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Old 09-06-2019, 06:25 AM   #1
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Greenline 33 - anyone took it for offshore ride?

Hi Guys,

Newbie here and wondering if greenline 33 would be ok for crossing distances of 200nms? As in Irish Sea to West of France?

Cannot figure out if the CE B category means anything or its just another document that boat producer have to get for EU. If its true that B is covered I would think it be ok for such a passage.

Has anyone been on greenline 33 in open sea?
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Old 11-02-2019, 09:12 AM   #2
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Hello Stoko - I have owned a GL33 Hybrid (165hp Diesel) for nearly 10 years now and have cruised extensively with it in the Baltic, as well as a little bit in the North Sea. Currently, I use it in the Mediterranean (Southern France). Love the boat, but can say that I would NOT consider a crossing like you describe with it. Why? A couple of reasons:

1) Best cruise speed for this boat is ~7 knots. 200nm implies a 29 hour run in perfect conditions. In rough, head-on seas, your speed will most likely be less than 7 knots. In medium beam-seas, you might find a better ride at 8-9 knots (because the stabilizing fins work better with more speed), but then the fuel efficiency drops. Regardless, the boat would have sufficient fuel capacity (with plenty of reserve) for a 200nm run.
2) Weather & traffic risk. The route you suggest is prone to fog and rough weather coming from the Atlantic and takes you across one of the busiest shipping routes in the world. I would sooner tackle a journey like this in smaller legs, even if it means a greater total distance.

As for me, the longest run over open water I’ve made is about 116nm -- from Stockholm to the Island of Visby in the Baltic Sea. While I’ve always dreamt of being able to go further (say, from Bergen, Norway to the Shetland Islands), it’s nothing I would ever try because I’m not convinced that even the best of weather forecasts can be reliable enough for such a run. I routinely make ~100nm runs with the boat, but always keep a very close eye on the weather and try to have a good “plan B” in mind.

As for what this boat can handle?
- For winds Force 3 or less and waves forecast for 50cm or less, I don’t hesitate to go
- For winds Force 4 – 5 and 50cm-90cm waves, the boat can handle this just fine, but the ride can be uncomfortable and I would try to schedule my run to minimize the time spent in these conditions.
- For winds Force 6 – 6.5 and 90-150cm waves the boat can take this, but it’s very rough on the boat and the crew. I would only travel in these conditions if a blow came up enroute and I was on my way to a (hopefully) nearby port.
- For Force 7 and up, I don’t have much experience with this. Have been in a few squalls, where I’m sure the winds were this high or higher, but for only 30 – 60 mins and the waves that did pick up had a long “period” (such that I had the possibility to ride up and down them).
- I find the CE Category system to be a bit misleading and believe it should be interpreted with great care. The GL33 has a rating of “B”, which implies being able to handle waves up to 4(!) meters. I could only imagine this possible if the waves were basically swells such that you could easily ride up and down. In the shallow Baltic region, where the period can be 3-4 seconds between waves, I don’t think the GL33 would manage 2m+ waves, without some damage.

A couple of final thoughts:
1) Early on, GL33’s were offered with a 75hp diesel. I definitely would not use this version of the boat on the seas – except for the shortest of coastal runs in beautiful weather. It simply is not capable of the speeds that are sometimes necessary to navigate safely in a heavy following or quarter seas.
2) The GL33 is not a heavy displacement boat. It’s an efficient, fairly light-weight semi-displacement boat. As such, I don’t think it would be as stable in rough seas as a Grand Banks 32, for example. But the GB32 is not low enough for one to take through the canals of France ��

I wish you the best of luck with your research and future boat purchase!

Best regards,

ScottC
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Old 11-02-2019, 10:28 AM   #3
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Greetings,
Messrs. s & SC. Welcome aboard.
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Old 11-03-2019, 07:42 AM   #4
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Hi Scott,

Thank you very much for taking the time and explaining in details the reality about GL33.
It doesn't really suit our plans and we started learning sailing. We got a small sailing boat Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 26 to work on our skills and in year or 2 we will get a bigger sailing boat.
GL33 seems to be more suited for more calm sea areas.

Thank you again for the detailed explanation which confirms our plan to get better in sailing.

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Old 09-28-2020, 08:54 AM   #5
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Scott's post from 2020.11.02 is the kind of info I'm here for -- so a strong second thanks for that.

As for the CE ratings -- my understanding is that the ratings are to indicate design integrity--meaning, that the boats' structure will withstand the forces placed upon it in such seas. It is NOT certifying that the boat is appropriate for making a passage under those conditions.
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Old 09-28-2020, 10:16 AM   #6
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With regard to CE ratings for the GL33, I ran across the below in the owners manual, so I thought I'd upload the info here for the sake of completeness. Click on the picture to enlarge it.
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Old 09-28-2020, 12:48 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ScottC View Post
With regard to CE ratings for the GL33, I ran across the below in the owners manual, so I thought I'd upload the info here for the sake of completeness. Click on the picture to enlarge it.

Note - the CE certificate I uploaded was from 2009 and maximum approved engine at that time was 165hp (121kw). I believe I've seen that the GL33 can now be ordered with up to a 220hp engine, so I expect a newer version of this certificate must exist.
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