The “Damloopers”, the “Smalschepen” and the Wijdschepen as well as the “Friesche turfschepen” (the peat boats of Frisia) belonged to the family of the smacks.
These boats all came from a single type and differed only in some detail, of which local needs forced the adoption.
The family of the smacks gave rise to the hoys (“Tjalken”).
The hoys were found especially in Friesland and in Groningen. In the province of Holland, where they underwent a few slight changes, they were called Schuiten.
In Zealand, their deck was narrower and they were called “Poonen”.
In North Holland they were designated as “Jacht” (Yachts). Contrary to what was done for the “Poon”, the bottoms of these boats were not so wide as those of the hoys. On the Belgian Scheldt, they were rather finer and known by the name of “Pleiten”, or of “Otters” for the smallest ones.
Eastern Frisia had similar vessels; they were called “Motten” and bore some resemblance to the “Kuffs”.
There is still to be found a very old type of merchant vessel, descended from the old fishing boats and called “Ever” or “Bremerkahn”.
Independently of the family of the hoys, there has existed from the most distant times, in Overyssel, a distinct type of vessel which in the XVIIth century, and in Witsen’s time, included the “Potten” and “Pujen”. Changes were made later in these vessels and they are still met with at the present time under the name of Snijboon (literally: French or string bean) from which is descended the pram (“Praam”). The same shape, but with reduced dimensions, is also found in the “Somp” and the “Pegge”.
The type of these vessels is distinguished from that of the smacks by the shape of the bow and stern which are tapering while these parts are rounded in the smacks.