17th Century Dutch Merchant Ships: Text, Photos and Plans for the Ship Modeler by Ab Hoving

By the end of the 17th century, the Netherlands was the preeminent trading country in Europe. Their ships were to be found everywhere on the world’s oceans, seas and rivers. Most of this trade was carried in the hulls of smaller craft and not in the large “Retour” ships of the Dutch East India Company.

Ab Hoving, a master modeler and the “dean” of Dutch maritime history, has selected ten types of these ships for his new book. Ab has authored the text, Herbert Tomesen has built models of each of these ships, Cor Emke has drawn plans for each of the ships and Emiel Hoving, Ab’s son, has taken all of the photos and designed the book.

This book and the accompanying “Plans Portfolio” of 24 sheets, in 1:48 or 1:96 scale depending on the size of the ship, has something for every modeler. Pick your favorite building method, the size and complexity of the ship you want to build, and you are ready to cut wood. Besides being a treasure trove for ship modelers, this work helps document the merchant ships of one of the world’s greatest sailing nations. The color work and computer graphics in this book is spectacular, and all lovers of ships will find something intriguing for them.