Twee Gebroeders (T.G. to her friends) is an iron sailing trading barge or 'Skutsje' built in Northern Holland in 1897. She spent her working life carrying cargo on the narrower canals of Friesland, probably cattle feed and coal (How glamourous!)
She was built without accommodation, and had a crew of 2. These boats were often company owned, and the skipper a freelancer. According to tradition, the brass barrel on the tiller shows she has been bought and paid for - and if the boat is for sale, a sheaf of corn would be placed in the flag holder!
They were a seriously tough breed, the barge men and women. An all up weight of about 60 tonnes makes for a lot of pushing and pulling, and remember, no brakes!
The sails (She still has her original rig) are incredibly heavy. Most of the rig is controlled by a single winch by the mast, and her leeboards have smaller winches in the cockpit.
She came out of service in the late 50's (There is a date stamped on the roof) and was converted to a barge yacht. She came to the UK in the 70's, first on the Thames, then later to Bristol where we bought her in 2008. She had been cared for, but inevitably more than a hundred years in the water has meant some rebuilding of the hull underwater. We overplated her with 6mm steel sheets and treated her to a very thick coat of
2-pack/epoxy paint and antifoul paint which should see her good for a few more years.
The following pictures give a snapshot of the 2 year full time restoration of T.G., from stripping the interior, cutting the roof off to add height, adding the front cabin, plating, painting, insulating and fitting her out.
If you have any questions about this barge, or perhaps you are doing your own, please don't hesitate to call or e-mail Tim. We'd love to hear from anyone who can help us research more of her history, or decipher the registration marks on the hull!
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Arriving back on the River Deben
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Stripping the interior. Our kids help! |
Raising the roof by 6"/150mm |
Plating the hull |
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Adding the forward cabin |
Fitting new portholes |
Foam insulation |
First Fix |
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Galley bulkhead, with Gill |
2 of the 4 new water tanks |
Paul the cabinet maker.. |
..nearly there. |
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