If you are in the market for a new home, why not consider living on a ship? Roberta Cowan explores the option and talks with 'live aboard converts' about the advantages and disadvantages of a canal home existence.

Sailing ships are, to some people, romantic and rustic symbols of adventure and freedom. One of the special things about life in the Netherlands is that these beautiful old ships, some of them a century old, line canals in the centre of the cities: reminders of the days when life was gallant, and much slower.

Today, many ships that once transported wheat and coal on the inland waterways are considered too small for freight. But many have been given a new lease of life and have been converted into canal homes.

Most of the barges on the Dutch canals are between 14 and 30m long, and 2.5 and 5m wide, drawing between 0.6 and 1.4m and those with flat bottoms have significant floor space, making the life on board, ideal. And, if you fancy sailing your ship, it is possible to travel on inland waterways from the Netherlands through Belgium to the South of France, to Bulgaria, to Russia and down through the Ukraine to the Black and Caspian Seas!

Adventure and advantages

Maria and Helen have lived on a ship on a central canal in Amsterdam for three years.

They are DINKies (double income, no kids), have a dog, fully admit how much work they put into their boat, but none-the-less love life on board. "Living on a boat seemed very adventurous and different. My parents moved onto a boat a few years ago, so we were familiar with boat life, a little," says Maria. "But I would never have thought of a boat before Maria suggested it. I liked the idea of not having neighbours, and that is clearly an advantage because before we were in an apartment with tenants above and below who partied and made a lot of noise. So, now I take great pleasure in playing my stereo as loud as it will go - with no repercussions," Helen says.

Annelies, who has lived on board for 13 years, agrees that the greatest advantage is the privacy she feels on a boat. "One of the most enjoyable things about living on a ship is that we are on our own, fully controlled, quiet island in the city." "When coming home or late in the evening we often sit on the waterside, and it’s very quite, yet we’re in the centre of town," she added. But,

Annelies didn’t actually choose to live on a boat. "I met my friend and he lived on a boat. I knew if I wanted him I would get the boat too. But I liked it and it is, of course, a 'different' life. I like how cosy it is, that you don’t need a lot on the boat and that things need to be very ordered due to the space.

We also have the freedom to make our home the way that we want it." Structurally it is much easier moving walls or changing the layout inside a boat than it is in a house. Life on deck, replete with ducks, coots and other boats is also different than apartment living.

"We love being outside on the deck and feeding the water birds and watching the tour boats come by. I think we enjoy the outdoors a lot more on the boat than we did when in a flat. Because we have no neighbours we throw parties and for our friends, our boat has become a sort of natural meeting space," Helen said.

Disadvantages?

It’s not all fun and games though because everyone agreed the one disadvantage is that the on-going work required on a boat is tremendous and can, at times, be stressful, when for example the water pipes freeze or windows leak. "You have to be into, or at least willing to do DIY, because the roof will need painting, the ropes tightening and the deck and gang plank get very slippery in the winter and leaves need to be swept away," said Helen.

"The only disadvantage is the work involved in keeping the boat in a good state," agreed Annelies who said her husband does a lot of the electric and water work and that they share painting and de-rusting. "It’s not a real disadvantage but I miss high ceilings and the ability to hang paintings - wall space is limited in a boat," Maria said. "And I miss light switches - our boat was wired by the previous owner and there are no main hanging lights because the ceiling is too low, hence no light switches. We have to scramble in the dark for the table lamps," Helen added.

The mortgage and insurance can be slightly more expensive than a house, but that depends on the individual situation. Most think that a boat is a cheaper option and in terms of square meters, it is. But there are additional costs for maintenance, taxes and mooring fees.

Costs
There is a monthly mooring cost of about EUR 200 depending on the size of the boat, and there are water taxes, which are minimal, but if you live on a proper steel boat (as opposed to floating concrete or a woonark) it must go to dry dock every 4-5 years, for an assessment of the hull. The survey can cost up to EUR 700.  While it’s in dry dock the rust is removed from the hull and a protective layer is painted, which can cost anywhere between EUR 2,000-3000 (including the cost of taking the boat out of the water). The everyday practical costs, like ropes that need replacing, periodic painting of the steel exterior to ensure it stays in good condition, anti slip coating for the deck, to name a few, are estimated at between EUR 1000-3000 a year.

