If you’re planning to run a cargo business or just want a good sail for a hobby but you don’t know what specs to look at when looking for good ships, you’ve come to the right place. One of the ideal canal boat types are the Dutch barges. This boat has many different designs intended for various purposes.

The first ever Dutch barges were built for shipping cargo in Netherlands. Today certain types still serve the same purpose. Cargo barges for canal systems can reach 13ft x 70ft in size. These are the more massive steel versions. A smaller cargo barge would be the Luxemotor and it replicates the classic design of the original barges. The Luxemotor was first produced in 1915. It was motor powered. It is aptly named the “luxury barge” because it has living quarters in its interior.

The Aak barges are used to transport smaller, everyday cargo. A disadvantage of the Aak type is that steering is abysmal in low-powered motors.

Tjalks are wide, flat-bottomed Dutch barges. Some tjalks still use big sails for steering. However, most modern tjalks are now used for leisure cruising, equipped with interior quarters and other facilities. Motor-powered tjalks are also available today.

There are different ways to acquire these boats. You can either look for newly built boats or converted ones. The latter comes at a much cheaper price, but a new build has the advantage of suiting your specifications and needs. Also, converting an old build will take too much time to finish. But the idea of finding customized and original vintage pieces on refurbished boats would interest any enthusiast.

Whatever it is that you intend to use your Dutch barge for, there’s always a perfect build to satisfy your needs. What you may want to consider most is the size of the boat. Think that maintenance costs equal the size of your boat. Bigger ones are also geographically restricted and couldn’t navigate through narrower canals.

If you’re a hobbyist sailor, you might as well go for the sleeker flat-bottomed sails such as the Sk