A
bilander, also spelled
billander or
be'landre, was a small European merchant
ship with two
masts, used in the
Netherlands for coast and canal traffic and occasionally seen in the
North Sea but more frequently to be seen in the
Mediterranean Sea. The mainmast was
lateen[?]-rigged with a trapezoidal mainsail, but the foremast carried the conventional square course and square topsail. They rarely reached a size of more than 100 tons.