Helping you choose your barge design

How long and wide can my barge be?

Typical barge lengths range from 16 to 22m If you want two cabins, a shower room, and a good-sized saloon it will need to be around 19m long.

If you intend cruising in the UK you will be limited to where you can go if you opt for much longer than 21m or more than 3.8m wide.

If you intend cruising the continent, your barge could be wider, up to 5m. This gives greater scope to the interior layout. Finding permanent moorings for barges longer than 22m tends to be a problem in both the UK and the continent

What about air draft?

For cruising in the UK a folding wheelhouse is a good arrangement if you want to explore some of the smaller waterways, but for continental cruising, our designs can get under the lowest bridges in the system without you having to take down the wheelhouse roof and sides. This gives the added security of a steel wheelhouse which would be clad in the timber of your choice.

Draft?

Regardless of the overall length of your barge, the draft should not be, and doesn’t need to be more than 0.9m. This will allow you through any of the systems in the UK and Europe

How thick is the steel?

Our barges are all heavily built, no steel is less than 6mm thick, the bottom plate is actually 12mm and the sides 8mm thick.

There are frames throughout the vessel at 600mm spacing and no hollow sections are used anywhere. (you can’t paint inside them and they rust).

Manufacturers certificates are supplied for all the steel used in the construction of your barge.

How is it welded?

Every join on the hull plating and bulkheads is edge prepared and then arc welded on both sides. This makes for an immensely strong ship. The only MIG welding used is for trim. e.g. the rubbing bands and coamings.

What is the paint finish?

Our hulls are all shot-blasted to SA2 (bright metal) and then given four coats of epoxy. You choose the final deck and superstructure colours

Is corrosion a problem?

Not a problem; but all steel vessels need to be protected. A good paint finish is the first step, followed by fitting plenty of hull anodes and finally a good electrical system.

What engine should it have?

Not a small high revving unit. We fit 6 cylinder engines, which at cruising speed run at around 1200rpm. This gives fuel consumption of less than a gallon an hour. Our preferred choice for reliability are either Perkins or Vetus units, which have the reserve power needed to tackle channel crossings and the adverse currents sometimes found on the large European rivers

Do I need a bow thruster?

For your own peace of mind the answer really has to be yes. It makes life so much easier. It can be electric or hydraulic.

Will it come with a RCD certificate?

It has to by law. There are different levels of certification depending on what the vessel is to be used for. Ocean, offshore, coastal or inland. Most barge owners opt for either coastal or inland registration.

Note that insurance companies will allow a vessel registered for inland use to cross the English Channel providing the wind forecast is less than force 4.

Do I need a generator?

Not if you are either cruising regularly or can connect to shore power. Your main engine will charge the batteries whilst you are under-way, but if you tie up for a while you will need to run the engine after a day or so.
If you do decide on fitting a generator, we recommend a 1500rpm (slow running) unit with a power output of at least 5kVA.
If you intend cooking with electricity and not gas you will need a larger generator.

What is the maintenance like on a barge?

Believe it or not, there isn’t that much . Once a year you will need to change the oil and filters in the diesel engines, and the filters in the fresh water system.
If you leave the barge unattended during the winter you will need to drain down the hot and cold water system, and winterise the diesel engines. All barges will need repainting at intervals throughout their lives, typically the hull every five years or so, the decks and superstructure every couple of years, depending on how much use the vessel is put to.

Can I get help if something goes wrong when I am crusing?

You are never more than a few hours away from help either here in England or abroad. Try joining the Dutch Barge Association for starters.

Will my barge be easy to handle?

Your barge is likely to weigh at least 40 tons when it is finished and needs to be handled with care. With our hull design, the correct engine, propeller and a good bow thruster you will find it surprisingly easy. It takes getting used to, the more you do the better you are likely to become.

Can I do any of the fitting out myself?

Yes you can. We can supply you a barge to any state of completion, delivered to where you want it. You must remember that electrical and gas systems really need to be installed by qualified personnel. Click here for eparate answersmore answers to this question

How long does it take to build a barge?

Our barges are all individually produced. There are no ‘kit’ parts. No two barges that we have built are the same so far. But it takes time, around 6 months to build a shell and fit the machinery and the same time again to finish the interior.

What sort of accommodation can I have?

The choice is really yours. But there are some major decisions that need to be made. Firstly you can have either a cabin behind the wheelhouse or an open well deck. If you need no more than 4 permanent berths you could have an open deck behind the wheelhouse instead of a cabin. This gives you a lot of sitting out space.

Windows or port holes?

Windows let in a lot of light and with our designs you get a good view out; you could have both. Windows in a raised galley area with portholes in the bathrooms and bedrooms. This can produce a vessel that is very pleasing to the eye. A skylight in the main saloon lets in more light and is useful since being removable can allow furniture to be put in or taken out through it.

How many bedrooms?

A master bedroom and guest cabin is the usual arrangement, but it is possible turn the guest room into a study. That way you have another room to use.

How many bathrooms?

Unless the barge is over 19m, we think that it is a mistake to squeeze in two shower rooms. A separate shower and w.c. , with an en-suite w.c. and basin to the master bedroom, is an alternative. Because there is a pressurized hot and cold water system, showers are good, with strong water flow.

The galley and the lounge?

Our advice is to keep this area open, you will be looking at a space around 5 or 6 metres long and 3.5m wide. This gives a really nice sized living area.

Can you use the wheelhouse as a room?

Yes, but it will need to be at least 3m long, preferably a little more. If you opt for an open stern deck, you will have two doors at the rear and can step down into a sheltered area. If you choose to have a stern cabin with a walkway through from the galley area, then you can have an L shaped seat right across the rear and along one side to the doorway. You can comfortably seat 6 or even 8 people for dinner.

What finish can I have?

There are very few constraints. A mixture of natural wood with some painted surfaces looks nice. You can even have wall-paper. Too much wood-work can look a little over-powering. Light coloured woods add to the feel of space, darker finishes can make for a very cosy feeling. We have fitted oak, maple and cherry. The barge we are fitting out now will be finished in ash.

And on the floors?

Again it is up to you. We have fitted block floors, even a bamboo floor. You could have tiles in the galley, a wooden floor in the lounge with rugs. You could carpet throughout.

Central heating?

Of course, we normally install a proper diesel fired system, and a wood/coal burning stove in the lounge is often fitted as well

Insulation?

We recommend foam behind the cabin linings and in the wheelhouse. In two pack form, applied hot to the bare steel, it keeps the barge warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

What about storage space?

You can plan your own storage. There will be cupboards and drawers in the galley, more in lounge with shelves for books, if required we can build in television, computer and hi-fi units.

Lights and power points?

Conventional 240V, just like a house.