The “Ebenhaëzer” (“So far the Lord has helped us”) was built in 1910 as a sailing box. The ship was bombed in 1942 and then converted to an engine box. Initially, that engine was a 120-hp Industry. In 1995, the current engine was installed: a 286-hp Volvo Penta.

The “Ebenhaëzer” has been owned by its current owner since 1984. For the first 25 years, the ship still served as a barge. But after 102 years in operation as a barge, “Ebenhaëzer” was due for retirement. The owners decided to buy another ship for inland navigation, but found it hard to take this one to the scrapyard.

So they decided to convert it into a houseboat – a big job that took about six years. Space and freedom are what owners call the biggest advantages of living on a boat. And the downside? Well, you might have expected it: lots of maintenance. “A ship is never finished.”