Four Rivers / VierStromen
(Fly)Fishing the lowlands
Building the boat 'Vierstromen'
The ViersStromen is designed by Van Vossen Design and she is build by Voscat Jachtbouw.
I was looking for a spacious boat. A boat that could provide a maximum of space for a limited length.
The first boat that came even close was the Vinet. A sturdy little boat of 6.5 meters with a well thought out design that makes her very practical; the cabin floor is lowered giving the cabin standing height all the way through.
However what I liked most was the look and feel of the boat: it is an honest boat, a workhorse. More a bulldog than a whippet, if you catch my drift.
It became clear when I visited the wharf that the Vinet would be too small for my purposes. They showed me the Rasz, a much simpler design but a meter longer and a bit wider. The Rasz only existed on paper but it showed all characteristics I was looking for.
The Rasz. This is not the VierStromen but the original design.
For more information visit the VanVossenDesign site.
The original design was not totally to my liking; I wanted to change the cabin size, location and lay out to accommodate four anglers. This proofed to be easy: in just two sessions with the designer and the builder the drawings were completed and ready to be sent to the factory where the aluminium would be cut.
As soon as the aluminium packet was ready the wharf started welding. Sending me a picture of their progress every now and then:
 
 Just to give an impression of how the VierStromen will look an artist's impression.
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In the mean time I was searching for the perfect propulsion system. It had to be a diesel but the Rasz can only have a planing hull if an outboard motor is used. There is simply no room for an engine inside the hull. So, basically, I was looking for an outboard diesel engine.
On top of that the VierStromen must be able to be beached. It must be possible to fish from shore if required and the easiest way to achieve that is to beach the boat to let the anglers disembark. So a very limited draught was required, otherwise anglers will have to swim to shore, and the system had to be robust to withstand all kinds of rubbish on the bottom.
It was the company MoNo Marine that introduced me to the JetPac: the perfect solution.
The JetPac is a two litre 150 hp diesel engine and a large bore water jet build into one housing. The JetPac can be mounted to the stern like an outboard (be it a bit bigger...). It is a truly ingenious design. By placing the engine outside the hull and isolating it from both the hull and the water, noise and vibration levels are very low. Perfect for angling.
Because it is a jet there is no propeller that can hit the bottom. Nothing protrudes (or very little anyway) underneath the hull. This makes the estimated draught of the VierStromen only 30 cm.
Even the length of the JetPac, just over a meter, has an advantage; it places the nozzle of the Jet far behind the boat which makes the VierStromen very manoeuverable.
It had to be the propulsion system of choice: a big diesel engine, powering a water jet, almost no noise or draught and because it pushes way behind the turning point of the boat the jet makes the VierStromen turn on a dime.
 The JetPac mounted on the stern of the VierStromen and the stainless steel nozzle in detail.
Note how little the JetPac protrudes underneath the hull. The estimated draught is only 30 cm. 
The JetPac is anything but small. Here it is inspected still in its crate.
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