Ryvingen was built in 1918 as a pilot boat for sail and motor. She was pilot boat number 4, for this reason she has number 4 in her mainsail. In addition, she can be recognised by the red vertical stripe, which is the symbol for pilot boats. The ship was named after the Ryvingen lighthouse, when she was placed near the lighthouse in the city of Mandal. In 1965, the ship retired as a pilot boat, after which it was used as a sea scout boat for sea scouts in Oslo. In 1996, some older sea scouts bought the ship and started the 1918 Losskøyta Ryvingen Foundation, a non-profit foundation with the aim of running and maintaining Ryvingen.