The ferry map of the Middle Rhine Ferry Association

!!!!!Attention, from January 1st, 2023 we will no longer send WhatsApp notifications.!!!!

You can now register on the "Faehrinfos.de" website to be notified in the event of a disruption to our ferry service. As this incurs costs on our part, we would like to ask you to only register if you are directly affected by a disruption to service.

Low water information

Here are some details for low water levels.

By modifying our drives (set 20 cm higher) it is possible to maintain ferry traffic up to a water level of approx. 15 cm above the Kauber level, then the values in brackets are relevant.

When the water level is 80 (60) cm or less, we cannot transport vehicles with a total weight of more than 20 tonnes. The third lane (water side) will be closed.

When the water level is 65 (45) cm or less, we cannot transport vehicles with a total weight of more than 7.5 tonnes. The middle lane will be closed or used for 3-4 cars when traffic is heavy.

When the water level is 55 (35) cm or less, we cannot transport vehicles with a total weight of more than 3.5 tonnes.

Only 7 - 8 cars are transported per tour, so there may be short waiting times.

When the water level reaches approximately 35 (15) cm or less, we will suspend ferry service due to lack of water.

These details all refer to the Kaub water level (see "Homepage" or Tel.: 06774/19429) and are all guidelines that can vary by a few centimeters from case to case. You can find out whether the drives are raised on the "Homepage".

Flood information

Our car and passenger ferry can be operated safely up to a water level of 7.05 meters Kauber gauge.

Furthermore, it is unfortunately no longer possible to maintain safe ferry traffic as all access roads to our pier, on the Kauber side and our pier itself are flooded.

The B42 towards St.Goarshausen, end of the Kaub town center, will be flooded and closed at a water level of approx. 6.20 meters.

The B42 towards Rüdesheim is passable up to Rüdesheim up to a water level of approx. 6.80 metres.

In Lorch, the large underpass (towards Presberg) is accessible up to a height of approx. 7.20 m.

The B9 towards Bingen is passable up to a water level of 7.00 metres.

The B9 towards Oberwesel and further to the A61 (first exit) is also passable above a water level of 7.00 metres.

The B9 through Oberwesel is flooded at a water level of 5.80 meters.

The large underpass in Kaub (clearance height 4.10 meters) of the L 339 (Kreuzweg) will be flooded and closed at a water level of approx. 6.25 meters.

The second large underpass in Kaub (city of Mainz, clearance height 3.70 meters) will be flooded and closed when the water level reaches approx. 6.80 meters.

This information all refers to the Kaub water level (see "Homepage" or Tel.: 06774/19429) and is all a guideline that can vary by a few centimeters from case to case. When water levels fall, it is possible that some streets have not yet been cleaned or opened even though there is no water on them. These closures are the responsibility of the road maintenance department or the local community and should be strictly observed. All information is provided without guarantee.

Link to further flood information

We will keep you updated here on our site.

Technology and Chronicle

Length: 48.00 meters

Length of roadway: 35.00 meters

Width: 9.00 meters

Draft: 0.55 meters

Draught of drives: 1.20 meters

Load capacity: 60 tons / 250 people

Dead weight: approx. 150 tons

Drives: 2x Schottel rudder propeller SRP 100 with traction propeller

Motor: 2x Deutz BF4M1013MC a' 102 KW

EU vessel number: 04808680

The ferry "Pfalzgrafenstein" was built in 1966 at the Clausen shipyard in Oberwinter under the name "Sirtaki" with the construction number 206 and was put into operation here in Kaub in 1969. Clausen had no follow-up orders at the time. To keep things busy, Mr. Clausen commissioned a ferry on his own account. At that time, the boats and ships for the shipyard's own orders were given the names of the latest dances of the time. There was "Bossa Nova", "Madison" and our new build "Sirtaki" (now "Pfalzgrafenstein") * . The dimensions at the time were: length overall 35.00 meters (road deck 25.00 meters 2 landing flaps of 5.00 meters each), width overall 9.00 meters with a draft (empty) of 0.55 meters. The ferry was powered by 2 Schottel Navigators NAV 90.

* = Thanks to Mr. Ernst W.Urban, then technical director at Clausen, for the information.

Chronicle of the Kaub ferry community

Heinrich Pfaff, born in 1879, was in charge of the pilot transfer service with boats and

Wilhelm Pfaff, born in 1889, had a passenger ferry with boats.

In 1906, the lease to operate the boat ferry was extended

In 1913, a permit to operate a motorboat was applied for.

In 1921, both merged and founded the Kaub ferry community

1925 This year a third shareholder joins the company, David Gilles née ? (brother-in-law of Wilhelm Pfaff).

1925 – 1935 During these years, three motor boats (Pfalz, Blücher and Rheingold) and a ferry bridge are purchased.

