Rick Golsteijn: From furniture maker to technical quality controller
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Rick Golsteijn (age 44) lives with his girlfriend in St. Joost, Limburg, just a few kilometres from our boatyard in Maasbracht. The house they live in has been in the family for generations: first his grandparents, then his parents, and now Rick is the third generation to live there. They recently completed a thorough renovation. “We didn’t just paint, we also knocked down and moved walls. All to make the house more logical and spacious.” Thanks to his broad technical knowledge, Rick has done much of the work himself - in his spare time.
During his training at technical college, Rick met his good friend Björn Michels, who has also been working at Linssen for many years and remains a close friend to this day. After technical college, he followed a vocational training course in woodworking at St. Jansberg college in Belgium, where he specialised in furniture making. He found his first job at an aquarium manufacturer, but it didn’t last long. During a night out, Björn told him about a vacancy at Linssen Yachts, and that turned out to be the start of a long career.
“At the job interview, I saw a yacht up close for the first time. That interior, all those complex shapes... I really thought: I could never make that,” laughs Rick. Nevertheless, he was hired and started at Linssen in August 2001, almost 24 years ago now.
Love of long-distance travel
Rick and his girlfriend share a great passion for travelling. Not just any weekend getaway, but faraway destinations with diverse cultures and impressive nature. The list of countries visited includes China, Malaysia, Cuba, Peru, Mexico, the US, Thailand and Vietnam. “This year we are going to Japan for the second time. A stunning country with beautiful nature, ultra-modern cities that you can reach in no time by bullet train, and a culture that never ceases to surprise you. People wait patiently for their turn, even during rush hour, although you will be pushed onto the metro by a train pusher, but in a friendly manner,” he says with a smile. “When you return to the Netherlands, you really notice the difference.”
Broad experience within Linssen Yachts
After several years in furniture construction and interior painting, Rick was asked to work temporarily on Logicam – the predecessor of our current series production lines. “I said, OK, but only temporarily. I don’t want to work there permanently. And now, 20 years later, I’m still there,” he says with a wink. “They were great times, with a close-knit team. Long days, and when necessary, we even worked through the night to get a yacht finished on time.”
Series production really took off with the introduction of the Grand Sturdy 29.9 in 2004. Rick worked in all interior positions on Logicam 1, and later also on Logicam 2 for the larger 40-45 foot yachts. It was there that his interest in the technical side of yacht building began to grow, particularly electrical engineering. “I pointed that out, and was given the opportunity to work on technical modules at the Prefab department. From there, I also started working in the engine rooms. That’s how I built up a broad technical base.”
Quality as an underlying principle
These days, Rick is responsible for the ‘QC dry’ - the Quality Check before the yacht is launched. He meticulously checks every detail and, where necessary, marks parts that still need correction or adjustment. For the past six months, he has also been working on the IBS, the In-Bedrijf-Stelling (Commissioning). This involves starting up, configuring and testing all technical systems on board as soon as the yacht is in the water. “The systems are becoming increasingly extensive and complex. That means I still have a lot to learn and can continue to develop. And that’s what keeps the work exciting and challenging, even after almost 24 years.”
