The Range Cruiser has exactly the layout we had in mind
After many years of chartering boats in the Netherlands, Ireland and France, I wanted to fulfil my dream of owning my own boat at the end of my working life. Because of my charter experience, I knew exactly what I did and didn’t want. For almost two years, my wife and I searched the Internet and visited boat shows trying to find the right boat. In the typical Sedan, we found the seating position too low relative to the surface of the water, and in the AC, we found the different levels with many steps not ideal for us.
Fortunately, we then came across the Linssen Range Cruiser series. We immediately liked both the Wheelhouse and Variotop versions.
So the search began on the relevant Internet portals. As relatively few boats were built in the Range Cruiser series, there was little choice of pre-owned boats. At Jonkers Yachts, we finally found what we were looking for, a Range Cruiser 430 Variotop®. After the second viewing in early 2019, we bought our dream boat from Alexander Jonkers at Marina Port Zélande. The very well-maintained boat dated from 2012 and had received a complete service at Jonkers, which included replacing the batteries. Before the start of the season, we had the mattresses replaced and equipped the boat with a washing machine, an oven and a bimini top.
The Range Cruiser has exactly the layout we had in mind. The slightly elevated seating position behind the wheel offers excellent all-round and over-the-bow vision and makes it much easier to moor the boat astern when the wheelhouse doors are open. A particular highlight, of course, is the Linssen patented Variotop. The convertible top can be hydraulically adjusted to different positions at the push of a button. When the sun is shining brightly, it is particularly pleasant to open the top by just 10 to 20 centimetres. This allows you to sit in the shade yourself, while the wind can just pass under the top. Even in strong winds, the top does not make a whistling or clattering noise.
Over the past five years, we have made several short and longer trips. For a short day trip, Grevelingen Lake, where our marina is located, is particularly suitable.
After five years, we can say that buying the Range Cruiser 430 Variotop® was the right choice. We would always choose this layout again, and would prefer a 470 version with two engines or the L-Class version as Variotop® or Wheelhouse. Perhaps the day will come when Linssen builds this dream boat ...
Ulrich-Joachim Gauffres
