Where is no go for this?

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You can go anywhere in US waters in that boat.
But not every day.
Some days you will have to wait for a storm, or a forecast storm to pass, then another day or so for the seas to abate, and then go.
You wouldn't want to be at sea in 40kn and 13ft seas anyway, so no great problem.
 
"Where would you not go in U.S. waters in this?"

Anywhere where you attempt to sell it.

If it has a Euro 220v/50cps electrical system there will always be concerns.

Not many folks are thrilled with Volvo service and parts.

If the hull is steel , the steel will scare USA folks not familiar with it.

The Grand Sturdy is a great cruising boat , for Europe , where it is understood and treasured.
 
Where would you not go in U.S. waters in this?
Hawaii.
 
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If I recall correctly, a CE-B rating is coastal soooo out 250miles from the coast, weather dependent.
 
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If I recall correctly, a CE-B rating is coastal soooo out 250miles from the coast, weather dependent.
Technically, I believe the ratings are based on sea conditions. CE-B is Force 7 or 8. The Achilles Heel of most power boats is engine room vents and downflooding.

Peter
 
Technically, I believe the ratings are based on sea conditions. CE-B is Force 7 or 8. The Achilles Heel of most power boats is engine room vents and downflooding.

Peter

:thumb::thumb::thumb:
 
Based on size, draft, and air draft, it can go pretty much anywhere in North America that it has enough range for. It's not meant for major offshore work, but you can go a lot of places without needing that ability.
 
Doesn’t look great for offshore, bow pushes a lot of water, promises to be a very wet ride!
 
Seems like you could take it most places you could take other similar boats to..... probably everywhere.



Obviously, weather will always be a factor... in any boat.



Overall, looks like a nice boat, but not for me. Not fond of the layout and looks hard to single hand. Don't care for the "versi top". And, absolutely NO Volvo crap.



But some interesting features.
 
Probably a great boat for doing the loop. Not sure I'd take it to the Bahamas though.


why not?


People run to the Bahamas is WAY less boat than that.



I would run that thing pretty much everywhere it has the range to go, weather will effect all boats, some more than others. Boats are rarely lost due to their design.. most of the time it's the decision's of the skipper that cause the loss.



I have always thought those boats have a niche, looks plenty capable to do the loop, canals etc and appears to have a low CG and fairly protected glass if it gets snotty off the coats.

HOLLYWOOD
 
why not?


People run to the Bahamas is WAY less boat than that.



I would run that thing pretty much everywhere it has the range to go, weather will effect all boats, some more than others. Boats are rarely lost due to their design.. most of the time it's the decision's of the skipper that cause the loss.



I have always thought those boats have a niche, looks plenty capable to do the loop, canals etc and appears to have a low CG and fairly protected glass if it gets snotty off the coats.

HOLLYWOOD
I agree. Dutch inspired boats are low due to canal restrictions. But assuming the props are reasonably protected and the windows don't leak, if this were my boat, I would not hesitate to take it from Maine to Alaska.

To the Bahamas? Actually looks like a nice boat for that run.

Peter
 
I have sold maybe 7 Linssens. They all surveyed well and performed well. There is nowhere in the US that I would hesitate taking one, obviously in yachting conducive weather. She's a great boat for the Bahamas. All my owners were happy with their Linssen during their ownership.
 
Might be a little high for the western Erie Canal Champlain Canal but should make it through Chicago fixed bridge if the mast lays down.
 
Might be a little high for the western Erie Canal Champlain Canal but should make it through Chicago fixed bridge if the mast lays down.


They claim the air draft as 3.5 meters / 11.5 feet. Not sure if that's mast up or down, but either way, that leaves plenty of clearance on the Western Erie (minimum clearance is 15.5 feet).
 
I have sold maybe 7 Linssens. They all surveyed well and performed well. There is nowhere in the US that I would hesitate taking one, obviously in yachting conducive weather. She's a great boat for the Bahamas. All my owners were happy with their Linssen during their ownership.

That's good to know. We're kind of liking the VarioTop the more we look at it. The boat is not overpowered for sure, but seems quite adequate for it's mission. The convertible top is nice but I imagine it would be up more than down, even if I wore a hat. It's cool nonetheless. A bigger galley would be nice if it's to be a live aboard. Although, people can live in a lot less.
 
