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Old 19-03-2020, 14:33   #1
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I think we settled on a Gemini, change my mind

Forgive the meme'ish title. Just more so mean, "is there anything else we should be looking at that is better or just as good?"

We basically are looking to get our "first boat" and the wife is semi-claustrophobic.

We will originally use it as a liveaboard while she is still working. She lives out of town and we (10-year-old daughter and I) visit on weekends.

We will learn to sail, learn if this life is for us and then save up for a nicer cruise the world option after those things are answered.

So right now with a sub 50k budget, the Gemini seems to be the right fit.

Are we overlooking another gem that might be right for "getting our feet wet"?
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Old 19-03-2020, 15:05   #2
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Re: I think we settled on a Gemini, change my mind

Which Gemini is sub $50k? Presumably only the 3200. In which case the usual suspects like the Prout Snowgoose 35, 37, Elite might be a better choice for living aboard. Or an Apache if you can find one.
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Old 19-03-2020, 15:18   #3
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Re: I think we settled on a Gemini, change my mind

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Originally Posted by mikedefieslife View Post
Which Gemini is sub $50k? Presumably only the 3200. In which case the usual suspects like the Prout Snowgoose 35, 37, Elite might be a better choice for living aboard. Or an Apache if you can find one.
Definitely, the 3200 and 3000's are what we are looking at.

This is just a trial run to see if she can handle it.
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Old 19-03-2020, 15:21   #4
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Re: I think we settled on a Gemini, change my mind

I should also mention one thing she likes about the Gemini is the Master Stateroom and how it's roomy and you are looking up and the windows.

That all helps with the claustrophobia.
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Old 19-03-2020, 15:33   #5
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Re: I think we settled on a Gemini, change my mind

Are you definitely set on a cat? I personally think the narrow hulls tend to be a little more confining.
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Old 19-03-2020, 15:41   #6
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Re: I think we settled on a Gemini, change my mind

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Are you definitely set on a cat? I personally think the narrow hulls tend to be a little more confining.
It's the main bridge part that makes her feel better.
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Old 19-03-2020, 15:50   #7
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Re: I think we settled on a Gemini, change my mind

Good call! I bought one 5 years ago (105mc), moved from a hunter 33 monohull. Liked my hunter, had great times in it, but the Gemini was a huge step up in space, comfort, and sailing ability. My wife loves the space, and loves sailing flat.
Doug
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Old 19-03-2020, 17:35   #8
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Re: I think we settled on a Gemini, change my mind

You might consider looking at pilot-house mono's too.
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Old 20-03-2020, 08:31   #9
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Re: I think we settled on a Gemini, change my mind

One benefit of the Gemini over other catamarans is the beam. Many catamarans are wide (15+ feet) and therefore can be difficult to find a slip. The Gemini with a narrower beam (14 feet) is much easier to accommodate when looking for a slip.
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Old 20-03-2020, 08:57   #10
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Re: I think we settled on a Gemini, change my mind

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Originally Posted by mikedefieslife View Post
Which Gemini is sub $50k? Presumably only the 3200. In which case the usual suspects like the Prout Snowgoose 35, 37, Elite might be a better choice for living aboard. Or an Apache if you can find one.
Undoubtedly a used one. Nothing at all wrong with that, there are some around. Might be difficult finding some of the others you mention in that price range.
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Old 20-03-2020, 09:01   #11
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Re: I think we settled on a Gemini, change my mind

The issue with your budget will be the condition of the boat I bought an Island Packet Yacht, Packet Cat 35 for 47K. I will have another 30K into the boat if not a bit more before I'm done and 3 years of working on it.
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Old 20-03-2020, 09:06   #12
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Re: I think we settled on a Gemini, change my mind

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Originally Posted by Gilligan8 View Post
I should also mention one thing she likes about the Gemini is the Master Stateroom and how it's roomy and you are looking up and the windows.

That all helps with the claustrophobia.
I liked that a lot too, but the Gemini is not an bluewater sailboat. We looked at them fairly seriously, and we were told that unless you plan to buy another boat later on, you will be stuck coastal cruising.

