Size ( L W H )
70 x 22 x 70 cm
Premium Acacia Wood
Ready to display with wooden base and brass name plate
Hand made with Plank on frame construction method by skilled craftsmen. These models demand a considerable number of hours for completion, with meticulous planning and careful selection of materials
From the North Sea
Botter fishing boats have a rich history in the Netherlands and Belgium, with both countries having their own distinct versions of the vessel. The Dutch botter was developed from barges and was a fast sailing ship, while the Belgian botter had a more rounded shape and was primarily used in the coastal waters of the North Sea. These boats were also used for fishing, but they had a different design that allowed them to navigate the shallow waters of the coast more easily.
The Dutch botter was built in many shipyards around the Zuiderzee, in places like Monnikendam, Durgerdam, Marken, Spakenburg, and Huizen. The Belgian botter was built in places like Nieuwpoort, Oostende, and Zeebrugge.
This wooden model is for decor purposes, it cannot float.
Keep it in dry conditions and avoid direct sunlight.
Botter Fishing Vessel Model Boat
The botter is a traditional Dutch fishing boat that has a rich history in the Netherlands. The botter was originally a fishing boat from the southern part of the Zuiderzee, now known as the IJsselmeer, a lake created in a former shallow inlet of the North Sea, from which it is separated by a long artificial breakwater. The botter was used for both trawl and gillnet fishing, and to keep the catch alive it was provided with a free flooding fishwell amidships for keeping the catch alive.
The botter has a slightly V-shaped hull, with a projecting keel, angular bilges, and a smooth, convex, open rim. The raised bow descends in a gentle curve to the low stern. It was flat bottomed with curved sides and a high curved stem and a low narrow stern. The leeboards were long and narrow, sword shaped, for use in rough waters for offshore fishing. Fishing botters had a free flooding fishwell amidships for keeping the catch alive.
The boat has a deck that goes from the bow to the mast. Behind it appears the hold in whose center is the livewell. The rig consists of a non-stay-stayed mast carrying a narrow gaff sail and a wide foresail or main jib. It could also carry a bowsprit in which a jib could be released. Sometimes, a triangular sail was also added, supported by a spinnaker pole, flying aft, behind the main gaff.
Many botters ended up being converted into yachts, the covered space forward provided reasonably large and comfortable accommodation, and many Dutch pleasure boats the lines of the botters.
After the completion in 1932 of a large dam that divided the Zuiderzee into two, creating a large inland saltwater lake called Ijsselmeeer and adding the rest of the old inland sea to the Frisian Sea, no new botters were built, and the wood and the sails were replaced by steel and motor propulsion. An association for botter preservation keeps several of them in their original state.
The botter is a symbol of the rich maritime history of the Netherlands and is still used for fishing and recreational purposes.