Are these the Boom Chicago boats?
No. We do understand the confusion, because we've always used Boom's bar as our home base. But we
are not the Boom Boats. We have no formal affiliation with Boom Chicago. The founder of the boat club is
the brother of one of the founders of Boom Chicago. So in the fraternal spirit, Boom lets us use their bar as
home base. In return, Boom people get pretty liberal access to boat rides.
It kind of upsets us to be called the Boom Boats because 1) we're not, and 2), it takes away from all the hard
work and success of the St. Nicolaas Boat Club. You'd think we could shake the "Boom" moniker after ten
years, but we can't. But please do your part and call us the St. Nick Boat Club.
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How much does it cost?
We ask for a donation from each person. We can't legally charge for our rides. Nor do we want to. But we do want your money. But it's up to you to give. Keeping up old boats is expensive. Giving boat rides costs money. The only reason we're still here is because people donate.
You won't be pressured into giving and we don't want people to stay away because they're poor. We don't
even ask for your money until the end of the ride. And even then it's a no-pressure pass-the-hat system.
Actually, our “hat” is a can, but it’s the same idea. We don't want anybody to feel like they're getting ripped off.
We are non-profit and nobody is getting rich off this. You might think that with all the poor travelers and rich
cheapskates and our semi-anonymous pass-the-hat system, we'd get stiffed a lot. Au contraire! Our boat
rides are so nice that people almost always give. In fact, we ask for your donation at the end of the ride
precisely because we hope to get more money from you.
You can also donate money through the paypal "make a donation" link on every page of this website.A few people actually have! Thanks to you all, especially M.L.! |
Is it true we can eat, drink, and smoke on your boats?
Sure is! But keep in mind, you can't go to the bathroom because we don't have one.
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How come it's so hard to track you guys down? Can't you have a normal schedule? Or a phone
number? What about an address? Why can't you be more professional?
Sorry. That's not who we are. We're volunteers keeping up a couple of boats. We have no office. We have no
phone. We're not professionals and this isn't a tour-boat business. But you can come out on our boats. And
we'll bet you'll love the St. Nicolaas Boat Club!
Information on our boat rides can be found when you stop by Boom Chicago, Leidseplein 12, Amsterdam,
the Netherlands. The 1, 2, 5, 7, and 10 trams go to the Leidseplein. Looking at a map of the city center, we're
on the southwest side (7 o'clock, on the compass).
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Taking out boats all day? Sounds like a rough life. Can I have your job?
This is nobody's full-time job. Some of us are more slack than others, but all of us have what could very
loosely be defined as a day job. Nicole is an actor, Magnus is a sculptor, Mike is a union pilot (boat, of
course), and Peter is a professor in New York City.
And taking out boats isn't all fun and games. Sure we love it. But it's a skilled job and we're proud of our
piloting skill and safety record. If you do come on our boat, remember to keep your hands inside and tip your
captain. We deserve it!
There's a lot of shit-work and awkward heavy lifting you don't see (see picture on right).
Keeping boats in running condition isn't easy. Boats always need to be painted. Every third year they come
out of the water to scrape and re-tar the underside. Electrics are always corroding. Oil has to be changed.
The grease cap needs to be filled. Water needs bailing. And things about everything breaks. We've even lost
our propeller more than once. As we say, "if it's not one thing, it's another."
This is what you would call a labor of love. There's a cliché that boats are a hole in the water you pour money
into. It's true: fuel, oil, paint, lights, engines, transmissions, repairs, drydock, advertising, and yes, even legal
fees (sigh). Most years, we break even.
We're always looking for people with a love of boats and diesel-engine or carpentry skills. The job of
pumping out the boats in the winter is always available. But we usually don't need more captains. Well,
that's a polite way of saying we won't train anybody to be captain unless we already trust, know, and like you.
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Is the boat suitable for my children and grandparents?
The short answer is yes. But that really depends on you. Everybody is welcome, but we tend to attract, shall
we say, a hipper crowd than the big tour boats. Drinking and smoking are allowed. And getting in the boat
requires climbing a few feet down a canal wall. Nobody has failed yet. But some minimal agility is required.
Kids, of course, have no problem scampering onto the boat and tend to be well behaved. But parents have
to make sure that their kids (literally) stay in the boat. The boats do not have life preservers. We have no
plans on sinking, but we're just saying. We can all swim.
We've never had an injury (knock on wood) after thousands of rides, but there's always some inherent
danger around engines, boats, and water. You ride at your own risk.
The boats are open to the elements and we do not make a bathroom stop.
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Hey, I've heard that you guys are barely legal? What gives?
Don't believe everything you hear. Actually, we're entirely legal. We've been a non-profit boat club (stichting)
since 1997. True, we don't have permit to take people out on the canals. But they don't have permits for
groups like us. And you only need permit if you're professional, charging money, or have a boat longer than 8
meters or carrying more than 12 persons. There's nothing wrong with taking your friends on the water. And
that's what we do.
We are a group of friends who spend a lot of time on the water. And you're welcome to join us. And we ask
for donations at the end of any ride. Nobody is getting rich. All the money goes to keeping the boats afloat
(OK, sometimes we buy some beers).
In July 2006, after years of mild harassment by the authorities, we were finally able to argue our position in
court. Guess what? We won!
