Why a house when you could have a Dutch..

Why not explore the whole continent with this carefully designed and highly flexible Dutch Barge? Zingara is a unique steel boat being a cross between a 1920's motor yacht and a residential barge. She was designed and built by a team of carefully selected specialists to be able to travel in luxury on almost all the navigable waterways of Europe and, being exceptionally strong and seaworthy, on coastal seas in reasonable weather.

She can sleep up to 6 persons and can carry a small car on the aft engine deck that is loaded and off-loaded with an integrated hydraulic crane. She has a central saloon, master en-suite cabin forward, guest en-suite cabin aft, workshop in the bow and all major machinery in the engine room aft which is separated from the accommodation by a steel bulkhead.

She was launched in 2002 and over the last 11 years has explored most of the rivers and canals in Western Europe, Poland, the Gota canal, the Danube, and the waters of the Channel, the Baltic, the Black Sea and the northern Mediterranean.

She is in outstanding condition having just completed a major repaint and machinery service in a respected Dutch boatbuilders yard. (reference: R000294)

MAIN SALON
Indoor helm and electricity controls at forward end. Double access doors port and starboard. Free standing seating for 4. Wooden desk & captain's chair. Old English diesel stove. Built in dinette which converts to double bed opposite galley.

DINING AREA
The dining table sits four comfortably, and up to six with the addition of a stool......

or a Spare Double Bed
..... It collapses to form a spare double bed, and has plenty of storage around it and under the seats.

GALLEY
The galley kitchen comprises matching base and eye-level solid oak and maple units with a Corian® worktop/double sink.It is equipped with Wallas ceramic diesel Hob, Wallas diesel Oven, Combination microwave domestic oven (240v), Domestic under unit fridge (240v, .Under floor 24v chest freezer/cool box.

MASTER CABIN
The forward master cabin has a central double bed with easy access from both sides. There is one large hanging wardrobe to starboard and a smaller one to port. There is also extensive storage in drawers and cupboards on both sides, as well as a chart drawer and large storage area under the double bed......

Dressing Table in Master Cabin
...and a dressing table, and.....

Bedsides
....either side of the master bed are bedside shelves with power sockets - ideal for a book or two, alarm clocks, and for charging phones.

ENSUITE to Master Cabin
The en-suite bathroom has a bath with shower over, a hand basin set in vanity unit, and an electric macerator loo.

GUEST CABIN
Fitted with double bed with substantial storage drawers underneath. Large fitted mirror-faced wardrobe and assorted fitted lockers. Again, there is a large shelf by the bedhead equipped with lights and power sockets.
The door to this cabin is arranged such that direct access to this shower room is also possible from the saloon whilst maintaining the privacy of the aft cabin.

Lewmar Skylight
In addition to the portholes facing starboard, the guest bedroom has a large Lewmar skylight equipped with both blackout blind and fly screen.

LAUNDRY CUPBARD
Located off the Guest Cabin, the Laundry Cupboard is fitted with a standard domestic washer/dryer, as well as having ample storage and integrated ironing board.

ENSUITE SHOWER ROOM to Guest Cabin
With shower, wash hand basin in vanity unit and macerator WC. Also in this room is a large broom cupboard and smaller storage cupboard.

REAR DECK
The aft deck is a multipurpose space - ideal for al fresco dining, transporting a car and/or bicycles, and providing easy access to the engine bay - either through its large bay doors or a smaller hatch.

Loading a Small Car
A small 4-seater car can be carried on the aft deck. This is loaded by a hydraulic HIAB folding crane, which is controlled from the Upper Helm position. When not carrying a car, the aft deck is covered by a canopy and provides an ideal dining/party area in fine weather.

Travellling with the car
With car properly lashed down, it is possible to cruise both inland and in coastal waterways. In this manner it is possible to travel to far-off climes whilst retaining independence and flexibility - whether to do a weekly shop or commute to and fro.

ENGINE BAY
Under the aft deck is the engine room with all the machinery. A steel bulkhead separates this from the living area thus ensuring that mechanical noise outside the engine room is kept to an absolute minimum. Access to the engine room is through a hatchway and within the engine room there is easy access to all machinery for maintenance purposes. She has a Sabre Perkins M135 naturally aspirated diesel engine giving her a cruising speed of 12 km/hr and a maximum speed of about 15 km/hr. The main drive is hydraulic, as is the bow thruster and other main ancillaries.

