Dutch metal boat designs

After developing a love affair with the beautiful dutch steel designs - lemsteraak, staverse jol, schokkers, and (really all of them) I have scoured the internet for months, and started learning dutch in a valiant effort to find building plans, or preferably CNC files.

If there are any members (or dutch members) that would be able to direct me to a designer/website that specializes in selling building plans for traditional sailing types (lemsteraak, tjotters, etc...) a lead would be much appreciated. Tjalks are nice as well, but the true love here is the roundbouw platbodems that aren't designed as large barges, and rather as jachts. It has been difficult finding actionable building plans, and I'm concerned that the dutch culture may not be geared towards selling metal boat plans/DIY boat building for these particular sailboat types in the same way that is common in the US, and many other countries.

Insights would be appreciated, particularly regarding links that would lead to purchasing CNC/building plans.

 

Welcome to the Forum MM.

Have you come across the designs by Andre Hoek?
He seems to have quite a range of traditional Lemsteraak designs -
Hoek Design » Hoek Design dutch leeboard https://www.hoekdesign.com/dutch-leeboard-yachts/dutch-leeboards

 

Thank you for the welcome, and I appreciate the response. Hoek design is indeed one of the very best of the best that the dutch have to offer - continuously developed, class winning, beautiful, fast and fabulous thoroughbred examples. They appear however to be built in yards for people with LARGE pocketbooks - and there is nothing wrong with that. I appreciate that they are leaders in a centuries old art form that is so inspiring.

Even researching the simplest designs - such as zeeschouws and grundels (simple pram type designs built in steel) there is a conspicuous absence of almost ANY self-building plans. My working hypothesis is that there is a cultural difference in the attitude towards boat construction - and the actual design of the boats is considered too valuable of intellectual property to actually sell - which more or less results in a sort of agreement between established builders, and designers where the normal sequence of events for new boat construction would look like this :

1) Customer identifies desired design
2) Customer speaks to designer or designing yard expressing desire for construction
3) Yard or designer coordinates the construction of the desired design (while retaining intellectual property rights to the design)

It is also possible that I am also poor enough at searching in Dutch, that it simply hasn't yielded what I am looking for. A third hypothesis is that steel leeboard sailboats are so common in the Netherlands, that part of being born Dutch is that steel boat building is learned through osmosis at an early age, similar to language acquisition.

To use an example - one of the least expensive, easy to build, and most common sailing forms - the zeeschouw; I haven't been able to find purchasable plans, after hours of searching IN DUTCH (as well as english). These boats are IDEALLY suited to building at home - extremely simple geometry, and all developable surfaces. Similar to the plethora of plywood boat plans in the English speaking world, one would think there would be many available steel boat plans in the Dutch speaking world.

 

I see what you mean - yes, they do seem to be a closely guarded secret!

Saying that, I did find a lines plan for a Zeeschouw online somewhere some years ago, and I saved a copy then for reference. As it was online, it should not be copyright protected, so I hope it is ok to post a copy here.



I googled the Zeeschow Tadorna, and found a link to her for sale here (but she has now been sold) -
Zeeschouw Tadorna, 12.900 € | iNautia.com https://www.inautia.com/used-boat-48511072019229950551029951971024.html



Here is a link to another Zeeschouw that was for sale -
Zeeschouw - Sealion Yachts https://sealionyachts.nl/portfolio/zeeschouw/?lang=en

With a nice wee video of her -


I googled the name Stamboek in the bottom right corner of the above lines plan, and this link came up -
Stichting Stamboek Ronde en Platbodemjachten https://www.ssrp.nl/

With this link near the bottom for a very neat little Zeeschouw called Zilt -
Zilt https://www.ssrp.nl/stamboek/schepen/zilt-2347



A pal in England used to have a lovely little Zeeschouw called (I think) Tulip - here is a photo of her moored on the Wareham river (which dries out), which flows into Poole harbour.



The Triloboats are essentially a much more boxy 'Bolgerised' version of a zeeschouw - but they might be easier to design and build?
Triloboats: Avast, Ye Curvy Dogs! http://www.triloboats.com/

Triloboat - Open Source Ecology https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Triloboat

 

Have you tried calling a builder directly and asking about buying a design?
Huitema zeeschouw for sale • Dutch Classic Boat Design & Engineering http://www.dutchclassicboat.nl/en/platbodem/huitema-zeeschouw-koop/

Try this Google image search:
zeeschouw design - Google Search https://www.google.com/search?q=zeeschouw%20design&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg:CYs5YBdGybjbYef-gKWQbBlbsgIMCgIIABAAOgQIARAA&client=ms-android-verizon&prmd=ivsn&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CBIQuIIBahcKEwjIjIL-gIT3AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQIg&biw=412&bih=751

You may also want to contact this group: Westerdijk Zeeschouwen Contact: 2013 http://westerdijkzeeschouwencontact.blogspot.com/2013/?m=1
They appear to be a club that is trying to preserve the historic Dutch designs.

I don't speak Dutch; I relied upon Google translate.

-Will

 

Martijn van Schaik from Seahorse Naval Architects had some more affordable Dutch steel classic looking designs. His design approach is very rational, contrary to some other classic examples his boat have great sailing characteristics and he has a keen eye for good looks. He sold plans to small builders,

He and his design are now incorporated with Hoek Design:

"One of the latest new recruits is senior naval architect, Martijn van Schaik from Seahorse Naval Architects. Martijn has taken charge of the round and flat-bottomed yachts department, while the rights of the existing designs of Martijn van Schaik / Seahorse are now owned by Hoek Design."

Hoek Design » Hoek Design Naval Architects https://www.hoekdesign.com/about-us/the-team

I'd contact them to try and find out how to buy the plans.

 

Martin Bekebrede could also be an option, link to his "platbodems" page (which also includes Lemsteraken which are more "rondbodems") all but one have leeboards.
"
MBYD - Martin Bekebrede Yacht Design https://www.martin-bekebrede.nl/designs.php?sort=3


His "zeiljachten" page also has some interesting steel but keeled yachts:

MBYD - Martin Bekebrede Yacht Design https://www.martin-bekebrede.nl/designs.php?sort=1


But again, while Bekebrede most certainly is very capable Martijn van Schaik i.m.h.o is at the top of current day smaller leeboard boat designers. Problem probably is van Schaik won't have time to customize plans for you.

 

This site offers the most insight into the various classic dutch boat types:

Scheepstypes https://www.ssrp.nl/stamboek/scheepstypes


I'd put the various topics trough google translate while keeping the traditional names in mind. Make sure to follow the links under the black and white pictures of the various boat types and their names.


SSRP "Stichting Stamboek Ronde en Platbodemyachten" translates to "Foundation for the Registry of Round en Flatbottomed yachts" and keeps records of all existing Dutch classic boats and promotes their preservation.

 

Thanks Will, I think the dutchclassicboat.nl guys may be the closest thing to catering towards someone who would construct at home. The platbodem forum picture of the little tjotter is amazing, and I would consider that a nearly ideal boat for my area.

I think I will dig into the platbodem forum and special interest groups that are based in the Netherlands as well as it seems that they clearly have designs available, such as the amazing aluminum tjotter - so trying to figure out where they are sourcing the plans is the next step.

Thanks!