Update (June 2008): We're still getting hassled and have just found out that our latest application is going to be rejected by the binnenwaterbeheer. Among other things, they claim 1) we're part of Chicago, and 2) we charge money or make our guests feel like they have to pay. Both statements are false. But how can we convince them? We don't know what this means. But if nothin else lots of legal fees with money we don't have.
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I've heard you hate the big tour boat companies. That really isn't true, is it?
No, we hate them. Really. They're just bad boats. They give bad tours. They're too big for the canals. There is
nothing historic or Dutch about them. They're very aggressive drivers. And the companies make obscene
amounts of money because there is no real competition. And they try to prevent other boats (like ours) from
running by claiming there are too many boats on the canals. The bastards. So yes, we hate the big boats
and everything they represent.
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Are those the only reasons you hate them?
God no! We also hate them because they're jerks. The tour boats drive aggressively, have right-of-way,
constantly speed (the speed limit is 15km/hour), set a bad tone for the canals (by always going too fast, for
example), create pollution, and are simply too big for the canals. But as captains, we do have sympathy for
some of their captains. The poor guys have to drive the same route and listen to the same recorded tour in
four languages day after day after day after day.
Canals were designed for boats about 2-3 meters wide. The tour boats are twice as wide. So when they're
going through a bridge or around a corner, no other boat can fit. They're like a doublewide trailer barreling
down a scenic narrow mountain road. Combine that with their aggressiveness, and they become a
dangerous menace. There's no reason their boats couldn't be half the size they currently are. Then at least
they would be the correct size for a canal boat and not create havoc going under bridges and through
sluices. And it would provide more captains' jobs as well. But they don't want anything to break into their
massive profits.
There are basically three big companies that control the tour business and the canals. They all have the
same boats and give the same crappy tour. Here's a quote taken straight from one of their web sites:
An on-board video system provides you with information in various languages and shows you details
normally not visible from the boat. We supply information in: Dutch, English, German, French, Spanish,
Italian, Thech [sic], Swedish, Chinese, Korean, Thai and Japanese. Our luxurious glass top launches seat
from 40 to 100 persons and some have an open rear balcony for the best fotographic results. Toilet facilities
are standard, as is a heating system that allows us to operate all year round.
If that's what you want, enjoy. But it's not for us.
It's ironic that they're filed complaints against us because we're not and have no intentions of ever becoming
a business. Some of the people on our boats have already been on their boats; most of our guests have no
desire to ever be on one of their boats. But the big boys see any boat that gives access to the canals as a
threat. We try not to be paranoid, but they've reported us as an illegal tour boat to the Binnenwaterbeheer,
who were only too happy to believe them. As a result, we had to hire a lawyer to fight City Hall.
We've been maintaining our beautiful boats and letting people enjoy the canals from something other than
glassed-in boats since 1997. We're stubborn and we're here to stay.
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Wow, they do sound bad! So why doesn't the city do anything about them?
As the largest users of the canals, the boat companies help determine canal policy. Such is the Dutch way.
Since policy makers don't know the water, they take the tour-boat companies' word for it as they're wined and
dined on tour-boat junkets. The official city policy is that there are too many boats on the canals. Hogwash,
we say. Except for Koninginnendag and weekend summer days when the weather is good, the canals are
empty.
And they pay a shit-load of taxes.
We think the city of Amsterdam should encourage operations that maintains traditional Amsterdam boats
and give tourists and locals alike a different way to enjoy the canals of Amsterdam. Alas, that is not the case.
We keep running because we're stubborn and don't think there's anything wrong with letting friends on your
boat.
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You sure make a lot of sense! How could things be better?
Let Amsterdammers enjoy the canals. Contrary to the tour boat companies’ position, the canals are vastly
underutilized. It’s amazing how rarely most Amsterdammers go on the canals. The main obstacles to more
people being out and enjoying the water are aggressive and speeding (wake causing) tour boats and lack of
short-term docking space.
For the tour boats, the city should allow competition for tourist boats. Different visitors have different needs.
There are plenty of niche markets for boats. Currently, the city only allows licenses for boats that cater to rich
people and tour groups.
A significant problem preventing “real” use of the canals is docking space. The walls are a first-come
squatters rights system, which actually works pretty well. But every block needs short-term temporary
docking space. The city could help by installing line-friendly objects (such as low metal barriers for parked
cars rather than concrete slabs). Additionally, the docks that do exist should be open to all boats, and not
just the tour boats.
Pumping bilge water is a problem, especially in the winter. Too many boats sink from rain water. While it’s
easy to criticize people who can’t keep up their boats, often the “problem” boats belong to people without a
lot of money. These boats are a work in progress. Not everybody can or wants to buy a “nice” boat. We
certainly started that way. It takes time and constant attention to get a boat fixed up. If the entry costs are too
high, then the canals become an exclusive playground for rich people and group tours.
The city should allow somebody to run a simple boat pumping business. They won't license such a thing
because bilge water is considered hazardous waste. Leaving aside the fact that everybody does pump bilge
water into the canal, it’s far better to keep pumping rainwater out of boats than to have a sunken boat leak all
its nasty oil and fuel into the water.
Amsterdam is one of the few places in the world where everybody can enjoy boating. Let's keep
Amsterdam's canals open for everybody. Long live the St. Nicolaas Boat Club! Lang zal je leven.
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I still have a question...
E-mail Peter at mail@amsterdamboatclub.com. E-mail about anything except reserving a seat for your
upcoming trip to Amsterdam. I can't help you with that (see our boat rides section).
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Awkward heavy lifting
