Dutch Barge Luxe Motor

General characteristics of a Luxe Motor are:

  • straight bow
  • swept stern
  • short and steep stern - built in the northern shipyards
  • longer and less steep stern - built in the western shipyards
  • deckhouse behind the steering cabin

A Luxe Motor is not built as a sailing ship but as a motor ship with auxiliary sailing gear. The stern has a more or less oval shape, which allows the water to be released better and the propeller has a higher efficiency.

The name Luxe Motor was only used when a beautifully timbered deckhouse was added to the stern. This 'salon deckhouse' replaced the deckhouse placed more forward in sailing ships as the main residence. At the very back of the ship, above the sharply peaked stern, such a deckhouse is ideally located, because this space cannot be used for cargo anyway.
This deckhouse was often panelled with luxurious types of wood. Together with the comfort, such as the headroom and the windows, it explains the name Luxe Motor. It is not known whether the easy steering from a wheelhouse instead of hanging from a tiller in all weathers is also considered 'luxury'. The Luxe Motor enjoyed a rapidly increasing popularity and was built in large numbers between 1920 and 1940.

hand because the engine had not yet gained complete confidence, on the other hand because the wind is free and fuel costs money. Yet in time the sails disappeared and mast and boom only served as loading and unloading equipment. When port equipment improved greatly after the war and mobile cranes became commonplace, these also disappeared; they were thrown overboard, mast deck and all. The hatch cover was extended and now formed an unbroken whole.

The larger examples of these often beautifully lined ships continued to participate in freight shipping for a long time.

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