A schokker is a historical type of traditional Dutch flat-bottomed sailing vessel, originally designed for fishing. These vessels are renowned for their exceptional seaworthiness, particularly in shallow waters such as the former Zuiderzee (now the IJsselmeer) and the North Sea.
According to Van Dale's etymological dictionary, the name "schokker" derives from the island of Schokland. Schokkers undoubtedly sailed the Zuiderzee before 1800, as the renowned shipwright Gerrit Groenewegen depicted such a vessel in a series of drawings published in 1791.
Developed on the eastern side of the Zuiderzee, it featured a sail and a fishing hold. This vessel was a further development of the "panther"-type seagoing vessel, specifically adapted for fishing in large bodies of water such as the Zuiderzee and rivers.
The schokker is primarily recognizable by its bow. It is almost completely straight and has a steep rake. It was built for the open sea, as evidenced by the narrow, deep-drafting centerboards. It has a narrow, lanceolate bottom, quite massive and interconnected by thick stringers. This results in a low center of gravity, making it resistant to impacts on the shallows of the eastern shore of the Zuiderzee and susceptible to grounding on the sandbanks of the Wadden Sea and the northern part of the Zuiderzee.
The bottom is raised at the widest point (one-third of the way forward) and at the stern. The base of the mast is also located at this lowest point. This makes the Shocker a stable vessel with good performance. Another distinctive feature is the side, which is wide at the front and joins the stem with a downward curve, and has a keel bracket (shaped like a bracket pointing downward) behind the keel. Additionally, the Shocker has a transom-mounted rudder with a rounded head ("click").
It is fully rigged. Notable features include a pair of wooden folding centerboards and a large working winch on a small foredeck with an anchor and chain. It also features a water butt on supports, a hatch for access to the bilge, a small wooden skylight, and a ladder for access to the living quarters, as well as a large flat rudder with a tiller. A large pulley is mounted on the upper part of the bow, used for lowering and raising the anchor.
The Shocker was used as a fishing vessel on the Zuiderzee and in the North Sea, as a pilot Shocker and buoy-sheltering vessel, and in the late 19th century, also for anchor-based seine fishing on large rivers.
The success of anchor-based seine fishing increased the demand for suitable vessels. Old shokers, no longer suited to the harsh conditions of sea fishing, were often sold to river fishermen and used for anchor-based seine fishing in the lower reaches of large rivers. However, used boats, blazers, tjalks, barges, and similar vessels were also converted for this type of fishing. This was so common that fishermen and dredgers in these rivers called any fishing vessel used for this purpose a "shoker." Old-time fishermen from these regions still call their vessels by this name.
Nederland 2025; 1,0.
Sources: 1. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schokker_(bateau).
2. https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objec ... ject-67818.