, Wallendal and Gjertsen.
The way they did this was when, the tobaco company Langaard's agent, he wanted to be around his regular customers and show this year's product series. Then they agreed a time period with Markus Nese who made his boat available to Langaard for a current period. Then, the merchants got a cigarette with "Red line", "Karva Blad" or some of the other tobacco brands from Langaard tobacco, before taking up the order for the next year.
For a time without the internet and with only black and white photo, it was enough to bring the product, so that the customers could see and possibly try the different products, before they incorporated into their own assortment. This where often the most effective way to get sales in.
Traveling around offering products and services, while meeting the customers, was often decisive for the business. In addition, a personal relationship with regular customers got around the district and the merchants showed who they were doing.
Agent boats had a particularly important role in the local environment at that time. If the merchant got a good deal, the rest of the local community might enjoy this as well. Well noticed the merchant was somewhat fair and real.
Agent boats had a higher standard than many other boats at the same time. They had good comfort, with plenty of room for people and goods. In addition, they usually had good engine power and were well equipped. They were not among the largest boats, but were often between 40 and 60 feet.
MS Arnafjord was built in Arnafjord who is in Vik I Sogn by Olav Vevik and went into agent traffic from it was new in 1937 until the Second World War. Then German forces seized the boat and used it in the service of the occupying forces.
After World War II, they got the boat back to Nese and with it it continued in agent traffic until the 1960s. Then it switched over to being a supervisory boat for the Directorate of Fisheries.
After Markus Nese, the boat where owned by his son Bjarne. He continued to operate and own the boat until he left for himself in 1978. After Bjarne was dead, his daughters sold the boat. The plans for this first owner, according to the Nese family, were to use the boat for earth cruising, but this was never done.
Therefore this owner sold the boat to Manfred Rileit in 1982. He see that this was a very special boat and therefore did not want to make any changes with the boat.
But tsome boat enthusiast from Vik remember the boat and after many years they managed to track it and find it. It had then come as far as Lubeck in Germany, where Manfred Rileit used the boat more as a stationary holiday house .
The boat, although in its original condition, was characterized by a lack of maintenance.
The engine in two cylinders Wichmann semi-diesel of 50 Hp had only had a few hours of use and the boat had mostly lay on the same place the years it was in Germany. Both the boat and the engine were characterized by a lack of maintenance over a long period of time.
Anyway, everything was there. These enthusiasts from Vik who found the boat that, managed to convey the story of the distinctive boat to the national antiquities and there received the status of worthy. The same persons were also behind the ship of a foundation for the boat, "Stiftinga MS Arnafjord".
With the help of collected funds and grants, the foundation got enough funds after a quarter to transport the boat home to Norway and start restoration of it. One got then restored the boat to the vessel protection center in Hardanger. A detailed history of the restoration itself and the work they have done to get this wonderful boat home to Vik can be read on the shipyard's own pages.
You can also see pictures, video and follow on home page and facebook page for M/S Arnafjord. Now the boat has been fully restored and you can experience it at close range for almost the entire
summer season, shown by a visitor to Vik in Sogn.
The NGO MS Arnafjord offers groups of up to 11 passengers’ different tour solutions. More information about this can be contacted by Sylvringen at the tourist information at Blix Hotell.
You can also read their brochure here as a pdf file. During Gammalost Festival, MS Arnafjord returns to Vik and it is then available for those who want to experience this iconic boat. On this page we also wants to follow up with more pictures and video here at VikL, when the boat arrives at the village.
