Linssen Factory Experience
The Linssen boatyard complex of over 45,000 m2 in area. Spread over two locations (Maasbracht and Echt), all production is in-house.
This is a particularly impressive process, which cannot be properly explained on paper. You really have to see it to appreciate it.
If you are interested in a Linssen yacht and are visiting the boatyard, one of our staff will be pleased to show you our production line. You will be amazed by the huge variety of yachts and the possible interior versions.
Linssen Yachts has approximately 30-35 yachts in production at any given time.
the Linssen production process
Product development
It starts with the design stage in which the designer is not just looking at the aesthetics but from the outset is considering the construction aspect and what is technically feasible and what is not. Next follows the engineering in which construction, technology and design are coordinated by means of advanced 3D CAD/CAM computer programs.
Retaining, further developing and perfecting tried and tested technologies. Selecting, testing and integrating new technologies. Two basic principles which are the thread that runs through our company policy. At Linssen Yachts, product development is based on long-term strategies and clear objectives. So it’s hardly surprising that over the years, Linssen has set significant trends time and again.
Linssen Yachts in Maasbracht has a motivated team of qualified experts working at their drawing boards and computer screens. Their combined knowledge of all aspects of the complex trade of yacht building and water sports is a driving factor behind the success of the Linssen brand.
The result:
Innovative yachts from which skippers often derive decades of pleasure.
Steel hull construction
Linssen Steel Assembly. Top quality starts with the basics.
When we talk about quality, hull construction is also a determining factor. Over the years Linssen has accumulated a lot of know-how in this area. At Linssen Yachts hull construction is therefore a highly professional process. It starts with the design stage in which the designer is not just looking at the aesthetics but is considering from the outset the construction aspect and what is and what is not technically feasible. The engineering then follows in which construction, technology and design are coordinated by means of special computer programs. All the details are fully worked out digitally before the data is sent to the hull construction department. There, all the components are cut out with great precision by CNC laser cutters and coded.
The construction is characterised by a balanced combination of longitudinal and transverse connections on the bottom (web frames, frames, bulkheads and stringers), which – made possible by CAD/CAM and CNC laser cutting – go half in/over each other at the crossing points (known as “notching”). This makes the construction really sturdy and coating-friendly, i.e. it has good anti-corrosion properties.
The engine bed is an extension of the longitudinal stringers that run from stern to bow. These stringers are crossed by two web frames positioned athwartships and the four mounting points of the engine(s) are superimposed exactly on the four crossing points (Linssen Dual Cross engine bed). This immediately also lays the foundations for the low-vibration and low-noise characteristics of each Linssen Grand Sturdy.
Much use is made of folding work in a Linssen hull. Folding work involves the bending of sheet steel components into different radiuses, which creates a taut radius, providing a smooth surface for painting. What’s more, every fold is one welded seam less, the result of which is less contraction, tauter hulls, less filling work and therefore an even better finish.
The construction of the Linssen hull has been developed in-house by Linssen Yachts and is based on the Linssen FBFS (Fixed Bottom Flex Sides) system. In principle, this means that the bottom is constructed around the engine bed and the keel. The shell is reinforced by a combination of longitudinal and cross bracing so that it remains extremely taut during construction and a minimum of filling work is required at the coating stage.
All floor beams consist of square and rectangular hollow steel sections. This has major benefits as it creates a maximum of rigidity and the entire structure is self-supporting. This means that no supports are needed to the bottom and so any vibration is not mechanically transmitted from the bottom to the floor. In most other steel boats, however, this type of floor support is actually necessary.
In addition, there is a certain amount of residual flexibility in the construction as a whole, which once again has a noise-reducing effect. The tubular steel construction is easily preserved, which means no inaccessible points that require painting (which would be the case, for example, with angle sections) are left in the construction which could then lead to corrosion. The construction has been chosen so that the FIS system (Floor Integrated System) can be incorporated into it.
