My canal boat search in the Netherlands ends here: visiting the final Dutch Barge on my list
liked this video? Hit subscribe to help me crack the 100k subs ❤
It’s the final stop on my Dutch barge "shopping tour" in the Netherlands!
In this episode, I head to the last viewing across the Netherlands and Belgium to tour "De Hoop" (The Hope), a historic 22-meter Steilsteven canal boat.
From giant windows flooding the cabin with natural light to secret crawlspace compartments, rust concerns, and my dog Boga wondering if her human has completely lost her mind, this final tour brought plenty of surprises.
After two weeks exploring houseboats, canal boats, and old Dutch barges, it's time to reflect on what I've learned and decide what the next steps are for finding my future floating home on the European inland waterways.
ROOTS ON WATER | Episode 6
⚓ FOLLOW THE JOURNEY & SUBSCRIBE:
If you're new here, welcome aboard! I’m Nike, and after years of solo sailing, I'm searching for an old steel boat to convert into a floating tiny home. Hit Subscribe and turn on the bell so you don't miss the next chapter of the search, the decision, and the renovation adventure ahead!
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - The final day of boat hunting in the Netherlands
0:51 - Arriving at the houseboat area
1:42 - Stepping aboard "De Hoop" (22m Steilsteven walkthrough)
2:23 - The secret bow cabin & hidden hatch
2:52 - Boga's verdict: "You're insane!"
3:24 - Big windows vs. rust & the reality check
4:19 - Wrapping up 2 weeks of canal boat hunting: What's next?
💬 QUESTION FOR YOU:
What do you think of "De Hoop"? Do the big windows and charm outweigh the rust, cigarette smell and work ahead, or would you walk away? Let me know in the comments below!
⇩ FOLLOW THE FREE WEEKLY REFIT UPDATES ⇩
Want to follow the messy reality of refitting a 100-year-old steel boat as it happens? Every Wednesday, I release a raw and unedited update on Patreon, sharing what I’m working on aboard Anna Maria right now. All the problems, progress and decisions that haven’t made it into the finished episodes yet.
► https://www.patreon.com/collection/2211250
⇩ JOIN THE SUPPORT CREW ⇩
Want to skip ahead by a few episodes and find out what happens next? Join the support crew for early and ad-free access to the finished films, behind-the-scenes stories and monthly online Galley Chats. Join the lovely community that makes these videos possible!
► PATREON:
http://www.patreon.com/WhiteSpotPirates
► YOUTUBE CHANNEL MEMBERSHIP:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkYfFeySHGN4DPrOc9So7PA/join
► OR CHIP IN FOR A COLD ONE FOR ME OR A TREAT FOR BOGA via PAYPAL:
https://www.paypal.me/whitespotpirates
ABOUT ROOTS ON WATER
Roots on Water begins with a search: for the right Dutch barge, but also for the kind of life afloat I want to create next. The series follows me, a woman in her mid-40s, as I try to understand what I’m looking for, explore very different historic boats and eventually find Anna Maria, a 21-metre Dutch tjalk built in 1913.
After buying her, I have to learn how to handle this massive old canal boat and bring her through the narrow waterways, bridges and locks of the Netherlands to Germany. Anna Maria was converted into a liveaboard barge in the 1970s, and I originally believed I could keep much of her existing interior. But as more and more problems reveal themselves, that plan begins to unravel and I make the slightly terrifying decision to tear everything apart and take on an enormous DIY boat refit.
From searching for a floating home to navigating Anna Maria and rebuilding her from the steel hull up, this is an honest, developing story of canal boat life: difficult decisions, new skills, unexpected setbacks and the small victories that keep me moving forward.
⇩ FOLLOW THE JOURNEY ⇩
► INSTAGRAM:
http://www.instagram.com/WhiteSpotPirates
► FACEBOOK:
http://www.facebook.com/WhiteSpotPirates
► WEBSITE:
http://www.whitespotpirates.com
⇩ START AT THE BEGINNING OF MY SOLO-SAILING STORY ⇩
Before Anna Maria, there was Karl: the sailboat I bought, rebuilt and eventually sailed away on alone. Untie The Lines follows more than a decade of solo sailing, DIY boat repairs and life aboard, including the fear, freedom, breakdowns and beautiful encounters that shaped both my journey and this channel.
► BINGE-WATCH UNTIE THE LINES FROM EPISODE ONE:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXRq1t-_HOXvL6L6lGac5YAloge4jiLRA
Thank you to everyone who watches, comments, shares these films or supports their creation. Many of you have been travelling alongside me for years, and I’m incredibly grateful that you are here for this very different adventure on the water, too.
And always remember: if I can do it, you can do it, too.
Lots of ocean love and rusty smiles,
Nike 🧜♀️
#DutchBarge #BoatSearch #CanalBoatLife #Houseboat #TinyLiving #AlternativeLiving
WhiteSpotPirates
Nike Steiger documents the high-authority restoration of 'KARL' and her 2026 Atlantic crossing aboard 'Santana'. Join the mission for ocean plastic recycling in Colombia.
