Dutch Barge long distance cruisers

[Greenseas2]

In particular, your Emily 43 design is what I had in mind, it's a knock out boat and would be an ideal and affordable long range cruiser for inland waterways. I tried to find the interior layout for the emily 43, but without success. I am hoping that she's outfitted with two sleeping cabins, one all of the way forward and the other behind the pilothouse. I have this thing about guests onboard having equal accommodations as owners. (out of respect) One head with shower would be enough as would a combination salon/galley. Dining at the table in the pilothouse. This model would also work well with composite construction.

[bransonboats]

Hello Greenseas2
Glad you liked the Emily design!
The interior is just as you describe and is very popular with Dutch Barge owners. If you look at http://www.apolloduck.co.uk/feature.phtml?id=46637 you can see an Emily 49 fitted out by Will Tricket. Also Sagar Marine builds similar boats with alternative layouts www.sagar-marine.com
Have included a lines plan with floor height marked on if you want to try alternative layouts.

Produced three lengths 43,45 and 49 and about 25 built to date. The design uses a parallel 'V' midsection with only the sheer/ deck rising. The intention was a simple kit build and interior suitable for inland waterways.

Amateurs have built this design although most of our customers are small boatyards. What’s needed is a forklift with lifting beam, chainhoists/ pullers, mig welding plant and typical metalworking handtools. Building can be done outside but restrictions to welding if windy. Average steel building time 890 man hours including grinding weld testing and tank testing. Kit tacked together 300 man-hours

Also I would be interested in getting the message over about how good steel kit boats are. Been thinking of offering one of our designs DXF cutting files to a builder free of charge and getting feedback on an open forum like this about the pros and cons. Will undertake to 'handhold' through the steel build.

[Greenseas2]

In the US, breaking the stigma that "fiberglass boats are best" is going to be hard to break. Given two identical boats, one built in fiberglass and the other in steel, the steel boat would bring a lower price. An education processes is needed badly to promote the use of steel in boats. I also have a business interest in the Branson Dutch barge classes, but will discuss this on your direct e-mail rather than in a forum. At first appraisal, I think there is a fine market for the Durch style barges in the US as well as Euro-style off shore vessels. One could spend a lifetime cruising inland waters in the US and canada.

[colinstone]

Here you go - made in China - hopefully for not a lot of dosh - and transported to France.

[Greenseas2]

It would be nice to see the layout of this boat. In looking at the photo, the Chinese version seems to lose some of the design charm of Dutch barges, plus, I would imagine that the shipping from China could be quite costly. It would take a very small construction cost to offset shipping costs unless the design is assembly line produced and a relatively high number of units shipped simultaneously. The Chinese version looks functional and it would be interestong to know what size engine pushes it.

[colinstone]

"seems to lose some of the design charm of Dutch barges" - understatement of the year!!

Barge is 16.4 metres long, has 2 large sleeping quarters, 1 forward
1 aft, 2 heads, 1 shower, air conditioning in each cabin and central
heating.

I got a quote for a 22m dutch barge last year which I will dig out - but no drawings. Shipping as a deck cargo was not a factor.

[Greenseas2]

Square windows and boxy superstructure aren't exactly the top of the barge design world. Also, you failed to mention shipping cost which IS a major factor in that it also involves costs of getting the barge to and from the ship for loading and launching. These expenses can be quite high and certainly add to the overall cost. I had a 23 foot motorsailer container shipped from the UK to the US and the cost of all shipping functions was close to half of the cost of the boat. Also, you might want to check with importers for Taiwan made pleasure boats and see what the cost of deck shipping is. Don Miller who owns Marine Trader yachts is constantly working to reduce his shipping cost which have risen with fuel prices. I fail to see where having a barge built in China offers any advantage over a domestically fabricated barge except to the Chinese.

[Greenseas2]

I suppose that if I'm criticizing a vessel that there should be objectivity in the criticism. First, the Chinese barge is just that, a flat deck barge with a superstructure. It lacks nice shear lines, bulwarks and tumble home found on Dutch Style Barges and has a squared rather than round stern. Also the windows, (as mentioned before), definitely are not nautical or correspond to the arched topped windows in barges. The squareness of the superstructure is too severe. While the Chinese version appears to have appropriate accommodations, the external appearance leaves much to be desired.

[dick stave]

I would tend to agree. The "Luxemotor Class" are described as high curve micro barges on the website. The Chinese built barge is anything but. Perhaps Mr. Branson could shed some light on the cost of the dxf files for his barges. They most definitely have very attractive lines.

[brian eiland]

Wow, here is a subject I was interested in for a number of years, and just totally missed it....brain was in other spaces.

So I will make a brief entry, so I get updates to new postings, and remember to come back.

Cheers,

[Nabeel]

Hi, This post of mine is very beneficial and informative, however there are some specific facts or information that I require. If anyone can help me in this matter then please send me a private message. Best Regards,

[colinstone]

Greenseas - the chinese barge is just a box and hideous at that. It is clear that parts have been salvaged from the shipyard stores - the kidney hatch on top for example.

Dick - have a look at www.euroshipservices.nl if you are after luxemotors with curves/traditional lines. Mine is regularly mistaken for an original 1920's vessel.

[dick stave]

Thanks, they are really nice.

[wightmage]

Pierre,

I have been looking for an answer to a unique question. I know that Barges like yours worked the North Sea and have to assume that they were built to manage (with effort) the unpredictable seas of that region (understanding that the forscasting capability of that time period was limited)

I need to get a Barge like yours from the Netherlands or UK to America and have found the "shipping it on a transport" option to be way to unacceptable in terms of cost.

There has to be a way to sail it accross "with great care" and taking all the time needed to aviod bad weather and bad seas. The problem I have is that I have seen huge amounts of references and opinion as to the impossibility of this. I would like to find constructive advice on how to accomplish this impossibility. This would be a one time voyage of course. I want to use this in the Great Lakes and ICW.

Does anyone have some constructive info on this?

I know I am inviting flames here but please refrain from that. I know that nothin is impossible. If a 15 year old kid can make the passage in a 25ft yacht (with support) then how could a Sailing Barge make the transit?

Thanks to any who can assist.

Robert

Originally Posted by RCardozo

Pierre,
Pay attention. I think Green seas is right. I own a 73' x 17' Dutch Sailing barge powered by a 125 h.p. Detroit 671 diesel. I can do about 7 mph cruising and consume about 1.75 MPG. Draft is 3'. Now my boat has lee boards that can drop to 12' howwever you could add stabilizers on the sides to counter the roll. The advantage of a barge type hull is blockage. The ability to basically have a rectangular cross section which greatly increases livability. It may roll a bit but my boat can handle 6' seas w/ no problem. Remember these boats were in the north sea as cargo boats. the rounded bow gave added bouyancy to keep the deck from being innundated in heavy seas. A v-hull vs. a barge hull are two very different animals. Have you considerd a cat type hull. I think that suits your need.

[Pierre R]

Wightmage when you checked on shipping, what did you consider way to unacceptable costwise? Crossing oceans is way not cheap either.