Experience life
aboard the houseboats of Amsterdam
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Traditional converted ship is home to this
informative look at life along the canals
of Amsterdam
The Houseboat Museum gives you the unique chance to experience the life on board of a real houseboat. Moreover, this is the only Houseboat Museum in the world!
...read more about houseboats here |
A selection of our most popular water related tours and trips. Join us on the waterways of Amsterdam
Around Amsterdam or a day out of the city, we have a tour that will fit your personal sense of adventure
details about our canal tours here »
 
..enjoy our video of a short houseboat tour on our old canal cruiser
Numbers
and history
The
inner waters of Amsterdam are nowadays inhabited
by some 2400 families on houseboats. Of those 2400,
about 750 are moored within the 17th century canal
system of downtown Amsterdam. There are concentrations
in several parts of the canals whereas other stretches
are deliberately kept empty. Living on the water
mainly came in vogue after the second world war when
there was a housing shortage on one hand, and a surplus
of old cargo ships on the other. The Dutch cargo-fleet
was modernized in those days and a lot of people
saw a good opportunity for housing in the cast off
ships with their average length of about 25 meters.
In the sixties and seventies the in stream was at
its biggest and the outside the most colorful under
the influence of flower power. The circumstances
on board must have been rather primitive in our modern
eyes. Nowadays it is not the cheapest way of living
anymore and the comfort on board leaves hardly anything
to wish.
 
Under
the present policy of the Amsterdam city council
the number of houseboats is fixed, no more new mooring
permits are released. One of the consequences of
this policy is that the price of the houseboats with
a permit have increased rapidly the last years. In
downtown Amsterdam the smallest houseboats sell for
as low as € 150,000.
Types
of houseboats
© Jurjen
Heeck 2000
house
SHIP
Houseboats
can be divided into two kinds although Amsterdam
also uses a third sub-kind. The first kind is the
houseSHIP, an old cargo ship where the cargo bay is
refurbished to provide an addition to the (too) small
captains quarters in the back of the ship. The vast
majority of these ships were built in the first quarter
of this century, mostly out of steel or iron.
© Jurjen
Heeck 2000 house-VESSEL
The
second houseboat style in Amsterdam is the house-VESSEL.
This type has the hull of an old ship but here the
original steering house and deck layout is completely
removed to make room for a structure only meant to
live in.
What
the ___ does "gezellig" mean?
© Jurjen
Heeck 2000 ARK
The
third kind of houseboat is the ARK, a houseboat witch
is designed solely for housing purposes. Arks are
built on square hulls, the earlier out of steel,
nowadays mostly out of concrete. The concrete variety
is almost maintenance free whereas all other houseboats
have to be taken out of the water regularly for inspection
and treatment against rust. The construction on the
arks is mostly made out of wood although in Amsterdam
some arks have a brick house.
Provisions
onboard
Today
the circumstances on a houseboat in Amsterdam are
far from primitive, I myself have set up and maintained
this homepage from a houseboat for several years.
Almost all the houseboats are connected to the city's
services, such as running water, electricity, telephone
and cable-tv. A lot of the ships also have a connection
to the gas supply, as long as they're not moored
alongside another ship. For ships that still sail
the heating is mostly run on diesel fuel. For both
types of fuel central heating systems are available.
The part of traditional wood and cole stoves as main
heating is decreasing, a development that is welcomed
by the city's environmental department because the
chimneys of houseboats are often very low compared
to the surrounding houses. A connection to the sewer
is missing in most cases, the sewage flows directly
into the canals. This is not a big problem because
the canals were partially designed as a sewer system.
The last house in Amsterdam was connected to the
sewer in 1987. In Amsterdam we have a number of locks
an pump stations to refresh the canal water. Relatively
clean water flows into the city via the river Amstel
and/or is pumped in from the IJsselmeer, a big fresh
water lake in the center of Holland. The dirty water
streams into the North Sea during low tide at IJmuiden.
