"Fjærtoftbruket" (2 of 5)
Description
New designs for seine drying racks were drawn up as part of the post war reconstruction effort and Fjærtoftbruket built its new one in 1950. This is a double drying rack
26m long
6m wide and 7-8m tall. Lengthwise it has 10 groups of posts ("røyser") connected by joists spanning 3 "røyser". Stability is achieved by long diagonal wooden braces.
There are walking platforms with railings high up on both sides of the walls. The roof construction comprises trusses, roof joists and galvanized corrugated steel. All wood is rounded and planed to avoid the seine getting caught. The drying rack is built on the quay and its posts are anchored to the quay's piles.
After use the seine would be carefully rinsed before being hung to dry. The motor of the fishing boat's windlass would be used to assist hoisting the big nets up on to the drying rack. The seine would first be pulled over a winding drum and then on to rollers. Two men would walk along the platforms pulling the seine backwards to the far end of the rack. When dry the nets would be taken down and moved into the tackle repair workshop. Once repaired they were transferred to big vats on the quay for impregnation in a bark based solution and then again dried on the seine drying rack.
Until the 1960s fishing nets would be made from plant fibers which required regular maintenance by impregnation to avoid rotting. In some places the tackle would simply be dried on the ground and elsewhere there were various types of drying racks. The constructions evolved from very simple racks to complete buildings for several
seines at a time. Fjærtoft had already in 1935 built a large seine drying rack for fishermen from Møre who took part in the rich coley fishing season. During the 1970s nylon became the dominating material and specialized industrial plants took over the maintenance. There was no longer a need for the drying racks and most of them are now lost. The double seine drying rack in Berlevåg is one of the last of its kind left in Finnmark.
There are walking platforms with railings high up on both sides of the walls. The roof construction comprises trusses, roof joists and galvanized corrugated steel. All wood is rounded and planed to avoid the seine getting caught. The drying rack is built on the quay and its posts are anchored to the quay's piles.
After use the seine would be carefully rinsed before being hung to dry. The motor of the fishing boat's windlass would be used to assist hoisting the big nets up on to the drying rack. The seine would first be pulled over a winding drum and then on to rollers. Two men would walk along the platforms pulling the seine backwards to the far end of the rack. When dry the nets would be taken down and moved into the tackle repair workshop. Once repaired they were transferred to big vats on the quay for impregnation in a bark based solution and then again dried on the seine drying rack.
Until the 1960s fishing nets would be made from plant fibers which required regular maintenance by impregnation to avoid rotting. In some places the tackle would simply be dried on the ground and elsewhere there were various types of drying racks. The constructions evolved from very simple racks to complete buildings for several
seines at a time. Fjærtoft had already in 1935 built a large seine drying rack for fishermen from Møre who took part in the rich coley fishing season. During the 1970s nylon became the dominating material and specialized industrial plants took over the maintenance. There was no longer a need for the drying racks and most of them are now lost. The double seine drying rack in Berlevåg is one of the last of its kind left in Finnmark.
