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