In the design and finish of the superstructure, attention is expressly focused on ensuring that it has a coating-friendly and therefore maintenance-friendly exterior. Careful consideration is given to the choice of materials, drainage systems, rounded angles, deformations (folding, bending) and the positioning of components.
The base of the windscreen is made entirely of stainless steel but is blasted and preserved along with the rest to provide optimum protection. Even the swimming platform is made of stainless steel. Typical examples of concealed Linssen quality.
Shot blasting
As far as Linssen Yachts is aware, Linssen is the only yacht builder in the Netherlands to have its own blasting cabin – and that has been the case since 1982!
Once the steel hull has been constructed it should be completely blast cleaned. This is the only correct method for blasting all the critical points -- for example, weld seams, grinding seams, angles, indentations and edges – and ultimately obtaining a completely clean, grease-free and fresh hull!
There are yacht builders who use pre-blasted steel plate and then still claim to be producing a blast-cleaned boat. However, in this case, weld seams, etc. are not blast cleaned although this is what determines quality and service life.
At Linssen Yachts we go much further. Here too, pre-blasted plates and sections are used to ensure that all mill scale (a result of the milling process during the production of steel plates) has already been removed before construction work starts. However, once the hull has been completed, the outside of it is blast cleaned all over again using modern blasting techniques so that the whole surface is freshly blast cleaned before the most important coat of paint, the first coat, is applied. It is important because this undercoat could be said to support the rest of the coating system. All weld seams, grinding seams, angles and edges are therefore meticulously blast cleaned.
Yacht builders who use pre-blasted and pre-primed material support their paint system on a dirty coat of primer which has been exposed to external conditions throughout the transport, storage, metalworking and construction process.
Coating
The Linssen spray booths have been positioned so that freshly blast cleaned hulls can be transported under cover to the spray booth. One spectacular detail of Linssen Yachts‘ new preservation halls is the underfloor heating system. An unimaginably long heating circuit has been laid involving a total of almost 3 km of heating lines in a mirror-smooth concrete floor 20 cm thick!
The secret behind the Linssen Yachts application has always been the fact that throughout the entire coating process, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the hulls are kept warmer than the ambient air to prevent condensation from forming. Whenever coats of paint are applied to a hull which is colder than the ambient air the inevitable formation of condensation is likely to cause problems.
Even the most expensive paints lose their value when they are applied inexpertly or within an unsuitable infrastructure. When, in order to save money, a heating system is turned down to a low level at night and turned up again in the morning, this is especially bad for the coating of a steel yacht. Thanks to the underfloor heating system, Linssen hulls are, so to speak, permanently kept on a heating plate which never cools down. This saves energy while improving the quality of the product and process. At Linssen Yachts, coating technology is approached in a scientific manner. By yacht building standards, our infrastructure and working methods could therefore be described as almost ‘clinical’!
Our advice is visit the companies behind the brand names of your choice and ask them specifically for detailed information on coating, the method of application and the technical facilities they have at their disposal. Make an objective comparison with Linssen Yachts… and then decide for yourself.
Linssen coating systems.
Almost clinical by yacht building standards
Furniture factory
Since 2012, our interior construction department has been based in Echt, only a few kilometres from the boatyard in Maasbracht. There, a complete interior is produced for each individual yacht. Thanks to a sophisticated process, the various interior and exterior parts ‘run’ through the new halls and are finally transported to Maasbracht as ready-made modules.
The cut floorboards and furniture panels are fitted and assembled at ergonomic workstations and all the various interior components are produced using a flexible system. Once the modules have been assembled, they are painted in a special paint shop and the locks and hinges are fitted. The modules are then transported to the production lines in Maasbracht in a logical sequence.
Board material is processed using a fully automated Bargstedt feeder system connected to a large 3-axis Homag CNC portal milling machine. Other machinery used includes a 5-axis Homag CNC milling machine, a Brandt-Homag edge joining machine for straight edges, a Vector Revolution automatic edge joining machine for free forms a 4-sided CNC planer and an angle saw with automatic push feed system.
