Anyone Sailed on a Gib'Sea 43 ?

[ato]

Hi,

I've been boat shopping and came across a Gib'Sea 43. The boat looks nice, but can anyone tell me about the sailing qualities of one? The design is beamy, heavy and mainly for charter, so I won't expect much performance. But how do these boats behave when it comes to blow a bit harder?
Any comments are appreciated. Thanks!

cheers

[Gio]

some more datas required. built, motor...
I have a 442 since ten years and i am happy with her.
Old but built in a time when they did not calculate in mgr. So she
is thick hulled , not so quick but safe...

Gio

[pwilliams]

Club Nautique in San Francisco has one in their fleet. It sees a lot of charter use, mainly for coastal passage making classes through US Sailing.

I've only taken short day sails on SF Bay with it. It handles well. Many people like the layout. It has the crew bunk (over/under) forward which helps with larger crowds onboard.

If you're interested in buy one, it might be worth a trip to SF to charter one from Club Nautique, www.clubnautique.net. I see their advertising banners a lot on this forum.

Good Luck

[ato]

Hi, thanks for all the replies so far. The boat in question is a 2001 model, yanmar 4JH 56hp beer fresh water cooled.

Actually I am more interested in real sailing qualities or issues, especially when it blows a bit harder. Chartering one is an option. I read that some feel the boat does not handle well when the seas kick up a bit (excessive griping), but this depends very much on the person (experience, sail handling skills) and situation (not sure what wind they had, waves etc.).

cheers

[ato]

Did some study on the design: (from another site)
the Gib’Sea 43 is built with offshore seas in mind. The design carries a Category “A-Ocean” rating from the CE, their highest offshore rating. Briefly, the boat must be designed for extended, self-sufficient offshore voyages with winds in excess of Force 8 and wave heights in excess of 13 feet.
How about a test sail in Force 8 anyone? :-)

[cathyoz]

hi
looking at one in France
any infos will be great
thanks

[stevensuf]

I own one, they point well, slam a bit when the swell is large, in general they are well built - 10,400 kg for 13m is heavy by todays standards, the steering is heavy as the twin wheels are small, the aft cabins are a bit tight on head room by modern standards, but have plenty of width and depth.

They have great ventilation , ample hand holds, plenty of storage below decks, the front v berth is a bit tight at the end, could be doing with being a bit wider, the side cabin can convert into two bunks or one couch and join the front ve berthvia a removable panel (pretty useless function) ends up being used for storage, Storage above decks is more limited, the cockpit is snug and secure.

They are no rocket ships, but sail well enough, the ballast percentage is small, but the weight is kept low, good size water tanks , reasonable fuel, fridge is huge and can have a freezer compartment. galleys space is good, heads are tight, great when under way but not so great when in the marina , they have a kevlar type reinforcement on structural areas (keel, bow ,rudder etc)

Engine access is excellent with almost 360 degrees access ,as is access to most systems with reasonable markings for each system, twin fresh water pumps for each water tank with switchovers so either pump can run either tank (nice little feature).

Looks wise, well beauty and the beholder, they are not the prettyest of boats nor the ugliest, but they do what they say on the tin.

Mine was an ex charter, and needed some work, but in general she was well kept and took minimal effort to get to full functionality, she wore her charter years well.

On the delivery journey she faced 6 days of F6-8 and nothing broke, the slamming was annoying however,but is a common feature to modern flat bottomed boats.

My only real grump is the wasted space aft of the rear cabins which really could have contributed to much needed extra above decks locker space, but on the other hand it allows opening portlights on the transom which aids aft cabin ventilation.

The trim fit and finish is fairly traditional and hard wearing. The baby stay is a bit of a nuisance, but a roller on the stay aids tacking and an extra winch starboard aft for the genoa roller furling would be a nice addition(when shorthanded).

Anything else just ask!

[cathyoz]

thanks so much
i will email you , or phone you if it is o,k with you ?.
catherine

[ato]

yes, the extra winch for a genoa furler would be great!
the boat we bought after much tinkering is a jeanneau sun odyssey.
cheers

[MarkSJohnsonuk]

Originally Posted by stevensuf

I own one, they point well, slam a bit when the swell is large, in general they are well built - 10,400 kg for 13m is heavy by todays standards, the steering is heavy as the twin wheels are small, the aft cabins are a bit tight on head room by modern standards, but have plenty of width and depth.

They have great ventilation , ample hand holds, plenty of storage below decks, the front v berth is a bit tight at the end, could be doing with being a bit wider, the side cabin can convert into two bunks or one couch and join the front ve berthvia a removable panel (pretty useless function) ends up being used for storage, Storage above decks is more limited, the cockpit is snug and secure.

They are no rocket ships, but sail well enough, the ballast percentage is small, but the weight is kept low, good size water tanks , reasonable fuel, fridge is huge and can have a freezer compartment. galleys space is good, heads are tight, great when under way but not so great when in the marina , they have a kevlar type reinforcement on structural areas (keel, bow ,rudder etc)

Engine access is excellent with almost 360 degrees access ,as is access to most systems with reasonable markings for each system, twin fresh water pumps for each water tank with switchovers so either pump can run either tank (nice little feature).

Looks wise, well beauty and the beholder, they are not the prettyest of boats nor the ugliest, but they do what they say on the tin.

Mine was an ex charter, and needed some work, but in general she was well kept and took minimal effort to get to full functionality, she wore her charter years well.

On the delivery journey she faced 6 days of F6-8 and nothing broke, the slamming was annoying however,but is a common feature to modern flat bottomed boats.

My only real grump is the wasted space aft of the rear cabins which really could have contributed to much needed extra above decks locker space, but on the other hand it allows opening portlights on the transom which aids aft cabin ventilation.

The trim fit and finish is fairly traditional and hard wearing. The baby stay is a bit of a nuisance, but a roller on the stay aids tacking and an extra winch starboard aft for the genoa roller furling would be a nice addition(when shorthanded).

Anything else just ask!

Hi, could you tell me how they park? Im chartering one in croatia and it has a bow thruster, never used one, but wondered if it was a bit tricky?
Thanks
Mark

[stevensuf]

The prop walk has a fairly large tug to port in reverse, takes a boat length or so to get decent steerage, i have no bow thruster an manage fine, with one parking should be very easy.

[MarkSJohnsonuk]

Originally Posted by stevensuf

The prop walk has a fairly large tug to port in reverse, takes a boat length or so to get decent steerage, i have no bow thruster an manage fine, with one parking should be very easy.

Many thanks for your help, im now booked for july, so see how it goes.
Cheers
Mark