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Description

Aqualine 55ft (16.95 metre) Dutch Barge, "Independence"
One owner from new.
Very high specification with full double glazing, high quality fit out with leather seating in the wheel house, quality flooring throughout, very high quality furnishing, excellent central heating with concealed radiators, spray foam insulation, hardwood window frames and wheel house.
Keel cooled Mitsubishi Sole Six Cylinder Engine.
Perfect for long distance sailing or as a residential houseboat.

"Independence" is a 16.95 metre (55 ft) Dutch Barge built in the style of a Lux Motor Barge. "Independence" is unique and she has many features that are not often associated with Dutch Barges. She was built in 2010 by Aqualine Marine Ltd, took eleven months to complete and commission and she was handed over to me on 1st January 2011. Since this time she has only been used occasionally and has only 500 hours on her engine.

"Independence" was delivered by road to Tingdene Marina near Reading. She had a brief trip down the Thames and into the Medway where she was kept on the fresh water part of the Medway until 2014 when she was taken by a professional pilot to Nieuwpoort in Belgium and onto the non tidal waterways. Since 2015 she has been moored at Diksmuide, Belgium, in a very attractive and friendly marina.
Whilst "Independence" looks very traditional, she is a 21st century craft with all mod cons, both for boating and also the sort of comfort that would be found in most homes.

"Independence" is built of very high quality steel, the construction is very robust and unlike many boats of her type she is very sea worthy as she has a full length box keel making her incredibly stable when in rough water. She is a category "C" craft but has been ballasted to category "B" standards, hence the stability. She also has seven automatic bilge pumps which have never been used except for testing. Do not confuse this magnificent craft with any other Dutch Barge; she is far better in many ways.

When I started looking for a company to build me my dream boat I became very disillusioned as to the quality that was on offer from boat builders, both in the UK and also in mainland Europe. When I discovered Aqualine it was like a breath of fresh air, here was a company that had the attitude that I was looking for. Their answer was yes to everything I required and the finished product is just totally superb. This is more like a floating luxury apartment, rather than a boat, as it has everything that you would expect from a city flat.

When I first decided to have "Independence" built I decided that I would only have the very best in both technical facilities and also comfort, so the cost would be a secondary factor. Some of the things I specified did, however, raise some eyebrows at Aqualine, but all that I asked for were forthcoming and the final result could only be described as perfect.

My reason for selling "Independence" is very simple, I expected by now, to be having a more relaxing life style and I wanted to go and explore the waterways of central Europe, but I just do not have the time, due to a new business that seems to be expanding rather fast and I want to see it through, rather than retire as I had planned. I will probably have another “Independence” built by Aqualine in about five year’s time when things have calmed down a bit. This has been a difficult decision, but to leave my beautiful boat just moored up for occasional use, is a waste, as she deserves to be used and loved.

Mooring Location.
Independence is moored at Diksmuide, Belgium, in a fantastic marina with every facility you can imagine including an active social calendar. The wifi is also very good and included in the mooring fees. The mooring fees are around £900 (nine hundred Pounds per year). The only extras are electricity, which is on a meter and the river licence, about £250 per year. Diksmuide is just over an hour from Calais by car and is the perfect location to start a journey to explore the whole of the European Inland Waterways. If you wanted to go to The UK, the sea journey across the channel is easy.

VAT Status
Independence has full tax paid status for all countries in The EU. She also has UK VAT status for residential use.

Technical Features.

Engine and Propulsion.
Mitsubishi Sole 95hp non turbo six cylinder diesel driving through a Python Drive Coupling to a solid shaft with a 23 inch four blade machined phosphor bronze propeller.
The engine is cooled by a self contained keel cooling system which has many advantages. It’s much quieter, (many other boaters don’t hear us coming), you don’t have to empty any cooling water filters (there aren’t any) and the engine is protected as all the cooling water is closed loop freshwater with anti freeze in it.
The engine silencer, which is dry, is of hospital quality and this also helps to make the boat very quiet.

Steering and Thrusters.
The steering is a closed loop hydraulic system with an emergency override and external tiller if needed. The steering is very light and very precise.
"Independence" has both Bow and Stern Thrusters, this means that you can moor in places other large boats would not fit in, she can go sideways, she is very easy to put in any small gap and you can also turn her through 180 degrees in her own length. The stern thruster is also very useful for correcting those "slight errors" when mooring in tight places.

Other Navigation Facilities.
"Independence" has, apart from radar, every thing that could be required for coastal and inland boating. From an electric anchor, through very wide gunwales, to safety handles in all of the right places. There is also a very comprehensive array of instrumentation for both navigation purposes and also for the domestic services on board. There is also a new state of the art ships DST radio fitted in a cupboard to the side of the steering wheel and a Garmin colour screen GPS unit.

