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Gemini
Living in Annapolis you hear a lot about Gemini. My take on the early Gemini''s is that they were comparatively simple boats,
heavily built, and not especially high tech. They lack some of the nicer finish work and details found on the newer boats and some of the big name Cats. That said, my impression was that they were reasonably tough boats sold at a fair price.
I had recently posted this opinion on another BB and had been advised that they were not as tough as I had originally thought.Apparently, for all of their weight there have been examples that have had some structural issues after being exposed to heavy weather. The stresses on multihulls where the cross structures attach to the hulls is enormous. Over the long haul I serious question how the current fleet of big offshore cruising cats are going to hold up.
Back to the Gemini, because they were fairly heavy, they do not seem to have the big speed advantage that one normally associates with higher performance Cats. From seeing them under way, they do not seem to be good light air but seem to come into their own as the
wind comes up around 10 to 12 knots. They seem to do well in winds into the high teens. I have no idea how they are to sail in heavier conditions.(I personally am not a big fan of the sail plans on the really early Gemini''s.
To me these are probably good boats for coastal cruising in areas that tend to have pretty good breezes. While Geminis have done offshore duty, I am not sure that a Gemini would be the Cat of choice for offshore work.
Jeff
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