BARGE TYPES

Canal St Martin,Paris

FRENCH PENICHE (Commercial Freight-Hauling Barge)

The working peniche Cabourg is traveling upstream on the river Oise. These barges were built to completely fill a standard French Freycinet-scale lock, at 38.5 meters long by 5.1 meters wide. The bowand stern are both blunt and broad-shouldered, so as not to waste any of the available lock space.

Some peniche have been converted into spacious hotel barges, such as Joie de Vivre, and many arepermanently moored as live-aboard homes. They are not common as a private cruising barge because of their large size and not-so-elegant lines.

Canal de Briare

The rental-boat company Locaboat Plaisance manufactures the Penichettes, a design based on the working peniche in overall appearance but constructed of fiberglass in various sizes and models. Theyare based at rental locations throughout Europe and also sold as private cruising boats.

Vecht river,Utrecht, Netherlands

A sharp bow, an upswept stern and a gently arcing sheer line are the marks of a Luxemotor, a verypopular style for conversion to both hotel barges and private cruising vessels.

DUTCH BARGES: Luxemotor

Canal du Nivernais

The tjalk (pronounced “chalk”) is another very popular Dutch design. Like the French peniche, it has broad, blunt bow and stern shapes, maximizing internal volume for a given length and beam. They are generally available as 16 to 24 meter vessels.

DUTCH BARGES: TjalksMeuse river,

Belgium

DUTCH BARGES: TjalksAlong with the hull shape, like a Dutch wooden shoe, note that the rudder usually rises to the top of the stern rail, probably a tradition dating from tiller steering.

Canal du Nivernais

AakA pointed bow and swept-back stem usually mean that the vessel is one of the many regional designs of Aak built in The Netherlands.

Canal de Bourgogne

DUTCH BARGES: PlatbodemSailing barges for the inland waterways and lakes of the Netherlands have flat bottoms and lee boards.

English NarrowboatsAlthough only 7 feet wide, narrowboats can be as long as 72 feet. They are steered by a tiller on an open rear deck.