L'Impressionniste
Encyclopedia
The L'Impressionniste (The Impressionist) was built in 1960 in Belgium
and is a spitz barge
with a dutch luxe motor
style bow. The overall hull shape of the barge is a marriage of the French
and Dutch barge
building influences. She was converted to a hotel barge
in 1996. L'Impressionniste is owned and operated by European Waterways
and she sails on the Burgundy Canal .
and Brussels
. She had a particularly long commercial hold for a vessel of 38.5 meters overall length and this eventually was one of the reasons her hull was well suited to be converted into a hotel barge.
Her conversion took place in 1996 and was mainly done by Verr ian Gray and Geoffrey Foot, two English engineers. Her design and layout were based on La Belle Epoque which was built the year before and the original owners purchased the plans from European Waterways. She was originally powered by a 8 cylinder Deutz
diesel engine which produced 200 hp. This gave the barge a top speed of 16 km/h. She has a single rudder and chain link steering which coupled with her relatively fine bow ensure practical maneuverability. She was re-engined in 2000 with a Scania 250 hp and spent several of the following years on the river Rhone
which has a strong current and needs plenty of horsepower.
L'Impressionniste currently has 6 double cabins and 1 single cabin allowing her to carry up to 13 passengers. She also has separate crew quarters which house the 5 crew. Deck Plan The crew consists of a captain and pilot, deck hand and tour guide, master chef and two housekeepers and waiters. She regularly cruises on the Burgundy Canal.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and is a spitz barge
Spitz barge
A Spitz, spits, barge is usually a Belgian steel motorized cargo barge of 350 tons, built between the 1920s -50's. During 1920-1929 about 950 spitz barges were built in Belgium. The critical detail for the spitz is the dimension, long and wide. They were especially designed for the Belgian...
with a dutch luxe motor
Luxe motor
A Luxe motor is a Dutch type barge, built for the first time in the early 1920s. Most vessels had a straight bow with characteristic upsweep of the gunwale and a luxury accommodation for living at the back of the ship, from which the name derives...
style bow. The overall hull shape of the barge is a marriage of the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Dutch barge
Dutch barge
Dutch barges are flat bottom boats, originally used for cargo carrying in the Netherlands, many of which have now been converted for pleasure or residential use. Originally made of wood and powered by sail, most of the existing barges are made of iron or steel and powered by diesel engines...
building influences. She was converted to a hotel barge
Hotel barge
The Hotel Barge came into being following the decline in commercial and freight carriage on the canals of Europe. Many working barges have been converted into floating hotels of varying degrees of luxury...
in 1996. L'Impressionniste is owned and operated by European Waterways
European Waterways
European Waterways is an international company based in Berkshire, England that operates a fleet of 21 river cruising vessels along the rivers and canals of Europe.-Company history:...
and she sails on the Burgundy Canal .
History
The vessel is slab-sided and has a flat lower part of the hull which means she was fairly cheap to build originally and space was maximized as the hull is effectively a box section. During the 1960s she carried grain and timber, making regular trips between ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. She had a particularly long commercial hold for a vessel of 38.5 meters overall length and this eventually was one of the reasons her hull was well suited to be converted into a hotel barge.
Her conversion took place in 1996 and was mainly done by Verr ian Gray and Geoffrey Foot, two English engineers. Her design and layout were based on La Belle Epoque which was built the year before and the original owners purchased the plans from European Waterways. She was originally powered by a 8 cylinder Deutz
Deutz AG
Deutz AG is an engine manufacturer, based in Cologne, Germany.-History:The company was founded by Nikolaus Otto, inventor of the four-stroke internal combustion engine, in 1864 as N. A...
diesel engine which produced 200 hp. This gave the barge a top speed of 16 km/h. She has a single rudder and chain link steering which coupled with her relatively fine bow ensure practical maneuverability. She was re-engined in 2000 with a Scania 250 hp and spent several of the following years on the river Rhone
Rhône
Rhone can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rhône Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
which has a strong current and needs plenty of horsepower.
L'Impressionniste currently has 6 double cabins and 1 single cabin allowing her to carry up to 13 passengers. She also has separate crew quarters which house the 5 crew. Deck Plan The crew consists of a captain and pilot, deck hand and tour guide, master chef and two housekeepers and waiters. She regularly cruises on the Burgundy Canal.