This system is operated several times a week, depending
on the quality of the water in the city. The city's
department for sewers and water-regulation thinks
it is a waste of money to connect all houseboats
to the sewer because the system works well as it
is. In some areas with a concentration of houseboats
and a lack of current they have been connected to
avoid local pollution. The department does investigate
the possibility of 'water gardens', rafts with waterplants
that can have a cleaning effect on the canals. These
water gardens also provide nesting space for the many
water birds in Amsterdam. Latest news on the 'sewer-front'
is that, according to national law, all the houseboats
will have to be connected to the sewer system before
2005. One will need a special permit to discharge
into the open water after that date, which will only
be given to those who live too far away from the
nearest sewer. The discussion about who's going to
pay for this, the city or the owner, is not finished
yet. Houseboat owners do pay a sewer fee to the city.
In our case the funds are used to maintain the canals.
For our mooring we pay a tax, depending on the size
of the boat. Furthermore we are charged with other
city taxes like every other household.
 Typical
on a houseboat
Of
course living on a ship or ark varies from living
in a house at some points, specially on the more
traditional ships the differences are obvious. On
a ship you're always more involved with your direct
surrounding, for example the noise under water from
passing ships can be heard in the house. When a ship
exceeds the speed limit you'll know immediately because
the normal movements of your ship intensify. If you,
as I do, live on a mayor traffic route, laying completely
still is reserved to the night and to severe winters.
A problem in the winter is the water supply because
the hose runs through midair between shore and ship.
To make sure that you have running water during freezing
temperatures thick layers of insulation around the
hose are needed. Nowadays there are also low-voltage
heating cords available but the best known remedy
is running a tap day and night to keep it from freezing.
The interior layout of houseboats often differs from
normal houses. At my place it already starts on coming
in, one has to descend stairs instead of climbing
them. Besides that the small width of most ships
forces you to build the rooms one behind the other
without a central hall. Visit the bathroom? sure,
walk through the kitchen, then through the bedroom
and you'll find it in the back. It's a kind of narrow
shoe box with one big advantage to similar small city
houses, on a boat the windows are situated on the
long sides to provide enough daylight. In a lot of
ships the bathroom is somewhat odd. Because the floor
of the house is often situated around or below the
outside water level, the drainage is a problem in
itself. In some ships the complete bathroom is situated
higher than the rest of the house to make sure that
the toilet and shower are above water level. An other
solution is the use of pumps, manual or electric.
Also pump toilets of the kind you can find on sailing
yachts are an option. Luckily nowadays there are
automatic pumps available to which you can connect
a normal water closet. These switch on automatically
as soon as there is a flow of water and pump it away.
An advantage of the modern pumps is that they can
feed a few meters up. If there is space between the
floor and the bottom you can install normal sewage
on board with the pump at the lowest point. A ship
fitted with this construction is immediately prepared
for a sewer connection.
Maintenance
As
you may have read under types of houseboats, only
the 'arks' on a concrete hull are blessed with an
almost maintenance-free under-water-ship. All ships
on a steel or iron hull must be taken out of the
water every three or four years for treatment against
the unavoidable rust and to be checked for signs
of wear and tear. Ships that still sail wear off
faster than permanently moored houseboats and the
maintenance interval mostly depends on conditions
in the insurance policy or the mooring permit.
The
most popular ways of getting ships out of the water
are the slipway and the dry-dock. In some cases a
hoisting crane or boat lift is used, but only for
the smaller vessels. A slipway is a kind of railway
track which runs down a slope till under water. On
it are several special carts, moved by a winch. The
carts are lowered in to the water, the ship is maneuvered
above them and then secured with ropes. Once everything
is in place the winch pulls the carts with the ship
on to dry land. To make it clear I've drawn a sketch
of a slipway (GIF 7Kb). In a dry-dock a ship comes
out of the water straight up, which is very practical
because then you won't have to empty all the shelves
and cupboards in the house to avoid mayor household
disasters. A dry-dock is in itself a large container.
