see also: New Piper Barges |Houseboat Barges | Hotel Barges |
Barges for sale
Private cruising barges for sale in France and elsewhere in Europe
‘Dutch’ barges are steel vessels originally designed and constructed for carrying freight. Many were built in Holland to travel around the inland canals, lakes and rivers there and elsewhere in Europe, including France. For our purposes they are between 14m (46′) and 30m (98′) long, 3m (9′) to 5m (15′) wide and generally less than 1m deep in the water. Historically, barges in France were constructed to fit into ‘Freycinet’ size locks and could be up to 38m long, but there are practical boat handling and regulatory reasons why most private barges for sale are less than 30m long.
Traditional barge-building ceased in the 1920s and many smaller (less than 30m) barges have been converted for private living aboard. There is now a thriving market for recently built liveaboard cruising barges, styled in the traditional manner (such as ‘Avocette’ above) and a number of builders in England and Holland.
Pre-Owned Barges
Pre-Owned Barges for Sale
2014 Wolstenholme Design for sale 255,000€
Region: France - North/Paris/Alsace Location: HautmontOutstanding bespoke barge
High specification barge, a wealth of quality throughout. Dual steering position18m x 4.1m an Andrew Wolstenholme design with Lloyds Grade A steel. Launched in 2014, Cat C and CE marked.
2004 French & Peel 24m Widebeam for sale £239,950
Region: UK and Ireland Location: East Yorkshire, GBWe are very pleased to list this amazing 24m Widebeam. She has been completely stripped and rebuilt internally to a very high standard indeed! Comprising a forward double with en-suite,…
1978 Bounty 37 for sale £29,950
Region: UK and Ireland Location: Norwich, GBA very well presented example having undergone an extensive refit over the past 6 months. This includes: Hull Painted, antifoul, topsides polished, rudder toe replacement Engine fuel feed pipe Hydraulic…
2003 Motor Cruiser Euro Classic for sale 57,000€
Region: France - Central/Burgundy Location: Canal latéral à la Garonne, FREuro classic boat for sale. Boatshed Midi Canals is pleased to offer this rare Euro classic 129 for sale. A smaller model than the EuroClassic 139 or 149 range, but…
1997 Cruisers Yachts Esprit 337 for sale 105,000€
Region: France - Central/Burgundy Location: PARIS, FRMotor Cruiser for sale in France. Boatshed Paris is happy to offer this inland and coastal cruiser built by the American builder, Cruisers Yachts, a 10.60 m live aboard cruiser…
1939 Lightship Houseboat for sale £525,000
Region: UK and Ireland Location: East London, GBLightship 93 is one of the most iconic vessels currently in London and is now for sale through Boatshed London. For the last few years, she has been used as…
1926 Dutch Barge Luxe Motor for sale 120,000€
Region: France - Central/Burgundy Location: South burgundy, FRLive aboard luxemotor for sale in France. Boatshed Bourgogne is please to offer this residential Dutch barge for sale. A Luxmotor from 1926 and looking very pretty indeed. This barge…
1950 Residential Mooring 36ft x for sale £30,000
Region: UK and Ireland Location: South Dock, GBAn opportunity to bring a 36ft narrowboat into one of the best marinas in London. The mooring is of limited length, but can accommodate a 36ft narrowboat. There is currently…
2018 Waterlodge Apartboat XL for sale £149,950
Region: UK and Ireland Location: Brighton, GBWow! This vessel offers great views, open plan living accommodation and all of the plus sides of life afloat – she’s even close to the main local shops, bars and…
1929 Dutch Barge 18m for sale 125,000€
Region: France - Central/Burgundy Location: Saone river, FRResidential Dutch barge and cruising home for sale in France. Boatshed Bourgogne is pleased to propose what must be one of the best maintained live aboard barges for sale on…
1990 Dutch Steel Motor Cruiser 3 for sale 35,000€
Region: France - Central/Burgundy Location: North Paris Area / Picardie, FRDouble helm Dutch steel cruiser for sale in France. Boatshed Paris is happy to offer this Altena cruiser for sale in the Picardie region. Built in 1990 in the ALTENA…
1979 Aquafibre 42 for sale £36,000
Region: UK and Ireland Location: Stalham, GB****REDUCED*** Here we have a very nice example of the ever popular Aquafibre 42 Centre Cockpit Broads cruiser. This one appears to be in very nice and tidy order and…
1920 Humber Barge 60ft for sale £135,000
Region: UK and Ireland Location: Medway, Kent, GBBoatshed Medway are delighted to present this Humber Keel Barge which used to be the famous Greenwich Bookboat. The Bookboat sailed into Greenwich in the summer of 1978. She then…
1942 Barge Live aboard for sale 185,000€
Region: France - Central/Burgundy Location: Rhône, FRBarge for Sale: 39-meter Freycinet Residential Barge. Boatshed Midi Canals is pleased to present this unique 39-meter Freycinet residential barge for sale. Discover life on the water with this unconventional…
1982 Ideal 45 for sale £52,500
Region: UK and Ireland Location: North Norfolk Broads, GBBoatshed Norfolk is pleased to be able to exclusively offer, for sale, this large ex-hire Ideal 45 river cruiser. Freshly off hire and fully serviced for the new owner. This…
2001 Narrowboat 63 ft for sale £65,000
Region: UK and Ireland Location: East London, GBA truly charming boat that has been fitted out with exquisite taste. The interior has an elegance which is very unique. The interior is divided into discreet sections that make…
1931 Classic Dutch Barge 63ft for sale £129,950
Region: UK and Ireland Location: Herts, GBBeautiful and incredibly well loved Dutch Barge. Ideal as a comfortable liveaboard. Very traditional in its build with lots of added extras. This boat has books and books of history…
2020 Nicols OCTO FLY C for sale 340,000€
Region: France - Central/Burgundy Location: Canal lateral a la Garonne, FRNicols OctoFly C for sale in France. Boatshed Midi Canals is pleased to offer this superb and as new motor cruiser for sale. Huge saving of time and money (no…
New Barges
New-build Piper Barges
The appeal and popularity of converted Dutch barges as cruising homes has naturally led to the development of new-build steel cruising barges (such as the well-established Piper range), specifically designed to suit live-aboard lifestyles, with commensurate services and facilities.
Useful Information
The Dutch Barge Association (DBA) founded in 1992 is the premier European organisation representing barge owners, and those interested in barging. The DBA is an unrivalled source of barge-related information and advice, including regulatory, legislative and insurance. Members pass on and freely exchange the fruits of personal experience cruising canals and rivers.
The DBA online Members Knowledge Base covers such topics as
Buying a barge | Insurance | Training | Safety | Waterways | Suppliers | Regulations | Cruising | Living Aboard | Mechanical, Electrical, Internal and External Installations
DBA: | Membership information | Bookshop |
see also: | Barge handling competence | Barge equipment |
VAT and Barges
Following DBA Members Colin and Ali Stone’s successful Tribunal and High Court action HMRC has issued a revised Business Brief 38/09. This confirms that Dutch barges and similar vessels that are designed and supplied for use as the permanent residence of the customer are qualifying ships and may be eligible for zero-rating.
Navigating the Waterways
Our sister website French Waterways features all the printed maps and guides necessary to cruise, plus detailed km by km information for every navigable river and canal in France each of which is available to download as a PDF.
