"Rogaland Boats" is the most comprehensive research project that the museum is involved in. The project started in 1997 and will continue for several years still. The goal is to obtain new knowledge about the construction and use of open, wooden boats in the county of Rogaland.

The project consists of the following parts:

1. Obtain primary information concerning the number of such boats

2. Evaluate the preservation value of the boats

3.    Select the boats worthy of further   documentation

4.    Detail registration and research of the chosen boats and boat builders

5.    Propose security measures for the chosen boats

6.    Reconstruct the chosen boat types

7.    Publish the book "Rogaland Boats"

Two project seminars have been held with the participation of experts on a national level. Field work started in 1998. This information, as well as the primary sources from the 1800s, are being fed into databases and prepared for research purposes. The project is financed by the Maritime Museum’s cooperation agreement with Saga Petroleum ASA.

The Maritime Museum curator has, during the last few years, published scientific works concerning:

• Herring trade in the Baltic during the 1800s

• Norwegian North Sea fisheries during and after World War I

• The careers of women in the canning industry

• The city history of Egersund

The Maritime Museum’s research activities are mainly connected to the following subjects:

• Economical and cultural contacts between South-West Norway and the Baltic during the nineteenth century

• The careers of women in the maritime business

• The history of the city of Stavanger

• The building of wooden boats in Rogaland

• Rogaland’s maritime painters

• The number and use of boats in rural Rogaland in the nineteenth century