Looking for a small Bahamas cruising Cat

[Dulcesuenos]

Not sure why a Gemini would make a better Bahamas boat? With the drive leg and rudders down the draft is only what?, 6-9" less than the ec30? And the EC 30 has much stronger keels and ability to stand on its own bottom, without cracking and damage if a wave or wake comes along. Ive spent time on both and there is a big difference in construction and build quality. I do like the gems fwd, cabin better as it is larger.

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[trik77]

I have nothing super against the Gemini series of cats but there is slim pickings the further north you go with most I have seen centralized around Florida. I have heard there is a rather large build quality discrepancy with Gemini's but that could just be hearsay. Ethier way the EC 30 I am looking at would need some work to convert it to a good cruiser as its mostly stock with only a couple addons and replacements. Things like radar and some sort of solar/wind power would make living a bit better also an auto pilot to me feels like a must.

[Dulcesuenos]

Our EC had wind and solar. I strongly recommend going for more solar and forget wind. Imhop, wind is a waste of time and money unless you plan on being somewhere there is 20+ knots all the time like caribbean etc. We had solar mounted on an arch that held 2 large panels and supported a 10' dingy w large Ob no problem. I'd use the wind gen$ towards a watermaker, and a Honda eu2000 for days w no sun. As for auto pilot it's nice, radar is nice if doing low vis\ night crossings, we used ours heavily crossing the Atlantic, (not in our EC lol) and very rarely if ever in the Bahamas, or Florida. We did put a prop thrust guard on the ob and it made a noticeable difference on increasing fuel economy and speed at a lower rpms the boat can perform well with A 20-35hp ob anything higher is overkill. We avg roughly 6-8 mpg under power only.

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[inchcailloch]

Hi, with regards to a Prout 33, I have sailed one for the last 4 years single handed with my wife flying out to various places. In it I've crossed the Atlantic 3 times and it is currently in the French Polynesian Islands. They are not the fastest of vessels but sturdy and handled well in up to force 10s. Palacial for one, loads of room for 2 when you consider all the extras/spares etc for liveaboard. Everything comes back to the cockpit so no need to go up front unless in an emergency. Indeed the first crossing I put the sails up in Cape Verde and did nothing till I arrived in Barbados. Very slow Panama to FP, taking 7 weeks with very light winds. However on each Atlantic crossing was averaging 133 miles a day......no so in Pacific! The outdrive is invaluable for tight manoeuvrability and lift out of the water for long passages thus lessening drag

Drawbacks..... 1. Slow but sturdy and stable. 2. Low headroom in the centre of cabin (I'm 6 foot), no problems in galley, heads etc. However offset this that if it was higher headroom in the centre it would be less aerodynamic in headwinds. A third more agreeable option would be the prout 37.......again this must be weighed up against additional expenses of marinas, haulage etc

For singlehanded where it seems impostor obtain fully comprehensive insurance this is ideal. Under £300pa for 3rd party insurance for circumnavigation. If the worst comes to the worst and it's lost, better loosing this than a £100 200 thousand pounds cat like a Leopard that I would go for if I could get fully comprehensive.

Overall, they are your British Bulldogs of cats.......ugly, In my opinion, but very strong and stands up to everything it's faced so far!

[trik77]

Thank you for the info on both the EC and the Prout. I still have to get out and take a look at both cats and that could change things drastically and wont happen for at least a month bearing in mind if they are still on market. The Prout from everything I have read is an absolute tank save mind you for that outdrive which looks cumbersome to repair. I would go so far as to ditch the yanmar diesel and fit an outboard over dealing with that hunk hanging off the back. The EC is a newer build with a more modern interior and rig having a self tacking jib and single line reefing system which seems nice. On the flip side the EC 30 is a coastal cruiser/island hopper at best with only one that I have heard making a blue water passage which is fine for my intended uses but if I ever did get squirly I would need to upgrade.

I still need to get out there and train and practice before making any headlong rush into purchasing and have plenty of time to do so at my own pace. Cats seem like an ideal type of boat for me knowing I will be taking on crew (I say crew more like sightseers) on and off and want them to feel comfortable both at anchor and under way. Also I great advantage is the shallow draft allowing me to get in close and also dry out on keels depending on the boat.

[brownoarsman]

No one has mentioned an Iroquois 30. Was one for sale in Burlington, VT at the beginning of the summer. 18" draft with everything up and a sturdy-ish build. Lots of forum threads on those.