Stabilizers? It'll need them offshore. 600+ gallons of fuel? Go slow!
 
I love the look of this boat, fit and finish on these Linssens. The Volvo diesels don't impress me and they seem a bit low on power if you're trying to out run a storm. Aspects remind me of my own Copenhagen-built Apollo 32 with it's centre cabin and Danish teak interior. Much more of a European flavour to these boats.
7RVst5IM6Nk
 
Sturdy says it all

I can offer this: I have rented Linssens for the inland waterways of Netherlands, Belgium and France. I have not been in North Sea waters in one but they are designed for both inland and coastal cruising. The steel construction and build quality are rock solid and comforting in crowded locks. It is unruffled in rough seas and high winds (within normal limits, of course.) These are thoughtfully engineered boats with a beautiful line. Love em. For seaworthiness I'd take one anywhere (within normal limits, of course.) Someone in this thread mentions 220v systems. That would be a complication, wouldn't it?
 
I would go anywhere in mainland USA waters. Not to Hawaii. Anywhere within 100 nm of shore on the right days. Bahamas, yes.
 
I can offer this: I have rented Linssens for the inland waterways of Netherlands, Belgium and France. I have not been in North Sea waters in one but they are designed for both inland and coastal cruising. The steel construction and build quality are rock solid and comforting in crowded locks. It is unruffled in rough seas and high winds (within normal limits, of course.) These are thoughtfully engineered boats with a beautiful line. Love em. For seaworthiness I'd take one anywhere (within normal limits, of course.) Someone in this thread mentions 220v systems. That would be a complication, wouldn't it?

Thang Kew for the comments. Everybody has mentioned the build quality. We'd sure like to see one in person.
 
not a commercial reply, but it might answer some questions!

Hi folks,
I just came across this discussion on this forum and as an employee of the Linssen shipyard, I wanted to respond to some of the arguments and questions in this discussion without it becoming a commercial sales pitch. I hope you can appreciate my effort and find my answers helpful.

There are indeed very few Linssens in the US, mainly because our main market (and focus) is Europe. This doesn't mean our yachts are not suitable for your waters but your waterways are usually larger, as are the distances to be covered.

We nowadays only build full displacement yachts, with a maximum hull speed of 9-10 knots for our GS500; often found too little for many. Heavier engines make no sense for displacement hulls, this is a physical fact, if anyone wants more information on this, feel free to send me a PM for a full explanation. But because of these relatively "tiny" engines, the fuel consumption is quite low too; 7 - 8 liters per engine, per hour, cruising at 2000RPM, 8.5 knots. (sorry, we are metric, so 1.9 - 2.1 gallons ?) This means that the average range is approx. 900Nm. (tank volume is 2370 liters / 626 gallons)

That explains the action radius for this vessel; now I am not familiar with your waters, but it should give you a good feeling on the distances it can cover and where you can go. But please note, it doesn’t go fast, so it requires some time and you need to plan (longer) trips, which brings me to my next point.

For the European waters, all of our boats are built according to the CE-standards. Our smaller vessels (< 35 foot) are categorized CE-C, the bigger ones are CE-B. People often refer CE-C as “inland waterway and coastal cruising” and CE-B as “seaworthy”, but the CE-categorization actually does not state where you can or cannot go with a boat, it only states the conditions it should be capable of handling: CE-C is designed to handle wind force 6 with a significant wave height of 2 meters (6.5 feet), where CE-B can handle up to wind force 8 and significant wave height of 4 meters (13.1 feet). With knowing this, and the maximum speed it is capable of, you need to realize that there is probably no outrunning a storm and a boat is only as seaworthy as its captain and crew, so plan your trips in advance and check on weather forecasts!

This brings me to air draft the design of the Variotop dates back to the mid 90’s and our ultimate goal was being able to go through France with a Variotop, to reach the Med. To achieve this, we needed an air draft of max. 3.5 meters (11.5 feet), so we made the arch of the Variotop foldable with hydraulics. The complete arch (including doors) fold backwards on the aft deck, giving you an air draft of 3.49 meters in a GS500 with a lowered mast and arch. Just to reduce the lowest possible air draft, for crossing a bridge or tunnel. And the Variotop itself does not need to be opened or closed completely, you can only open up a small gap, just for ventilation, if you will.
I can be brief about the depth of the boat, do not go into shallow waters; a 500 has a draft of 1.3 meters (4.2 feet) and weighs over 32 metric tons; you simply don’t push that by hand when it’s stuck.

