Liveaboard Gemini 105mc for 5 to 6 Months?

[TikiCat]

(Hope this isn't a duplicate reply.) My 3200 was one of the last of it's breed. It was followed by the 34 that also had an outboard. Then along came the diesel version with the drive leg. All the 105's - which you are inquiring about - have the diesel. If you were to buy an older, used Gemini, it may have the outboard. I prefer the outboard - easy to work on, easy to replace, no diesel fuel odor. But, you're right, the OBs have a magneto that puts out charging current, around 6 amps max, that varies with engine rpm. So, you really can't count on using the OB to charge the batteries. As it comes stock, the boat has 2 house batteries and an engine battery. Two house batteries don't have a great deal of house power, but there are lockers - not collocated with the existing batteries - to put 2 more. (We haven't because of the extra weight it adds.) On our boat we have a Honda 2000 generator to help solve the electricity problem. I run it a couple hours per day - just like a boat with an inboard engine may run the same to charge her batteries. This short period is NOT enough to get to full charge, but I just want to get up to 85-90% of full charge. All I want is a computer, lights and appliances until tomorrow... and tomorrow I just want enough charge to get to the next day... etc. (To fully charge the battery takes around 10 - 12 hrs with the generator.) This kind of regime is easy to deal with, and it seems to work for my cruises. If you're going to be away from the dock for a long time or don't have faith in a single generator as the solution, by all means consider a wind generator and/or solar cells. This is the $$$ solution to the problem. MANY Gemini owners have put one or both these chargers on their boat. I prefer to keep it simple, and I feel like I can because I'm pretty honest about the type cruising I do. I have no dream of going world cruising in a coastal boat. I'm going to the Abacos and Exhumas. My cruises are pretty short - a few weeks +/-. As to the electronics, I have a radar which I mostly use in "guard zone" mode - turning itself on briefly every 5 min to look for traffic. I use a notebook computer for checking weather, watching movies, and for navigating. Then I only use it at the start & end of the day and on difficult legs. The rest of the time I use a Garmin hand-held GPS which is powered by AA batteries. (In other words, when I'm close to shore dangers I may use the notebook (power hog) and when I'm not so close I use the other.) I've already changed all lights on the boat to LEDs - this was a generational improvement in technology that helps with power. I have a 7" LCD TV that I use with a coat hanger antenna (works great) to look at local news & weather while traveling. I run a ham radio but don't talk much, and the receive power is low. All these things work for me using the generator regime I've described. I preserve the engine battery for starts. I don't combine with the other two because my engine battery is a different type from the house batteries. In short, if you identify honestly what type cruising you're going to do (not what type you dream-about doing), you can sneak up on the power problems over time. It will always be possible in the future to add systems (& complications) then, when you have experience that says you need them. Hope this helps.

[clymbon]

Originally Posted by talus

Here are a couple of travelers that liveaboard a Gemini 105. I would think they now qualify as experts: Around the world on SLAPDASH

BTW - their blog is a hoot.

And their boat - SLAPDASH - is now listed for sale.

[webejammin]

Originally Posted by videorov

Is it possible and how do the crank-up centerboards hold up? I wonder if that cavity gets junk in it and how hard is that to clean when a new bottom paint is done?

Do the crank-up rudders give any trouble? I worry a little about the
center board cavity getting junk in it. When they bottom paint that
boat do they paint up into that cavity?

Lots of moving parts, sounds like, but I do like the idea to get into shallow water and even beach the boat. Sounds good to get back into some shallow spots away from the crowd and good for fishing. If I buy one I would use it for fishing a lot while cruising for 5 to 6 months in the winter here in Florida away from my Idaho property.

We (my wife and I ) have lived on our 01 Gemini 105Mc for a year and now part time. Every thing works great and sails just fine and if you get the model with the screecher track you will love it. Our center boards work just fine and our rudders kick up just fine and can be cleaned while under way, weeds. We love the oiled teak wood it's nice to take the scrapes out with oil. Were in WA how far are you ?