Electrics and Heating.
Electrics.
The electrical system on "Independence" is advanced to say the least and all safety features have been incorporated. When on shore power an automatic galvanic transformer protects the boat and the domestic electrical system is also protected by a reverse polarity sensor. There is also an automatic overload sensor which resets, also automatically.
There is a 3kva inverter charger and also a 3.5kva generator which is powered by the boat’s engine. When this generator is turned on it will charge the batteries, run the dish washer or washing machine, power the hot water immersion heater as well as provide 230 volts around the boat.
In addition to the normal electricity supplies there are also two 24 volt 250 watt solar panels fitted on the wheelhouse roof. These are connected into the boats 24 volt domestic system and will keep the batteries topped up even when not on shore power.

Lighting.
The lighting system on "Independence" is fantastic, there are many different selectable lighting moods, from overhead MR16 LED and halogen, to roof, gunwale and floor strip LEDs. In addition there are strip LEDs around the roof line on the outside of the wheelhouse. This looks very pretty but is very useful when mooring at night.

Heating.
"Independence" has four diesel tanks, two for propulsion and two separate ones for heating oil. Heating oil is about half the price of propulsion diesel.
The heating and hot water boiler is a Webasto 9500T with a timer unit like a standard home heating system. It is very efficient and I was very warm and cosy during the winter of 2012, when the temperature dropped to minus ten.

Wheelhouse Heating.
The wheelhouse as well as the normal boat heating system, has an extra fan heater which takes the heat from the engine and warms the wheelhouse. This is very useful in cold weather when you are on the move as there is no need to have the main system turned on, thus saving heating oil.

Comfort and Modern Living.
"Independence" is fully insulated. All the external steel is spray foam insulated and even the floors have 100mm of high quality compressed foam in a plywood sandwich. All of the wooden hardwood windows are double glazed and this includes the wheelhouse, wheelhouse doors and the pigeon box. Winter on this boat is warm, dry and cosy. The summers are also pleasant as due to all the insulation she stays quite cool and there is a very good flow of air from the hatches and the pigeon box.

Wheelhouse.
In addition to the wheelhouse being used for piloting the boat it is also a very useful and luxurious relaxing space. There is a split folding solid oak and sapele table, this is surrounded by high quality leather seating with knee rolls. Eight people can be accommodated very comfortably. The roof is covered with the same pale yellow leather as the seating and trimmed with contrasting dark wood sectioning.

Galley.
The boat term is a galley but this "galley" must be described as a kitchen. The quality and facilities would not be out of place in a city centre apartment. Granite worktops, twin stainless steel sinks, full size gas four burner hob with twin fan assisted ovens, over hob extractor system with lights, dishwasher, plus 230 volt fridge and a 24 volt freezer. There are also lots of cupboards and storage space and all of the draws in the galley and throughout the boat have soft close runners. The flooring is high quality ceramic tiles. Cooking for eight people in this kitchen is easy.

Saloon.
The spacious saloon has a solid oak floating floor and fitted oak cupboards down each side, with a built in high quality hifi system with a sub woofer. The furniture is of classic modern style, a dark brown leather G Plan sofa along with two light cream leather recliner swivel seats make relaxing very easy. There is a LCD TV, DVD player and a HD satellite receiver. The signal for the satellite system come from a self tracking dome, the dome will find the satellite quickly and automatically. This satellite system is designed to work in most of northern Europe. A Sky HD box can also be fitted to the satellite dome. In addition to the large double glazed picture windows the galley and the saloon benefit from the large pigeon box which make the whole area very light and airy.

Fore Bathroom.
The fore bathroom has "Jack and Jill" doors, this means it can be accessed from the master cabin and also from the companionway adjoining the saloon. The bathroom has granite worktops, ceramic tiled flooring, a high quality ceramic round basin, a full size corner thermostatic shower, electric WC, extractor fan, heated chrome towel rail, LED concealed lighting and large fitted mirror. There is also a Bosch front loading washing fitted under the worktop and inside a double folding door cabinet.

Main Cabin.
Like the rest of the boat the fore cabin has an oak and cream theme. There is a full size double bed with storage space underneath, twin wardrobes and bedside storage cupboards. There is lots of cleaver storage space here and also through out the boat. The lightning is a mixture of LED and halogen and the concealed reading lights are controlled by switches on each side of the bed. The floor is covered with fitted Wilton carpet and the bed head is the same light yellow leather that is used in the wheelhouse.

Rear Cabin.
There are two single beds; these can be converted into one very large double. The headboard is the same light yellow leather as used in the wheelhouse and the carpet is the same as the fore cabin. There is a corner shower and in the opposite corner a loo with wash basin, electric WC and heated towel rail.
There are three wardrobes, two sets of draws and lots of concealed storage space.

