Dutch barges are flat bottom boats, originally used for cargo carrying in the Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

, many of which have now been converted for pleasure or residential use. Originally made of wood and powered by sail, most of the existing barges are made of iron or steel and powered by diesel engines. There are many traditional types, with characteristics determined by local conditions or simply custom

They vary greatly in size from 15m to 40m 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. Many Dutch craft have been family owned and run and are the subject of great pride. Sailing matches are still held on the IJsselmeer

IJsselmeer

IJsselmeer is a shallow artificial lake of 1100 km² in the central Netherlands bordering the provinces of Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland, with an average depth of 5 to 6 m. The IJsselmeer is the largest lake in Western Europe....

 and on the Wadden Sea

Wadden Sea

The Wadden Sea 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 Frisian Islands, forming a shallow body of water with tidal flats and wetlands. It is rich in biological diversity...

 (Waddenzee).

Types of Dutch Barge

• Aak
• Beurtschip
• Hagenaar
• Katwijker
• Klipper
• Luxe motor
  Luxe motor
  A Luxe motor is a Dutch type barge, built for the first time in the early 1920s. Most vessels had a straight bow with characteristic upsweep of the gunwale and a luxury accommodation for living at the back of the ship, from which the name derives...
  
  
• Skûtsje
  Skûtsje
  A skûtsje is a Frisian sailing boat of the type tjalk, originally an ordinary cargo boat, but today a prized ship and one of the icons of Frisia...
  
  
• Steilsteven
• Tjalk
• Westlander

See also

• D. Evershed: The Dutch Barge Book, David Evershed Pubs, UK, 1998. ISBN 0953223116
• The Barge Buyer's Handbook DBA Publications, 2001 Barge Association
• Martens & Loomeijer Binnenvaartschepen. Uitgeverij de Alk bv, Alkmaar, 1977
• J&J Griffin: The Quick Reference Guide to Dutch Barges, UK, 2007. Life At An Angle
• J&J Griffin: De snelle Gids van de Verwijzing voor Nederlandse Aken Life At An Angle