Logicam
The unique yacht of your dreams built in series!
Of course, we would be delighted to build your dream yacht to your specifications. In fact, we do this every day already – in series, that is! Our Logicam technology enables us to specify mass-produced hulls in such a way that they eventually come out at the other end as individual yachts.
Your new Linssen is every bit as unique as you are. You can make it just as exclusive and special as you like!
LOGICAM® is a flow production system in which the yachts currently under construction – after the steel assembly and preservation stages – progress through the production hall to the next phase of construction in cycles lasting a certain number of days. To put it simply, the discipline doesn’t go to the boat, the boat goes to the discipline.
LOGICAM® is a groundbreaking Linssen innovation, which not only relates to the efficient construction process but also definitely produces consistent product quality and a high standard of finish.
Any optional components chosen by the owner are not improvised on the spot but are integrated into the basic design at the development stage.
With this system, Linssen Yachts has developed production technology which is unique in the yacht building industry.
Engine room
Convenience and transparency are of great importance in terms of the installation of the technical equipment in the engine room. And we’re not just talking about the engine. This is where many components, pumps and installations do their work inconspicuously but reliably to ensure that each instrument, each electrical wall socket, each tap and each heating unit can operate faultlessly in each compartment.
Here too, modular construction forms the basis of the overall concept. The easy-to-understand structure of all the systems makes maintenance a simple and efficient process. This not only makes it possible for service engineers to work in accordance with standard procedures, it also means that the owner doesn't have to be a fully qualified engineer to carry out simple routine checks.
The FIS® (Floor Integrated System®) is a revolutionary Linssen innovation which ensures that the – prefabricated – cable trees and pipes can be installed and maintained safely and conveniently while remaining easily accessible.
Installing the interiors
Having arrived from the interior module factory, the interior modules are installed on the Logicam production lines. The first step is to lay the floors and fit the walls. The forward cabin, including toilet and shower and (in the case of 40 ft yachts and above) the guest cabin, are then installed. The next step in the production process is to install the aft cabin with toilet and (where fitted) shower (or the open cockpit) and this is finally followed by the centre section - the saloon, pantry and dinette.
All the cabling, pipes and drains that run under the floors through the FIS system emerge 'through' the floors, walls and ceilings in the right place to the outside to be actually connected up at a later stage in the finishing process.
The last step is to give the complete interior several coats of lacquer, to provide the cherrywood with optimum protection.
The finishing process
The interior is now complete and the finishing phase begins. Most of the technical systems, i.e. equipment including the heating system, batteries, fuses, instruments, etc., are housed in the engine room, but some are also installed under the floors and behind the walls.
Connecting all these components wherever they are in the boat is part of the finishing process. They include the drain from the toilet and shower, the water supply for the pantry, electricity to all the power sockets and lighting system and much more besides.
The helmsman's position is also fitted out at this point. The cable harness with the labelled wiring for all the instruments is ready to be installed. All the navigation instruments, displays, switches, meters and handles are connected up.
The windows, having been made to exact dimensions outside the yacht, are mounted in the rebates. After being thoroughly inspected at the last workstation, the yacht is reported to be complete and is transported outside for the launch.
Commissioning, final check and test sailing
Our Travellift lowers your new Linssen into the water, after which the official commissioning process takes place. The engine or engines are adjusted and calibrated; the navigation equipment, depth gauge, GPS, etc. are adjusted and all the technical components are checked during a test sailing.
Your yacht is given a final thorough check before you come on board. The yacht is inspected in minute detail and everything is tested again. It is then thoroughly washed on the outside and the interior thoroughly cleaned and your dream yacht is ready to be handed over.
This handover of a new or pre-owned Linssen yacht always takes a full day, so that every detail can be explained, every question answered and every test completed – you can rely on us for that!
We’ll never just thrust the keys of your new yacht into your hand without providing you with comprehensive information!