Outside.
The gunwale which goes totally around the boat is very wide and totally safe as there are many fixed safety rails. The rear deck, which has a concealed built in step, is surrounded by stainless steel railings with a hardwood top capping. There are two very large concealed lockers; one is used as a gas locker, the other could be used to store folding bicycles. On the foredeck there are two more concealed lockers, these can be used as seats as well as storage space. The fore deck has a very traditional Dutch Barge mast with a discrete communication aerial fitted to it.
The hull sides are protected by a 100mm rubber rubbing strip mounted on a 50mm x 100mm steel box section. This not only protects the boat but it is a very useful step. There are many hand made rope fenders around the hull, these are fixed to the boat using the built in steel fender eyes. There are also several standard round and tube shaped fenders.

Paintwork.
The superstructure is a very traditional Dutch Barge cream and the hull is dark blue. The quality of the paint and the steelwork is so good that people ask if the boat is fibreglass, it shines and still looks brand new. The underwater section was shot blasted back to bare steel in June 2012 as I wanted to see how the steel was standing up. There were no issues but she was repainted in Blake’s new, two pack underwater paint. Three coats were applied and the paint is now about a quarter of an inch thick.
In the winter of 2023 – 2024 the paintwork was fully refurbished at Ship Support, Nieuwpoort, using Awlgrip, the very best two pack paint. The main superstructure, the hull and the underwater section of the boat were stripped back and totally repainted at a cost of 38,000 euros. The quality of the work is superb and this paint should last around fifteen years before any more work is required.

External Woodwork.
All of the external woodwork is high quality hardwood which is finished in Osma Oil. Osma Oil is very easy to apply and also the old oil doesn’t have to be removed unlike a varnish finish. The whole boat can be treated with Osma Oil in just a few hours of easy work.
Independence is ready for long distance boating.

During the winter of 2023-2024 the engine, engine cooling system, solar charging system, electrical system, 12 volt, 24 volt and 320 AC mains were checked. The engine start batteries x 2, the bow thruster batteries x 4 and the 10 domestic batteries were replaced. The four diesel tanks have been cleaned out and the central heating system was serviced. At the same time all the electrics, solar panel system and the electrical safety systems were checked. The engine had a full service, including changing the keel cooling anti freeze and all mechanical systems were checked.

Everything on Independence is ready to go and she could be sailed away to Europe to start her adventure, unfortunately, I won’t be with her, this will be the pleasure of her new very discerning owners.

Specifications
Length 16.95 metres 55 feet
Beam 3.75 metres 12 ft 4ins
Draft 0.90 metres 3 ft.
Air Draft 3 metres 10 feet.
Weight 35 tons

Tanks.
Propulsion Diesel 450 litres
Heating Oil 630 litres
Fresh Water 650 litres
Black Water 2 x Vetus Black Water Tanks (never used). There are diverting valves to send the black water into the river or sea.

Construction.
All steel conforms to EN S5235 JR and the whole construction process was over seen by The Polish Shipping Register.
Keel Plate 20mm
Chine Plates 6mm
Hull sides 6mm
Bulkheads 6/8mm
Superstructure 4mm and 5mm
Internal Framing 6/8mm
Insulation Spray Foam all surfaces 100mm except floor which is 100mm foam.

Engine.
Mitsubshi Sole 95hp Diesel Non Turbo.
Keel Cooled.
Three alternators, 24 volt domestic, 12 volt engine start, 230 volts AC for mains when the engine is running.

Location.
Independence is moored in a private marina in Diksmuide, Belgium.
The current mooring could be transferred to the new owner but this would be with the agreement of the marina’s management.

Viewing.
By appointment with the owner.

Specifications

Accommodation

Two cabins.
Master cabin with queen size bed and en-suite shower, loo and washbasin.
Guest cabin with twin beds which can be configured to make a very large double. With en-suite loo with washbasin and separate shower.

Construction

Steel hull and superstructure with hardwood double glazed wheelhouse.

Engine(s)

Mitsubishi Sole Six Cylinder Non Turbo Keel Cooled.

Port Side

Port Side Showing Window Eyebrows

With Full Winter Bespoke Coverings

View of Saloon From Wheelhouse

Saloon from Galley

Saloon Towards Galley

Companionway 2

Companionway

Kitchen Vertical Cabinet

Kitchen Floor Cabinet

Curved Kitchen

Master Bedroom

Main Cabin Wardrobe

Master Bathroom

Main Cabin Shower

Wheelhouse Seating Extra Seat

Wheelhouse Dinning Area

Steering Position

Guest's Cabin

Guest Cabin with Double Bed

Rear Cabin Starboard Side

Guest Cabin Shower

Rear Cabin Loo

Guest Cabin Looking Forward

Switch Panel

Electrical Cupboard

Engine Room

Bow thruster

Stern Thruster

Stern Thruster Inside Picture

Underside

Underside View

Underside

Underside View

Rudder

Location Map