Rough weather and dutch cruiser

[coreng]

Hello,

Anyone experienced rough weather on a 40 feets dutch steel cruiser ? Is rolling acceptable ? Thanks...

 

[Andrewells]

Rough weather and Dutch cruiser

While it may not be acceptable, it may often be unavoidable in heavy weather.

While I only have a 35' Dutch steel cruiser , mine was designed for inland waterways and estuaries. It has a fairly shallow draft(1 metre) and is displacement(and therefore goes at displacement speeds).

Even crossing wakes at the wrong angle will make the boat roll so going out in heavy weather is probably best avoided.Here I would define heavy weather as anything above Force 3/4 in open waters.

 

[moonraker 36]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kg_QweiLy0


65tf dutch barge..just abit of rolling...

 

[PCUK]

The roll is less uncomfortable than the jerking and pounding of a planing boat at displacement speed. It is a regular roll the same as for any displacement cruiser as the weight acts as a pendulum to smooth out the roll. I wouldn't call 3/4 rough weather, I'd start out in that depending on the area as that is just normal cruising, seven and above I'd consider rough in my 40 foot steel boat.

 

[mateyboy]

See the Tim Spall programme on his Dutch barge.

 

[Thamesmariner]

Have crossed the channel in our 40 foot Dutch steel cruiser in force 4/5 at around 8 knots, a bit uncomfortable but entirely safe - have experienced worse conditions on the tidal Thames.

 

[Fenlander]

I have a 30ft steel vlet and yes it rolls.

 

[Gumpy]

See the Tim Spall programme on his Dutch barge.

Or this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kg_QweiLy0

 

[dragoon]

Hello,

Anyone experienced rough weather on a 40 feets dutch steel cruiser ? Is rolling acceptable ? Thanks...

We had a 35' DeGroot. It was based in London for a while, and we took it through the Estuary and down to the South Coast one weekend. The rolling was awful and this was in fairly light conditions (F3/4 I guess). I guess it varies from boat-to-boat, but even when we took it out in the Solent on a calm summers day it was uncomfortable with passing wash from other boats.

I would say if it's built for the river, it's possibly best left on the river.

Cheers,
Paul

 

[pheran]

I would say if it's built for the river, it's possibly best left on the river.

Thats it in a nutshell. We've had two Dutch steel cruisers, the first at 49ft and with twin 200hp Volvos, had been built for coastal/open water cruising and coped very well. The second, at 43ft and a single 145hp motor certainly didn't - lovely boat but I reckon it would have rolled on wet grass! Head or following seas weren't a problem but anything on the beam certainly was!

 

[capsco]

Pheran what was the make and model of your last boat? I seem to remember that you posted a pictue quite a long time ago nice looking ship.

 

[segaerta]

I wonder how a 65ft planing boat woud be like in those seas ? Interesting vid as I am thinking of switching to a Dutch steel cruiser in a couple of years from now. Boat should be able to cope with rivers / canals but I also still want to be able to to coastal cruising. Am I dreaming ?

 

[pheran]

Pheran what was the make and model of your last boat? I seem to remember that you posted a pictue quite a long time ago nice looking ship.

The first one was this Valk. Much the better looking, in my view, and I loved it to bits. The only boat I've had that had a bath!

The Valk was replaced by a slightly smaller Kokkruiser 1300 (we always told people that Kok was pronounced Coe, just like Bouquet in Hyacinth Bucket!!)

I assume it was the Valk you were thinking of??

 

[pheran]

In the interests of absolute honesty, I've just remembered I've had three Dutch steel cruisers (how can you forget owning a boat, I hear you ask). The third was this Intership 1060

I took this one in px against the Kokkruiser and never ever saw it other than in photographs. The good news was I managed to sell it on almost immediately, for €8000 more than I'd paid for it! Gotta get lucky sometimes

 

[PCUK]

All boats roll in rough weather. Depends on your definition of rough!
Add ballast to lessen roll or stay in the Solent!!!
Steel boats are better than most in rough weather. Do you want comfortable or safe?

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Pheran, both lovely boats especially the V d Valk. What I have never been able to understand is what makes sea going Dutch cruisers different from those designed for inland use. I've looked at the hull of the Linssen GS 500 at a boat show which has a Cat A ocean going certificate and I can't see much if any difference in the hull design between that and the typical Cat C Dutch inland cruiser. Is it just about the thickness of the steel or the CoG or is there something more fundamental in the hull design that I'm missing? If you go and look at the hull of a Nordhavn, you couldn't mistake it for anything else other than heavy seagoing boat with it's deep hull, enormous keel and often a bulbous bow but the Linssen or the current V d Valks or other seagoing Dutch motorboats seem to have fairly shallow flat plated hulls and relatively small keels

 

[pheran]

Is it just about the thickness of the steel or the CoG or is there something more fundamental in the hull design that I'm missing? If you go and look at the hull of a Nordhavn, you couldn't mistake it for anything else other than heavy seagoing boat with it's deep hull, enormous keel and often a bulbous bow but the Linssen or the current V d Valks or other seagoing Dutch motorboats seem to have fairly shallow flat plated hulls and relatively small keels

As a generalisation, its the hard chine (knikspant) construction that gives Dutch steel cruisers their rolly-polly characteristic. It provides a hard edge just below the waterline that even quite small water movements can pick up on and roll the boat about. For rougher water use, most models add other features to counteract the effect, deep hulls, large keels and ballasting as in the Nordavn being the most common. This photo shows the keels on the Valk

Just so you can judge the size, those are 24" propellers! And the keels extended three-quarters of the length of the boat. That and around 5 tonnes of ballast kept her really comfortable (and contributed to her 25 tonnes all up weight!)

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Thanks for that. It didnt occur to me that there would be that much ballast used but I suppose with iron or steel, the volume that 5 tons occupies isn't that much. We may be looking at long distance cruisers ourselves in a few years time and the idea of a steel hulled boat appeals for its robustness

 

[coreng]

Thanks to all contributors

Effectively dutch cruisers are built with A, B or C certificates but it's the same hull shape for all. It affects only marginal matter then, such as fuel capacities or rails...