Ships by brand and type
Dutch Barge Boltjalk
- Bulwarks almost the same width everywhere
- Rubbing strike no longer at deck height
- narrow Rubbing strike
The Boltjalk closely resembles the appearance of a tjalk. There are very beautiful examples of them built. They were also fast. For example, after the war the racing Skûtsje from Sneek was a Boltjalk. Of the flat-bottomed barges, they are the best sailors, although they mainly remained in the northern provinces. They transported all types of cargo and during the campaign, potatoes and beets with return cargo often being korries (residue from the potatoes). They could not usually load grain because there was often no sealing present.
In the summers they could be found in the peat. For example, with dredged turf on the way to Baflo, Winsum or Bedum. Coal was also sometimes transported from Delfzijl. The cabin was always cozy. Mother could almost do the housekeeping sitting down. Everywhere she could easily reach and in the cabin there were many cupboards and drawers. Whole families were raised in them, often with many children.
As with all small Groninger ships, the entrance was on the right side. On Friesian ships, the entrance is in the middle, in front of the helm wood, the place where on the Groninger ships the krab is located. This is a frog that is forged from flat-semi-circle on which the sheet can be laid. In front of the krab is the sheet eye to which the lower sheet block is attached. Sometimes, with a short boom up to the cabin, there is a kind of short overflow on the bow of the cabin.
On the cabin we also find the skylight and the characteristic Groningse chimney with straight sides. It consists of two parts. The upper part with the hollowing is often used to put the folded mast in. For the boom, a boom support was used. During sailing, the skippers removed the upper half of the chimney to give the boom enough space during tacking. The lower part is also removable and is attached to the cabin roof with the help of two spikes.