Gemini?

[danielgoldberg]

About a year ago I posted a thread discussing my efforts to help a friend find a boat. His primiary and possibly exclusive use will be Long Island Sound, out to the Vineyard, Nantucket and such places. Meaning, protected/coastal sailing. They are a young family, now three kids (boy and two girls).

One of the boats considered was the Gemini. He's got a lead on a very late model version.

Anyone have specific experiences with the boat in terms of quality, performance, comfort, etc.? A couple of specific questions (but by no means exhaustive) are: how she handles in close quarters, considering the single screw, how bad she pounds, how comfortable is the cockpit over time, and does the construction hold up (not just the hull, but the interior, joinery, etc.)?

Thanks to all you multi-hullers who surely will chime in.

[NautiG]

Originally Posted by danielgoldberg

A couple of specific questions (but by no means exhaustive) are: how she handles in close quarters, considering the single screw, how bad she pounds, how comfortable is the cockpit over time, and does the construction hold up (not just the hull, but the interior, joinery, etc.)?

1. They turn and back much better than a monohull in close quarters, even with a single screw.

2. They pound very badly going to weather. I think the later models are even worse because the bridge deck is even lower than the older models.

3. The cockpit is very comfortable, and it's great to be able to walk from the cockpit to the saloon without going up and down stairs.

4. There have been some significant complaints of hull blisters in late model Geminis, and complaints that "cosmetic issues" are not covered under warranty.

There is a very good forum for Gemini owners on Yahoo Groups. Your friend should ask his questions there and peruse the files which have been uploaded.

Scott
(Older) Gemini Catamaran Split Decision

[JohnRPollard]

Daniel,

Before we bought our current boat, we were "this" close to buying a 105Mc. I crawled all over/through it and thought it would make a great platform for the kind of coastal family sailing we do. Your friends circumstances sound similar.

[kd3pc]

looked very seriously and would suggest you talk both to the factory and a selection of users, the gemini users website is very good..

We made other plans when we found out that there is only a one year warranty on the boat.

you can't beat it for space and open-ness. It is built to a price point, but the overall quality is quite good.

Handles extremely well, and is very comfortable. Even the salon seats are slanted to make them more comfortable.

I would not hesitate to buy a used one, but they seem to hold their price well.

All the best.

[sailingdog]

There may be a one-year written warranty on the boat, but the factory, at least in my experience, is very good about handling issues, even out of warranty.

[danielgoldberg]

Originally Posted by kd3pc

We made other plans when we found out that there is only a one year warranty on the boat.

I think a one-year warranty is pretty standard, except for blistering.

[pdqaltair]

Originally Posted by danielgoldberg

About a year ago I posted a thread discussing my efforts to help a friend find a boat. His primiary and possibly exclusive use will be Long Island Sound, out to the Vineyard, Nantucket and such places. Meaning, protected/coastal sailing. They are a young family, now three kids (boy and two girls).

One of the boats considered was the Gemini. He's got a lead on a very late model version.

Anyone have specific experiences with the boat in terms of quality, performance, comfort, etc.? A couple of specific questions (but by no means exhaustive) are: how she handles in close quarters, considering the single screw, how bad she pounds, how comfortable is the cockpit over time, and does the construction hold up (not just the hull, but the interior, joinery, etc.)?

Thanks to all you multi-hullers who surely will chime in.

1. Pounded even inside Annapolis harbor.
2. Helm visibility is poor.
3. Drive seems to have high repair frequency.
4. Interior livability is amazing. I believe the interiors hold up well, based upon comments.
5. I found the cockpit to be small and the access to winches very awkward.

However, one of them (Slapdash) is sailing around the world, so that is a positive statement.

[sailingdog]

IMHO, the helm visibility is pretty good for a catamaran. A lot of competing cats are far worse.

Drive is pretty solid, but as I said, has a sacrificial part that breaks under impact.

Cockpit is a bit smaller than some other cats, but fairly comfortable and well protected.

The bridgedeck clearance is a bit low and does lead to pounding.

Originally Posted by pdqaltair

1. Pounded even inside Annapolis harbor.
2. Helm visibility is poor.
3. Drive seems to have high repair frequency.
4. Interior livability is amazing. I believe the interiors hold up well, based upon comments.
5. I found the cockpit to be small and the access to winches very awkward.

However, one of them (Slapdash) is sailing around the world, so that is a positive statement.

[xsboats]

Another positive statement about Gemini's is that they float well upside down. The seating in this mode is a little uncomfortable, though , and access to storage is very limited.

[sailingdog]

I'd point out that properly sailed, capsizing a Gemini is fairly difficult to do. Most multihull capsizes of cruising size multihulls are usually through human negligence or stupidity. Access to the stowage when the Gemini is inverted is quite good, provided you have scuba gear on.

I'd also point out that monohulls have a position of ultimate stability as well—sitting upright on the bottom of the ocean, and they're even more uncomfortable than an inverted catamaran would be.

Originally Posted by xsboats

Another positive statement about Gemini's is that they float well upside down. The seating in this mode is a little uncomfortable, though , and access to storage is very limited.