Rules and regulations
There are regulations and paperwork involved in owning and using a boat. The red tape depends on the waterway. So if you buy a boat here then move it to France you will need to check out regulations there. The general regulations cover everything from registration of ownership, registration with the navigation authority, safety and insurance certification, permission to use the barge for residence and registration for local residential taxation, and qualification for the person who is going to steer the barge.

For the Netherlands, check out the websites at the bottom including those of associations, agents and regulators involved in buying, registering and mooring a vessel. If your dream is to sail your boat away, you will need to get a vaarbewijs (licence), providing your vessel is more than 15m in length or does more than 15km/hr. The exams are run by the Royal Dutch Touring Club ANWB and there are regular classes at the Volksuniversieit and other private sailing schools.

The amount of information can be overwhelming to the neophyte, but don’t despair. Find a real estate agent that has experience with ships and they should lead you through the process but also talk to other boat owners. You will discover that ‘boat people’ can be friendly and helpful when it comes to boating.

For Maria and Helen the only concern they had was with the mooring permit. "It is issued by the municipal government but because the permit has the name of the owner, there is no guarantee that it will be re-issued when you buy the boat. It’s best to find out if there are any objections to reissuing a permit for your boat. Things to look for are the distance between other boats (must be 2m between boats), the distance from a bridge (must be 7m away) and if your boat is second off the quay, or moored up alongside another boat," said Maria.

If the boat adheres to all the rules, then the permit is not usually a problem. When buying a boat with the mooring, you do not actually own the spot but you are the only one who can moor up there. Should you leave your spot for a year then the city can reclaim it. The only bank that does mortgages for houseboats in the Netherlands is, ING, (watervillahypotheek) and they will want to see the mooring permit beforehand. It is important to have a recent dry dock report, and to have the boat assessed properly by someone who knows about boats. This is also necessary for mortgage, but remember these costs are tax deductible.

Limitations
"I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else but here, but there are a few limitations," said Maria, adding, "we can’t change anything outside without asking the municipal government." Also if one boat owner wanted to swap mooring with another, the city aesthetic committee would have to approve the swap. But the street parties concern Helen more. "We need to be on the boat for every big occasion, like Gay Pride Day, Queen’s Day and the Prinsengracht Concert, otherwise hundreds of people, strangers, will clamber all over the roof potentially collapsing it. They leap and scramble onto our home to get a good view of the canal parades.

Should the Dutch football team win a major event, we would need to get home ASAP because if they did a canal tour, the same situation would apply and we’d have to 'guard our ship.’"

Annelies said she doesn’t feel limited at all. "I do not miss anything any more, I used to miss the certainty of a house, but that is long gone."

Updated April 2008 with the help of Ties van Os at scheepsmakelaardij.nl.

Links

Dutch Barge Association
www.barges.org

Binnenvaartschepen Dutch Barges
www.iosl.nl

Boat house sales
www.waterwonen.nl
Clicking on "Totale Aanbod" or searching by hull type gives you a whole load of floating objects, from ships through to concrete bungalows, that are for sale.

Scheepsmakelaar (Ships Real Estate Agent)
www.hofman-schepen.nl
Very friendly people in Amsterdam and will represent you if you're buying a ship through another makelaar.

The site for buying boats!
www.botentekoop.nl
Click on "selecteer soort" and select "Woonboten" to see woonboten that are for sale. Not all of these have a ligplaats/mooring included. Also, boats/ships for sale.
www.marktplaats.nl

Schepen Binnenstad Amsterdam
www.sba2000.dds.nl
An owners' association representing the interests of boat-livers in the centre of Amsterdam.

The BBA: administer all the moorings etc.
www.binnenwaterbeheer.amsterdam.nl

People in Enkhuizen who are world-famous for selling traditional-style barges and other craft.
www.scheepsmakelaardij.nl

 The ANWB has an impressive series of inland waterways maps available.
www.anbw.nl Subject: Canal homes

Do you live on the water?

Your stories
If you have any tales to tell about living on a boat or floating home in the Netherlands then we'd love to hear from you. Send them to us via netherlands@expatica.com with 'Living on the water' in the subject line.

Your photos and videos
We invite you to contribute to this article by sending related photos or videos. You can either send them to photos@expatica.com or add them to our newly-created flickr group at http://www.flickr.com/people/expatica/. All contributed material will be credited accordingly.

[Copyright Expatica 2008]