Maje
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Old 20-03-2020, 10:13   #13
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Re: I think we settled on a Gemini, change my mind

Regarding your idea of a Gemini. I think it is a great choice for your near term. We had one built in 1995 and picked it up at the factory in Mayo. We lived in the Seattle area and knew nothing of the ICW regarding how, when, depth etc.
We cruised down the ICW with some 'outside legs.' It was perfect for us, especially the 14' width and kick up rudders and availability of berths. We crossed FL and sailed the west coast of FL. All for months and never looked back regarding our choice. Another advantage of the 14' beam is we had the boat trucked back to Seattle where we sailed for years going far into Canada waters etc. We had two articles published in Multihulls mag about our trip.
As you mentioned the master berth was just perfect. We really enjoyed the view while still in bed. Watching the anchor position for dragging etc was very handy. For the price and ample headroom and galley area it would be hard to beat at the current prices. Good luck on your search.
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Old 20-03-2020, 11:04   #14
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Re: I think we settled on a Gemini, change my mind

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I liked that a lot too, but the Gemini is not an bluewater sailboat. We looked at them fairly seriously, and we were told that unless you plan to buy another boat later on, you will be stuck coastal cruising.

Maje
We do plan on buying another boat for the blue water stuff later.

For us right now, we need to just make sure that she can handle being on a boat like this.

Plus we need to "learn the ropes".

If we drop 150k on something more "permanent" and then she says 2 months later, "F' this, I can't do it!" now we are having to find a house to buy PLUS sell a 150k boat!

If we make that mistake with 30-50k that's a little easier to recoup or even suck it up if we were to have to sell it for way below value just to get out.

Cheaper mistake.
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Old 20-03-2020, 13:37   #15
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Re: I think we settled on a Gemini, change my mind

Hey Gilligan,

You sound a lot like my wife and I, and we're really happy that we went with a Gemini. My wife works a good distance from where we live, and so the boat idea came about as a 'floating condo' solution for nights the commute was just too much. Our longer-term plans are to move onto the boat (or another) and go cruising after the kids are grown and gone, but that's 8-9 years out still. In the meantime, we're learning about boats and how to sail on the Gemini.

When researching boats I read a lot about tradeoffs, but it's taken owning our boat for me to really 'get' it. I read a lot of 'knocks' against the Gem that it's not a blue-water boat and for a while that tripped me up. I think we all dream of sailing around the world someday and I wanted that option open for us. The Gem doesn't have the tankage to make it ideal for long passages, but the positive is less tankage = more interior living space. It's also built lighter but the positive is a really minimal draft that lets us get into water 2 feet deep. It really all comes down to how you plan on using your boat. For us, the Gemini is great and my wife LOVES being on the same level as the water, and not feeling like she's climbing down into a hole. I love being able to walk out into the cockpit and feel well protected. Also lots of space (for a 33 foot boat that is) for hanging out.

It also fits in our standard marina slip, which eliminated basically all other cats. We actually stumbled across the Gemini as I had ruled out catamarans because our marina had a 2 year wait list for a slip large enough. Pretty much, the size and configuration of the Gem is perfect for us, and there isn't much else that's comparable.

Biggest downside is build quality. We were looking at production mono's ~100k budget and while we weren't looking at Oysters (obviously) the fit and finish of a Bene is quite a bit ahead of Gemini. Gems are built pretty much by hand and you can tell. 'Production' boats come off the line looking a lot more like a Honda, and I mean that as a compliment. You know what you're getting, things line up just right, and fit together like an engineer designed them too. The Gem reminds you that you're on a 'boat' lol. BUT - to us the tradeoff was well worth it, because again, nothing else is really comparable. The other nice thing is things are simple, and for a newb like me that's a good thing. Most things I feel capable of fixing, and there is an AMAZING online community (groups.io) to help you fix anything that goes wrong, and can tell you anything and everything about our boats. I was telling my wife the other day that I actually feel like the Gem is worth more (to me) simply because of the community around them. As a new boat owner, I've learned an incredible amount from other Gem owners there.

Good luck!
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