page_title: The Barge Association
hierarchical_section_title: The Barge Association
caption_attribution_description: English: A Widebeam on the Grand Union moored at West Drayton
context_page_description: DBA - The Barge Association is a club for leisure users of European inland waterways.
  The club was formed in 1992 as "The Dutch Barge Association", by a small group of UK owners of Dutch barges interested in their use for pleasure cruising and living aboard. It later expanded to include any form of barge and other types of boat with the same interests in cruising in European rivers and canals, becoming "DBA - The Barge Association". It is still generally known as the "DBA".
  The DBA has within its aims:
  Promote interest in barging
  Be the representative body for non-commercial barging
  Be the premier source of barging information
  Establish contact with and influence other relevant clubs, societies, navigation authorities and trade associations.
  Keep members informed on all barge related topics
  Facilitate communication between members to provide the opportunity for discussion of all aspects of barging.
  The club's members are from all over the world. Many are retired and have time for extended cruising, sometimes all summer; but an increasing number are younger members who are able to work from their boat. Some are permanently living aboard, whether travelling or static.
context_section_description: DBA - The Barge Association is a club for leisure users of European inland waterways. 
  The club was  formed in 1992 as "The Dutch Barge Association", by a small group of UK owners of Dutch barges interested in their use for pleasure cruising and living aboard. It later expanded to include any form of barge and other types of boat with the same interests in cruising in European rivers and canals, becoming "DBA - The Barge Association".  It is still generally known as the "DBA".
  The DBA has within its aims:
  Promote interest in barging
  Be the representative body for non-commercial barging
  Be the premier source of barging information
  Establish contact with and influence other relevant clubs, societies, navigation authorities and trade associations.
  Keep members informed on all barge related topics
  Facilitate communication between members to provide the opportunity for discussion of all aspects of barging.
  The club's members are from all over the world. Many are retired and have time for extended cruising, sometimes all summer; but an increasing number are younger members who are able to work from their boat. Some are permanently living aboard, whether travelling or static. Members' boats range from 14m to 38m LOA, split around 50:50 above:below 20m LOA. About half are conversions of old commercial barges, with an increasing number of purpose-built pleasurecraft.
caption: Class D widebeam on English Grand Union Canal.
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