Once the ship has entered the dock can be pumped
dry and the work can begin. A fixed dock is shut
with watertight doors before pumping and a floating
dock is so to speak 'pumped afloat'. A floating dock
is a sort of submersible barge. It is sunk far enough
to allow the ship to be maneuvered in. Then pumps
start to bring the two above the water. I've also
made a drawing of a floating dock(GIF 8Kb).
Once
a ship is out of the water it is cleaned with water
under high pressure, more than 100 atmosphere (1470
psi) to get rid of water plants, algae and stuff like
small shellfish. Then the hull can be inspected.
The first inspection is a visual one for deep rust
and/or loose rivets. Then a ship is often 'knocked',
hit on with a big hammer to hear (frequency) and
feel (buoyancy) whether the plates are still thick
enough. The required amount of plate differs on the
use of the ship and on the insurance company, in
general 3 to 4 millimeters is considered good for
a permanently moored houseboat. In some cases a ship
has to be measured for thickness. The old way consists
of drilling holes on suspicious spots and measuring
the plate. Nowadays a lot of inspectors have ultrasonic
measuring devices which only require thorough cleaning
at the spots to be measured. As soon as the ship
is found in order or is repaired it gets coated for
the next four years.
Until
recently with tar or tar-containing products, but
this will soon be over due to new environmental regulations.
Unfortunately the quality of the given alternatives
is not proven yet. New regulations do bring up the
price because shipyards have to meet tougher requirements.
Don't get me wrong, I do support environmental improvements
but find it sad to see that it will probably mean
for some people that they'll have to leave their
floating house because they cannot afford the maintenance
anymore. The new rules may also mean the disappearance
of some characteristic small shipyards in Amsterdam.
Going to the shipyard is probably the biggest and
most costly event that regularly returns. You're
out of a house for a week, or can camp in it on the
shipyard, without water, gas and telephone. The costs
can add up to Dfl 3.000,= and that is if everything
is o.k. Repairs vary from 300 to thousands of guilders.
On top of that you have to take a leave from your
work because you have (or want) to be present when
repairs or inspections are carried out. Welding and
grinding for instance, bring along an increased fire-hazard.
But, if all goes well it brings you years of house-boating-fun
and freedom!
from..."Welcome
aboard my houseboat pages" © Jurjen
Heeck 2000 edited
by Claude LaVallee Experience Amsterdam |
Jurjen
Heeck has been a recognized expert
on houseboats in Amsterdam for many
years. His
informative web site will give you
lots of Accurate and Interesting information
on Houseboats
and houseboat life here in Amsterdam. |
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To see, what is essentially a floating trailer park, and witness a reason Amsterdam is loosing it's houseboats to Government corruption... Visit the Houseboats in Flevopark in the far Oost (East)
There are good things to eat nearby if you get hungry...
One
of our favorite local stops near the park is THE
AVOND WINKEL
A
Night Store Located 1 block north from
Java Plein and Java straat
For
over 30 years a "wonderful delicatessen
and market" that bakes the "best
Lasagna take away in Amsterdam"
Their
roast chickens are almost always sold
out by midnight and for delicious reasons.
Owners Ray and Peet, a husband and wife
cooking team bring their great family
recipes and friendly conversation to
our lives every day. Open from 1700 (5:00
PM) till 1:00 am and on Sundays 14:00
(2:00 PM) till 1:00 am. Their address
is: 8-12 Niasstraat and the telephone
is 020-665-0789.
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One
of our favorite restaurants in the local area
is de Puntonie A comfortable Dutch eatery
built in the central hall and office area of
an old Amsterdam school. A favorite of locals
like us ...providing a delicious and varied menu with a
vegetarian selection nightly. Located on Java
Straat just at the train trestle underpass. Eat ..drink ..play some chess ..have some fun ..see you there!
For
maps of Amsterdam Map
page.
For the best boatlife experiences... ..visit old Amsterdam
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