A Dutch barge is a traditional flat-bottomed shoal-draught

barge A barge is typically a flat-bottomed boat, flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and ocean, marine water environments. The firs ...

, originally used to carry cargo in the shallow '' Zuiderzee'' and the waterways of The

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. There are many types of Dutch barge, with characteristics determined by regional conditions and traditions. Originally, Dutch barges were

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, Windsurfing, windsurfer, or Kitesurfing, kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (Land sa ...

craft with wooden hulls. Today, while few wooden examples remain, there are many steel barges that are 100 years old or more. Although most Dutch barges have been converted to motor-propulsion, ''schuyt'' sailing contests are still held on the IJsselmeer and on the

Wadden Sea The Wadden Sea ( ; ; or ; ; ; ) is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern continental Europe and the range of low-lying Frisian Islands, forming a shallow body of water with tida ...

( Waddenzee). Dutch barges have become popular live-aboard leisure craft, and brand-new "Dutch-style" examples continue to be built.

The Dutch barge

A typical traditional Dutch barge would have gaff rig, a bluff bow and stern, a pair of leeboards and a large

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...

. The leeboards and rudder would be raised by an arrangement of blocks and tackles. Schuyts engaged in eel fishing were said to have begun visiting London in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and were granted the use of a berth there, which continued in use until the 20th century. Schuyts vary greatly in size from 15–40 metres (50–130 feet) in length, and are generally built lighter than an equivalent Humber barge since they were not designed to take the ground in the same way. Originally made of wood and powered by sail, Dutch barges today are almost exclusively made of steel and powered by diesel engines. Nowadays, the "duck tail" transom, prop and rudder arrangement is better suited to diesel propulsion than the sail-optimised hulls of older types. Many Dutch barges have now been converted for pleasure or residential use. Modern steel-hulled "Dutch barges" are built in other countries (such as the UK and Germany) as well as in the Netherlands. Dutch barges are often used as liveaboards in English cities, especially London and Bristol, where, provided they have a permanent mooring, they give affordable accommodation near the city centres. Provided they are less than 14 feet in beam, Dutch barges are able to use the UK's 14 foot locks, but cannot navigate the narrow canals of the English Midlands, where the 18th century locks which date from the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

are only 7 feet wide. File:Moral emblems, with aphorisms, adages, and proverbs, of all ages and nations (1860) (14723842416).jpg, A pair of schuyts aground, in a print dated 1860 File:Drawing, A Dutch Barge, August 20, 1887 (CH 18569893).jpg, 1887 watercolour of a Dutch Barge File:IJsselmeerTraditionalBoat.JPG, Traditional boat on the IJsselmeer File:Dutch_barge.jpg, Dutch barge at

Namur Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namur stands at the confl ...

File:040731 Stella in Den Haag.JPG, Luxe motor barge with characteristic "duck tail" File:Dutch barge at Windsor.jpg, Piper barge at Windsor File:Dutch barge at Henley.jpg, Dutch barge at Henley

Dutch barge types

Jeffrey Casciani-Wood's "Glossary of Dutch Barge Terms""Glossary of Dutch Barge Terms

/ref> provides further details, as follows: *Aak ("oak"): a barge having a rounded bow without a forestem; * Beurtschip: A line ship for inland carriage of passengers and freight according to a regular schedule; * Botter: a blunt-nosed Dutch barge; *Dekschuit: any barge with an aft cabin below the aft deck; *Hagenaar: an ''aak'' built to operate around

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

, where waterways have dimensional restrictions; * Katwijker: a barge from Katwijk, a district located on the North Sea, northwest of

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

and 16 km north of The Hague; * Klipper: an elegant barge with a clipper bow and a counter stern; *Paviljoenschip: a barge whose standing-height aft cabin gives rise to a raised "pavilion" aft deck; * Luxemotor: a ''paviljoen''-type barge with a straight stem and a "duck tail' counter stern; * Pram: a shallow-draught punt-like barge, propelled manually using a barge pole; * Skûtsje: a skûtsje (pronounced 'skootscher') is a Frisian sailing boat similar to a tjalk; *Schuyt: a Dutch barge; *Steilsteven: a barge with an upright stem; (''"steven"'' means "post"); *Tjalk: a "heavily-built" barge with an upright stem, originally tiller-steered; *Westlander: a barge with a "distinctive pointed prow" and maximum dimensions of 17m x 3.2m.

The EU's Recreational Craft Directive

Since 1998 all new leisure boats and barges built in Europe between 2.5m and 24m LOA must comply with the EU's Recreational Craft Directive (RCD). The Directive establishes four categories that lay down the maximum allowable wind and wave conditions for vessels in each class:"The Barge Buyer's Handbook" - DBA publications

References

Barges

Barge A barge is typically a flat-bottomed boat, flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and ocean, marine water environments. The firs ...

Sailing ships of the Netherlands {{Sailing Vessels and Rigs

The Dutch barge

Dutch barge types

The EU's Recreational Craft Directive

See also

Further reading

References