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[inchcailloch]

Originally Posted by trik77

Thank you for the info on both the EC and the Prout. I still have to get out and take a look at both cats and that could change things drastically and wont happen for at least a month bearing in mind if they are still on market. The Prout from everything I have read is an absolute tank save mind you for that outdrive which looks cumbersome to repair. I would go so far as to ditch the yanmar diesel and fit an outboard over dealing with that hunk hanging off the back. The EC is a newer build with a more modern interior and rig having a self tacking jib and single line reefing system which seems nice. On the flip side the EC 30 is a coastal cruiser/island hopper at best with only one that I have heard making a blue water passage which is fine for my intended uses but if I ever did get squirly I would need to upgrade.

I still need to get out there and train and practice before making any headlong rush into purchasing and have plenty of time to do so at my own pace. Cats seem like an ideal type of boat for me knowing I will be taking on crew (I say crew more like sightseers) on and off and want them to feel comfortable both at anchor and under way. Also I great advantage is the shallow draft allowing me to get in close and also dry out on keels depending on the boat.

Personally I wouldn't touch anything at sea for petrol outboard save for the dink, and then carry the minimal amount. I did change the 20hp which I felt was underpowered for a 30hp. Plus of course with a outboard how would you effectively charge the batteries. The outboard is definitely going to be less economic to run, i use approx 1 litre/hr at approx 12000rpm. but then i rarley rush! It happens I have plenty of solar panels and a wind generator but getting free electricity when the engine is on is always a boon. The outdrive I've had serviced once and have found reliable, parts available in UK though not sure how accessible elsewhere. An alternative might be a diesel outboard but never given consideration. .......ie what happens when waves break over them etc

[Andrew Grace]

Originally Posted by Dulcesuenos

Our EC had wind and solar. I strongly recommend going for more solar and forget wind. Imhop, wind is a waste of time and money unless you plan on being somewhere there is 20+ knots all the time like caribbean etc. We had solar mounted on an arch that held 2 large panels and supported a 10' dingy w large Ob no problem. I'd use the wind gen$ towards a watermaker, and a Honda eu2000 for days w no sun. As for auto pilot it's nice, radar is nice if doing low vis\ night crossings, we used ours heavily crossing the Atlantic, (not in our EC lol) and very rarely if ever in the Bahamas, or Florida. We did put a prop thrust guard on the ob and it made a noticeable difference on increasing fuel economy and speed at a lower rpms the boat can perform well with A 20-35hp ob anything higher is overkill. We avg roughly 6-8 mpg under power only.

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Just a word of caution on Radar , there has been a few accidents here lately where global cruisers have been so confident and reliant on radar that has caused serious crashes into small wooden fishing boats at night, I have personally seen a 40 foot wooden fishing trawler fail to show on radar ( as close as 50 m away) , same for Navy vessels, they only show as a faint signatures , point is that radar in remote islands should not be seen as a replacement for somebody physically on watch, scanning the horizon every few minutes.

[captstu]

Older Geminis with diesel engines and sail drives are not Very reliable. Newer Geminis are very expensive. The best solution in that family is an older Gemini fitted with an outboard engine either from the factory or retrofitted by an owner.

Sufficient solar cells plus limited out for charging was enough for me to live on my Gem for five years comfortably.

[MAJICDAN]

Have you looked at the Main Cat 30?
There are several for charter out of hopetown.
Maincat has a charter deal to try one out first.

Maine Cat Catamarans - Maine Cat Catamarans

[trik77]

Originally Posted by MAJICDAN

Have you looked at the Main Cat 30?
There are several for charter out of hopetown.
Maincat has a charter deal to try one out first.

Maine Cat Catamarans - Maine Cat Catamarans

Super cool little cats but dang that price tag is something else. I am overall very againt chartering with that being said taking a boat out for a day or two just to get your feet wet is a reasonable idea but those cats are way outta my price line.

[Catalysis]

If you can find a decent priced one ....... the PDQ LRC 32 would be a good option to consider.


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[Dulcesuenos]

Originally Posted by Catalysis

If you can find a decent priced one ....... the PDQ LRC 32 would be a good option to consider.


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Find one seaworthy for the OPs budget of 40k and I'll buy it and give yah 10%!😁

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[Sdwcheney]

Why just a cat? I did the Bahamas in my Nonsuch 30 and it was very nice.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by trik77

SNIP

On the flip side the EC 30 is a coastal cruiser/island hopper at best with only one that I have heard making a blue water passage which is fine for my intended uses but if I ever did get squirly I would need to upgrade.

SNIP

Plenty of folks have circumnavigated in boats with much less blue water ability than an EC 30, or a Gemini for that matter. Not saying either are the ideal choice, just that lesser boats have crossed oceans. By the same token boats most folks would call blue water boats have been lost. As a general rule most boats are much more capable than the folks on them.

My opinion is that the most important consideration in buying a boat is how much work you will have to do to get it ready to head out. The first axiom of cruising is any work you have to do to get the boat ready will take longer and cost more than you think.