§ Section 1 Name and business address
The Oselvarverkstaden foundation was set up by Os municipality (now Bjørnafjorden municipality) and Os Båtbyggjarlag, in collaboration with Hordaland County Council (now Vestland County Council). The name is Stiftinga Oselvarverkstaden. Anything not regulated by these articles of association is governed by the Act on Foundations.
The business address is:
Stiftinga Oselvarverkstaden, Hamnevegen 41, 5200 Os
§ 2 Purpose
The purpose is to preserve the boatbuilding craft associated with the donkey, in line with traditions, strict quality requirements and the obligations that follow from the foundation and the donkey culture being on UNESCO’s list of good conservation practices for intangible cultural heritage.
This will be achieved by:
A. Oselvarverkstaden is to be a training center where the craft of building oselvaries is maintained and developed.
B. Oselvarverkstaden shall be a place where expertise in the construction of small wooden boats is maintained and developed.
C. Oselvarverkstaden shall be a training center for county apprentices.
D. Oselvarverkstaden shall be a place where craftsmanship can continue as a viable industry.
E. Oselvarverkstaden shall contribute to the use and marketing of the Oselvar as a utility boat, regatta boat and as a form of cultural communication. The workshop shall actively disseminate knowledge and culture related to the craft and the culture of use.
§ 3 Share capital
The share capital is NOK 50,000.
§ 4 The board
The Board of Directors of Stiftinga Oselvarverkstaden has seven (7) members, who are appointed as follows:
– Bjørnafjorden municipality – one (1) member
– Vestland County Council – one (1) member
– Permanent employees at Oselvarverkstaden – one (1) member
– The board of the foundation has four (4) members:
One (1) member should be from the Norwegian museum community and should have relevant expertise in traditional boat and coastal culture
One (1) member shall come from the business community
Two (2) members shall come from the user community
The term of office for board members follows the municipal council period. The board itself has a leader and deputy leader. Board members can be re-elected without a time limit. The Board has a quorum when at least four (4) members are present. In the event of an equal number of votes, the leader’s vote is decisive. The daily manager is secretary to the board and regularly attends board meetings. The board of directors may in individual cases grant others the right to attend and speak.
The Board appoints and can dismiss the CEO and other employees, and determines who will have professional responsibility in the various areas.
The board approves the annual report and annual accounts that the daily manager presents, and adopts the budget. The board may also adopt strategic plans for the business. The board is the auditor for the foundation.
§ Section 5 Strategy committee and reference group
The foundation has a strategy committee with at least five members, all appointed by the board. The strategy committee works according to a mandate given by the board for the workshop.
The foundation shall also have a reference group composed of representatives of:
– Oselvarlaget – org.nr. 980 610 241
– Oselvarklubben – org.nr. 987 327 162
– Vestland fylkeskystlag – org.nr. 996 447 936
– Austevoll Seilforening – org.nr. 912 110 303
– Milde Båtlag – org.nr. 985 399 875
– Båtlaget Njord/Tysnes – org.nr. 985 489 009
– Lysefjorden Oselvarlag – org.nr. 934 545 060
This group represents the active user community for the donkey product. The board shall ensure that the group is invited to a meeting at least once a year to discuss developments in the foundation and provide input for future measures. The board may also invite others from the user community, the museum sector or other relevant communities to be part of the reference group. § 4.
§ 6 Daily rental
The board appoints the day-to-day manager, who will act as secretary to the board and be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Oselvar workshop. This also includes production planning, financial management and the organization of work at the workshop and in the business itself.
§ Section 7 Affiliated to Bjørnafjorden municipality
A separate agreement will be drawn up with Bjørnafjorden municipality regarding the services the municipality provides to the workshop. This includes rental of workshop premises, IT services and annual operating grants.
Os, 21.01.2026