In some comments, I’ve read that some of you are “not too enthusiastic about” Volvo Penta. It is hard for us to understand, since it is the biggest brand in our industry in Europe, but ok, the US is a completely different market with different requirements, other brands and experiences. We choose Volvo because of their reliable reputation, good service networks, low consumption, noise and vibration levels; they run smooth and nice in steel full displacement hulls. But for these non-Volvo fans I have good news; upon request, we might be able to install a different brand too. As a matter of fact; we will have to very soon because Volvo has decided to discontinue the production of their D3 engines, which was installed in the majority of our boats, so we (and our whole industry is) are/were looking for an alternative. We have found one already; I am not allowed to spill it yet, but I think most of you will be pleased! ? (It will be announced on February 4th via YouTube)

In addition, it is also true that many people have a fear of the combination of steel and (sea) water, but with the right paint systems and maintenance, this fear is unfounded. The risk of oxidation and rust is minimized throughout the last decades and it only has a chance when the coating system is damaged. The nice thing about steel is, that it can be repaired quite easily too just by sanding it and apply a new coating.

I have also seen a comment come by regarding the European power standards, but if we would build a boat for the US market, it can be built with US power standards too, that is just a matter of configuring it for the right market.

To conclude: I personally believe that our current range of boats are very suitable for the majority of your waterways and I am convinced that, once a number of newer boats are exposed in your market, it will be a matter of time for more to follow. But the owner needs time to “slow down and start living”.

If any of you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me via this forum , a pm or via my contact details, to be found on the shipyard’s website.

Regards, Rennie
 
Rennnie, welcome and thanks for all the information.
The one boat in the picture is a fantastic boat but, I am just too old to single hand such a perfectly designed boat.
I dont recall anyone making negative comments about the boat's design.. In the US the Volvo parts availability is not good.
Of course we ALWAYS complain about the price and the time delay for getting a new boat. :D
 
Rennnie, welcome and thanks for all the information.
The one boat in the picture is a fantastic boat but, I am just too old to single hand such a perfectly designed boat.
I dont recall anyone making negative comments about the boat's design.. In the US the Volvo parts availability is not good.
Of course we ALWAYS complain about the price and the time delay for getting a new boat. :D

@TheAtomicDog, you're welcome!

@OldDan1943: price is ALWAYS an issue, not just with Americans, you can trust me on that one. :) Delivery times at the moment are a big issue; Covid boosted our business and the second hand models that are available here are not suitable for the US market without adapting them to these specs, making them even more expensive. Plus EU-taxes were mostly already paid and in the US you probably need to pay import duties again: not a very interesting investment. But all and all, my reply was not meant as a commercial pitch, it was only an answer on meany questions that came by in this thread.
But to comment on your single handed issue: with the nowadays available remote controls, it is very easy to use. And even if you don't have remotes, we installed various features to make single handed operations more easy. Think about proportional thruster with hold-functions and more of these convenient features. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask or comment!

Cheers, Rennie
 
Rennie, I have a system called "Dockmaster", controls thrusters and 'creep speed' fore and aft and an anchor up and down. (if you want that feature)
I'm sure there are some equal system "over there".
I dont think anyone complained about you imparting general information.
It is an interesting and beautiful boat.
When I have time, I will go look at the pretty pictures. :D
As you mentioned, the new boat market is hampered by the time delay which keeps the used boat market hot hot hot.
 
Rennie
Is there suitable space for designing an accessible active stabilizer install during the build process? FD boats popular in North America are normally built with them.

The Linssens are well built and very nice vessels. BTW, a Perkins Sabre 4 cylinder NA engine seems a great choice too with good parts support. It would seem on a new build an owner could specify an engine provided that it and drive train fit.

Thanks, keep up the good work.
 
Rennie,


Yes, there are LOTS of comments about the issues with Volvo. Overall, the engines are not bad, but Volvo does NOT support them here, Parts are overpriced and dealers don't care.



So, with the choices, several avoid the Volvos. After three of them, you couldn't pay me to have another. Service (especially in my area, Tampa, FL) is just the worse and the factory techs are very condescending.



BUT, nice to know that you have some options. Overall, the boat is great!
 
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