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liked this video? Hit subscribe to help me crack the 100k subs ❤
It’s the final stop on my Dutch barge “shopping tour” in the Netherlands!
In this episode, I head to the last viewing across the Netherlands and Belgium to tour “De Hoop” (The Hope), a historic 22-meter Steilsteven canal boat.
From giant windows flooding the cabin with natural light to secret crawlspace compartments, rust concerns, and my dog Boga wondering if her human has completely lost her mind, this final tour brought plenty of surprises.
After two weeks exploring houseboats, canal boats, and old Dutch barges, it’s time to reflect on what I’ve learned and decide what the next steps are for finding my future floating home on the European inland waterways.
ROOTS ON WATER | Episode 6
⚓ FOLLOW THE JOURNEY & SUBSCRIBE:
If you’re new here, welcome aboard! I’m Nike, and after years of solo sailing, I’m searching for an old steel boat to convert into a floating tiny home. Hit Subscribe and turn on the bell so you don’t miss the next chapter of the search, the decision, and the renovation adventure ahead!
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 – The final day of boat hunting in the Netherlands
0:51 – Arriving at the houseboat area
1:42 – Stepping aboard “De Hoop” (22m Steilsteven walkthrough)
2:23 – The secret bow cabin & hidden hatch
2:52 – Boga’s verdict: “You’re insane!”
3:24 – Big windows vs. rust & the reality check
4:19 – Wrapping up 2 weeks of canal boat hunting: What’s next?
💬 QUESTION FOR YOU:
What do you think of “De Hoop”? Do the big windows and charm outweigh the rust, cigarette smell and work ahead, or would you walk away? Let me know in the comments below!
⇩ FOLLOW THE FREE WEEKLY REFIT UPDATES ⇩
Want to follow the messy reality of refitting a 100-year-old steel boat as it happens? Every Wednesday, I release a raw and unedited update on Patreon, sharing what I’m working on aboard Anna Maria right now. All the problems, progress and decisions that haven’t made it into the finished episodes yet.
► https://www.patreon.com/collection/2211250
⇩ JOIN THE SUPPORT CREW ⇩
Want to skip ahead by a few episodes and find out what happens next? Join the support crew for early and ad-free access to the finished films, behind-the-scenes stories and monthly online Galley Chats. Join the lovely community that makes these videos possible!
► PATREON:
http://www.patreon.com/WhiteSpotPirates
► YOUTUBE CHANNEL MEMBERSHIP:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkYfFeySHGN4DPrOc9So7PA/join
► OR CHIP IN FOR A COLD ONE FOR ME OR A TREAT FOR BOGA via PAYPAL:
https://www.paypal.me/whitespotpirates
ABOUT ROOTS ON WATER
Roots on Water begins with a search: for the right Dutch barge, but also for the kind of life afloat I want to create next. The series follows me, a woman in her mid-40s, as I try to understand what I’m looking for, explore very different historic boats and eventually find Anna Maria, a 21-metre Dutch tjalk built in 1913.
After buying her, I have to learn how to handle this massive old canal boat and bring her through the narrow waterways, bridges and locks of the Netherlands to Germany. Anna Maria was converted into a liveaboard barge in the 1970s, and I originally believed I could keep much of her existing interior. But as more and more problems reveal themselves, that plan begins to unravel and I make the slightly terrifying decision to tear everything apart and take on an enormous DIY boat refit.
From searching for a floating home to navigating Anna Maria and rebuilding her from the steel hull up, this is an honest, developing story of canal boat life: difficult decisions, new skills, unexpected setbacks and the small victories that keep me moving forward.
⇩ FOLLOW THE JOURNEY ⇩
► INSTAGRAM:
http://www.instagram.com/WhiteSpotPirates
► FACEBOOK:
http://www.facebook.com/WhiteSpotPirates
► WEBSITE:
⇩ START AT THE BEGINNING OF MY SOLO-SAILING STORY ⇩
Before Anna Maria, there was Karl: the sailboat I bought, rebuilt and eventually sailed away on alone. Untie The Lines follows more than a decade of solo sailing, DIY boat repairs and life aboard, including the fear, freedom, breakdowns and beautiful encounters that shaped both my journey and this channel.
► BINGE-WATCH UNTIE THE LINES FROM EPISODE ONE:
Thank you to everyone who watches, comments, shares these films or supports their creation. Many of you have been travelling alongside me for years, and I’m incredibly grateful that you are here for this very different adventure on the water, too.
And always remember: if I can do it, you can do it, too.
Lots of ocean love and rusty smiles,
Nike 🧜♀️
#DutchBarge #BoatSearch #CanalBoatLife #Houseboat #TinyLiving #AlternativeLiving
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