In 1940, the sons Willi Gilles and Willi Pfaff joined the ferry company

In 1945, towards the end of the war, all three boats and the ferry pontoon were grounded 20 metres from land at the level of the Blücher monument itself in order to avoid destruction or confiscation.

In 1945 - 1946, the pilot and ferry service was again maintained with boats, during which time the boats and pontoons that had run aground were raised and repaired. First the motorboat Pfalz, which was then confiscated by the French occupiers after a few weeks. After a few weeks, the boat Blücher was also able to be put back into operation. The third boat (Rheingold) was not repaired for fear of expropriation; it was put on land.

1948 Relaxation of the occupation status, the Ponte and the boat Rheingold are repaired and resume operations. The confiscated boat Pfalz is also returned, but in a very poor condition. The boat is thoroughly overhauled and repaired at a shipyard.

Areas of use for motorboats:

Blücher: Exclusively in the pilot transfer service.

Pfalz: For towing the ferry bridge and in pilot transfer service in case of Blücher failure.

Rheingold: As a passenger ferry and trips to Pfalzgrafenstein Castle.

In 1952, Rene Brückel (grandson of Heinrich Pfaff) joined the ferry company.

In 1952/1953 a passenger ship with a capacity of 70 people was bought by a pilot from Bingen (Franz Hartmann) and sold again in 1956 due to lack of demand.

1956 General overhaul and widening of the ferry bridge.

1957 The pilot association terminates its transport contract. The Kauber pilots have three new boats built in Mainz Mombach. The boats “Blücher” and “Pfalz” are then sold.

In 1959, the ferry pontoon received two Schottel Navigator drives and a driver's cab and no longer needed to be towed. A short time later, a passenger compartment was also installed on the other side.

In 1966, the ferry association replaced the boat “Rheingold” (no longer registered) with the boat “Rheinland” (was in use in Assmannshausen) for trips to Pfalzgrafenstein Castle.

1969 The ferry bridge was to be further upgraded, for which the wooden deck was to be replaced by a steel deck. To save time, the wooden deck had already been removed in Kaub. During the trip to the shipyard on January 29, 1969, the ferry sank above Niederheimbach and the partners Willi Pfaff and Rene Brückel drowned with it. The ferry was salvaged in Lorch and scrapped.

At Pentecost in 1969, the current ferry "Pfalzgrafenstein" was purchased at short notice by the shareholders Willi Gilles, Joachim Pfaff (son of Willi Pfaff) and Heinz Erlenbach (grandson of Heinrich Pfaff), built in Oberwinter by the Clausen shipyard in 1966. After a few small changes and adjustments, it was able to start service in Kaub. The ferry is 35 meters long (25 meters without flaps) and 9 meters wide and can accommodate around 14 cars.



1970 Willi Gilles sells his share to Norbert Beysiegel due to age.

1980 Joachim Pfaff is killed in a traffic accident. Heinz Erlenbach takes over Joachim Pfaff's share (Anneliese Pfaff). The service on the ferry is maintained with employees.

In 1983, Heinz Dieter Kimpel took over the Pfaff share from Heinz Erlenbach and there were again three partners.

In 1992 the ferry was extended by 2 parts of 5 meters each at the Germersheim shipyard and 2 new fuel tanks of 2500 liters each were added. This gave us a total tank capacity of 7500 liters of fuel. We also replaced the air-cooled engines with water-cooled 1013 Deutz engines. The ferry is now 45 meters long (35 meters without flaps) and 9.0 meters wide and can transport around 20 cars.

In 1994, the boat "Rheinland" capsized and sank while providing assistance. No one was injured. At the end of the year, a boat from the former GDR (tour boat BuGa Dortmund 1991) was purchased and converted for our purposes.

2004 Henk Erlenbach takes over his father Heinz Erlenbach’s share.

2006 Andre Kimpel takes over the share of his father Heinz Dieter Kimpel.

In 2011, due to new laws and regulations, we used a longer stay in the shipyard to install 2 new landing flaps of 6.50 meters each with new barriers. We also completely renewed the entire electrical and hydraulic system. We also installed 2 new, lower-emission 1013 Deutz engines, each with 102 KW, and 2 new Schottel rudder propellers (SRP 100 with traction propeller). In the wheelhouse, the entire control panel was removed and replaced with a new one, while retaining the original "Clausen" control system.

In 2019, the boat Rheinland will be sold to the castle administration GDKE.

2020 Norbert Beysiegel sells his share to Andre Kimpel for reasons of age.