Just like in Friesland and Groningen, Tjalken were also built in South Holland. The large Tjalken were used for navigation on all Dutch waterways, while the smaller ones - often referred to as "schuiten" - were intended for more regional navigation.
In Holland, just like in Friesland, narrow plating was used in the bow and stern. However, there are clear differences in the shape of the hull. The most striking feature of the Hollandse Tjalk is that the rubbing strikes in the bow and stern almost horizontally extend to the bow. This means that the majority of the width is in the sides, giving the ship a square appearance.
Underwater, a Dutch Tjalk is full in the bow and swept in the stern, and this differs from the Friesian and Groninger Tjalken, which typically have a bow and stern that is equally swept. The larger Tjalken in the inland navigation varied in tonnage from 80 to 120 tons. Their rigging was of the usual type and consisted of a mainsail with straight gaff, jib and yankee.
Many Dutch Tjalken were built at shipyards of the Boot family. This family owned shipyards in Leiderdorp, Alphen aan den Rijn, Woubrugge and Vrijenban. As with all inland ships in the inland navigation, there was a great variety in types of cargo. The majority consisted of building materials (sand, gravel, wood and stones), agricultural products (potatoes, sugar beets, grain and flax) and fuels (coal, peat).
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