geoflag

I'm interested in buying a houseboat in Amsterdam, not to keep in Amsterdam but to travel along the rivers of Europe. Can anyone recommend a manufacturer in Holland.

hetismij

Most Amsterdam houseboats are either old barges which have been converted, or are concrete based, specially built floating houses, which aren't movable.

http://www.woonbotenland.nl/adressen/24/ Has a list of marine agents who deal in secondhand boats.
http://www.woonbotenland.nl/aanbod/ is a list of all sort of houseboats for sale.
http://www.woonbotenland.nl/adressen/34/ a list of some shipyards.

In order to sail (or motor) a boat above 15 metres in length on Dutch waters you need a "Vaarbewijs" a licence which shows you are competent and know how to use the Marifoon etc.

In all honesty I think you would be better off with a pleasure boat which is equipped with berths, than with a houseboat. Have a look at www.hiswa.nl for lots of info on boats and boating in Holland.

All the above sites are in Dutch, but you should be able to work out what's what with them.
If you need more help give a yell, and I'll see what I can do.

Padraig

This is another instance of a difference between American English and English.

On this side of the Atlantic, a houseboat is a more-or-less permanently moored boat used as a home. Boats built for cruising the waterways are cruisers. A barge might be a commercial goods carrying craft, or it might be converted for use as a houseboat, or it might be converted for use as a cruiser.

I think geoflag might want a cruiser.

hetismij

In which case he needs to look for a second hand one, no point in spending $$$$$$ on a new one just for a holiday.
Or just hire one for a couple of months.

ira

Hi Ge,

How many years do you intend on traveling the canals and rivers?

If only for a season, it might be better to rent.

Padraig

I am sure that the story is similar in the Netherlands to that in Ireland: renting boats can be very (make that VERY) expensive whereas buying a boat, using it for months or years, and then re-selling it can be comparatively inexpensive. But to do that, you would need to know boats, or engage the services of an expert advisor.

hetismij

Since we don't know where the OP is from, nor for how long he wishes to use the boat it is difficult to give more advice. If he is from the US (and doesn't have EU citizenship) then he can only stay for 3 months anyway so may find a long term hire contract makes more sense than buying and reselling a boat.

geoflag

Yes, we are one people separated by a common language. I am a US citizen. I guess I do mean a cruiser. It would be for my retirement, so I hope to be cruising for a few years.

hetismij

Well unless you are an EU citizen the first thing you will need to do is sort out a visa!
There are many boat yards in the Netherlands, not in Amsterdam but all over the country. I'm sure if you were to Google you would come up with a few which also have sites in English.
A good place to start would maybe to attend the HISWA exhibition in Amsterdam in March next year. You can talk to builders and boat agents face to face and explore lots of aspects of boating in Europe there.
http://www.hiswarai.nl/hiswa2009/e/exp_overig143

rogeruktm

Do you have experience in boat travel for months on end or is this a thought that popped into your head? If you don't have a lot of time spend on doing this for your retirement I strongly suggest you rent first, then figure if this is what you really want to do. Also, how are you going to manage the 90 day rule?

Palenque

One has to wonder how docking works - obviously you cannot just tie up anywhere, right? Sounds like lots of pre-voyage planning needed perhaps.

hetismij

You can tie up at most harbours. The harbour master will come round for the money, which usually has to be paid in cash.
Many harbours are controlled by radio - telling you where you can moor. Some are private in which case you could have a problem.
Some farmers allow you to moor alongside their land, but you then have no facilities of course. Not all landowners allow this though.

Michael

When we rented a boat we were told that on the French canals we could dock anywhere except under bridges and possibly within a certain distance of a lock.

hetismij

I'm referring to in the Netherlands Michael. Things are a lot more crowded here on the waterways - every other Dutchman owns a boat it seems. Plus all the Germans who come to the Netherlands every summer. And all the freight boats which use a lot of the canals, rivers and lakes too, and always have priority - even over sail.

nukesafe

I see that geoflag has not been on the thread for a long time so these answers may be moot for him. If anyone else is interested in this topic, I can add some information here that I have mentioned on other threads.

We have friends here in Anacortes, WA, that took a hotel cruise in Holland a number of years ago, and loved it. Being boaters, they wanted to do such a trip on their own for a whole summer. When Roger explored renting a cruiser for that long, the price seemed prohibitive, so he went to Holland and bought one. They figured that if they didn't like the experience they could sell the boat without too much loss.

Turned out they LOVED it, and continued to cruise for three months each year for six years, while renting their home. Then they stopped, and sold the boat for a profit. After a couple of years they grew restive at anchor and went back to Europe to buy a boat in partnership with friends. Now, each couple spends a month or six weeks on the boat in the Netherlands, or France each summer.

All I can say is that it makes a wonderful way to vacation for low cost; entering the great cities of Europe by the rivers and canals that used to the principal highways of commerce. For example, when in Paris the stay at the Port de Plaisance at the Arsenal for only a few Euro a day. The canals and rivers of France are free, so the main costs are food and fuel.