vlotten

Vlotten is a Dutch word with two main meanings. As a plural noun, vlotten refers to rafts, i.e., floating platforms made by lashing together logs, planks, or other buoyant materials. As a verb, vlotten means to travel by raft or to construct and use rafts.

Historically, rafts were important for inland water transport in the Low Countries. Timber and other goods were moved downstream on vloten along rivers such as the Rhine and Meuse, using skilled raft pilots to steer the loads. The practice diminished with the rise of canals, steamships, and railroads, but the term and the activity persist in regional culture and in recreational rafting today.

Construction and types: traditional rafts consisted of bundled timbers or planks fastened with rope; some used a flat deck. Modern rafts vary from simple wooden platforms to inflatable crafts designed for sport and recreation, used on calm and whitewater rivers alike. In many clubs and organized trips, participants practice rafting methods, safety procedures, and navigation.

Regional usage: in Dutch-speaking regions, vloten were common in historical river economies; today, vlotten are more associated with leisure, youth camps, and water sports. The verb form is more common in older or rural speech than in formal modern Dutch.

See also rafting, raft.