WATER BOILER AND ELECTRIC POWER
A diesel boiler provides heating and hot water and there is a back-up electricity-free diesel fired stove in the saloon. A 4.5kw generator coupled with1200ah domestic batteries and a 3,000w Victron Combi inverter provide ample electric power at 240 volts AC and 24 volts DC. An isolating transformer protects the boat when on shore power.

FORWARD WORKSHOP
Aft of the bow windlass there is a workshop with full standing height, a workbench and extensive storage racking for tools, spares, the inflatable dinghy and an outboard motor.

ANCHORS for Mooring
A 75kg Halls anchor is carried on the bow and is operated from there by a powerful hydraulic combined gypsy/windlass. At the stern there is a further hydraulic windlass which can be used for both mooring (when necessary) and for lifting the stern Fortress anchor.

INDOOR HELM STATION
Zingara has two helm stations - the internal one at the forward end of the saloon which provides shelter and warmth when desirable. Both stations are fully instrumented including chart plotter and radar facilities: Main engine control and Instrument panel, Engine speed control, forward and aft variable thrust control, bow thruster variable thrust control, hydraulic helm, Raymarine ST40 instruments:

OUTDOOR HELM STATION AND DRINKS DECK
The Upper Helm position provides an excellent spot from which to command the boat - either open-air or with the canopy on to protect from the elements. It is particularly useful when maneuvering in tighter spaces owing to its excellent all-round visibility. There is plenty of space for friends to join the helmsmen when underway, and is the perfect spot to enjoy evenings when in harbour.

COASTAL HANDLING
The boat has been designed to cope with coastal water navigation and since its launch in 2002 and over the last 11 years has explored most of the rivers and canals in Western Europe, Poland, the Gota canal, the Danube, and the waters of the English Channel, the Baltic, the Black Sea and the northern Mediterranean. Exceptional strength and seaworthyness, combined with hard chines and long rudder make for a comfortable sea crossings. In practice one tries to avoid sailing in seas with the wind above Force 4, though she has had to cope with an unexpected Force 6 and did so without alarm.

CANALS AND INLAND WATERWAYS
In addition to stability in open waters, the key dimensions of height, width and draught have been carefully designed such that virtually all European canals are navigable. Moreover, the bow thruster, Schilling rudder, the powerful Perkins engine with variable hydraulic power take-off and the visibility offered by the upper helm position mean that it is exceptionally easy to control with precision.

Comfort and Insulation
All the living areas are insulated with sprayed foam ensuring that she is cool in the summer and very cosy in winter. Throughout she has been fitted out with woodwork of exceptional quality. The panels are faced with maple and the trim is all of solid oak providing a very light contemporary feel.

Domestic Fuel
A diesel fired hob and oven in the galley ensure that diesel is the only fuel required on board. There is a small microwave and a large under-counter electric fridge in the galley and a smaller top-loading freezer in the galley floor.

Water Tanks
Under the saloon floor there are eight 550 ltr tanks - four are for diesel storage for the main engine and ancillaries, two are fresh water tanks and one is a black water tank. The eighth tank is for grey water but currently this is discharged directly overboard. There is also a 600 ltr trim tank in the bow that can be used for additional fresh water storage. There is easy under floor access throughout to the bilges where the electric, water and hydraulic services run.

Recently overhauled
Zingara has just completed a major overhaul in a top quality Dutch yard. This included a complete external repaint and the servicing of all systems, thus she is in outstanding condition. In winter she is moored inside a floating garage near Sneke in Friesland and in the sailing season she has a mooring in a marina nearby. Friesland offers exceptional cruising waters and is easily accessible from the UK.

A desire to explore the American waterways means that very sadly we must part with Zingara. We hope that someone with an appetite for adventure and with an appreciation for a beautiful, well engineered home will want to own this lovely, unique boat.

Included in the sale
The boat is offered for sale with a complete inventory of equipment and furniture offering a complete turn-key solutions including: dingy and outboard, life-raft, full set of spares, a fully-equipped workshops, the canopies and frames, indoor and outdoor furniture (incl linen, kitchen and equipment), charts and pilots books in paper and CD formats for European waterways, the Mediterranean and Black Sea. In fact all you would need to set sail immediately is toiletries, clothes, food and drink!

Contact
Please contact Philip Cook by email at philipcook@aol.com or on his mobile, 0044 7802 357512. Guide Price - offers in the region of £375,000.