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 cargoships 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 instream 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 cargoship 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 2000house-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 2000ARK

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 maintenancefree 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 on board

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 watergardens also provide nesting space for the many waterbirds 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 shoebox 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 pumptoilets 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 watercloset. 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.

Rent a nice kool fast German car and take a fast ride to the beach.

But watch out for the speeding car camera traps!

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 boatlift 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 waterplants, 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!

Private, Comfortable, Accommodations in a peaceful Amsterdam haven We offer a unique opportunity for our friends worldwide to Experience the Quiet side of Amsterdam

Flevo Haven is one of the last remnants of a lifestyle in an all to rapid decline in Holland.

Home to a community of unique and colorful residents. Some retired folks, some young families, all with a love of unique life aboard a Houseboat. A variety of houseboat styles, sizes and shapes are all represented. For a full description of the different kinds of Houseboats click on About Houseboats. We are not a commercial hotel and request our guests be in harmony with the residential nature of the Haven.

Flevo Park is in the East of Amsterdam Centrum. An area long being developed as a recreation area and is a natural Bird habitat with numerous species of water fowl and small indigenous mammals.

The Park has grown up around a 150 year old Jewish cemetery, long past use, and now a nesting bird habitat. Flevo Park is home to a few freestanding homes along the waterfront. Remnants of the days along the iJ River before the Amsterdam Rhine Canal construction in the 1960's.

Home to Amsterdam's only outdoor public swimming pool. Additionally providing large open fields and tennis courts for sport activities and park enjoyments year round.

In the center of the park a short walk from the haven is the Pannakook huis (Pancake House). A favorite restaurant and pub adjacent to the children's playground is a local favorite of parents kids and anyone who loves the park and a nature oasis in the city

The city bustle is actually not far from the haven and houseboat. Tram 14 has its start from the far east end of Flevo park. A short few stops the Centrum and numerous sites of interest.Trams #10, 7, 6, are a block walk out the front gates of Flevo Park to the West. These trams all leave from Java Plein the hub of our shopping and market streets. Hundreds of local shops with everything imaginable for sale are within easy walking distance.

In a four block radius of the Flevo Park entrance are 3 large supermarkets and dozens of shops and services of every description including banks, post-office, laundries, pharmacies, train station, 6 bus lines, 4 tram lines, 3 museums, and numerous coffeeshops.  

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One of our favorite local stops is THE AVOND WINKEL A Night Store Located 1 block north from Java Plein and Java straat( we will show you...)    For over 30 years a "wonderful delicatessen and market" that bakes the "best Lasagna 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. E-mail: RAYPEET@hetnet.nl   Bon appetite'

One of our favorite restaurants in the local area is de Puntonier. A comfortable Dutch eatery built in the central hall and office area of an old Amsterdam school. A favorite of locals providing a delicious and varied menu with a vegetarian selection nightly. Located on Java Straat at the train trestle and is only about an 8 min. walk from the Park.

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