A TREKSCHUIT literal translated tow boat is a historic ship with a deck house which was pulled by horses or human power from the shore along the canals in the Netherlands and Belgium and used from the 17th until the 19th century.
The TREKSCHUIT was mostly used to transport passengers, but she took also some cargo.
It is believed that she is associated with the opening of the canal between Brussels and Willebroek in 1516.
It is known that Prince Willem of Orange travelled by a TREKSCHUIT on the canals in 1577.
1582 The Dutch town Leiden did have passenger transport by TREKSCHUIT.
The oldest known deed of a TREKSCHUIT built in 1618 was between Brussels and Antwerp.
In the region of the Seven Provinces many canals were dug after 1632 connected the country side with the larger cities.
Until the advent of the railway in the 19th century was the TREKSCHUIT the most comfortable and regular mode of passenger transport in the Netherlands. The TREKSCHUIT was one of the forerunners of the modern public transport; the service was on schedule and took every person who could pay his ticket.
The TREKSCHUIT was pulled by one or more horses which were walking along the canal bank on a special made tow patch. The towing line was connected to the mast on some higher point so she would run free of small bushes and reeds along the canals. On sharp corners of the canals special rolling poles were placed were the towline was led along to prevent that she TREKSCHUIT was pulled on shore.
The TREKSCHUIT was light built so she could make good speed when pulled along the canals by horses in trot; average speed was around 7 km an hour.
From paintings and drawings the TREKSCHUIT had often straight overhanging stems and a flat bottom.
There where night and day boats, the night boats had a rudimentary sleeping accommodation.
Early boats were open or did have an awing covering the passengers, in later times she had long window lined deckhouse.
There was a steering well aft as seen on the stamp.
In my younger years just after the World War II; I was living in a small village between Bolsward and Workum in the Netherlands, the canal in front of our house was called Trekvaart (pullcanal) and the road between the canal and our house was called Trekweg (pullstreet), at that time many barges were passing there and when they did not have a suitable wind for sailing they were pulling the barge as seen on the lowest photo. Even near Workum there was a place they still called rolpaal (rollpole) that pole already was gone before I was born. .
Netherlands 2002 80c sg?, scott.
Source: http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trekschuit Zeilvaart Lexicon Aak to Zumbra a dictionary of the World’s Watercraft.