I'm Here to Plan my Dream Life :)

[Gelfling]

Good luck on the closing! I do love to hear a good success story. IMO....the Chessy is a great place to start. There are just so many places to explore. When we cut the lines for full time cruising, I hope to spend at least 2 years in the bay before moving on and will probably return every spring and fall.

[rourkeh]

Good luck with your plans. Your idea of living onboard a cat is a good idea as you cannot beat the space they offer compared to a similar sized monohull. Almost all cats are built for the charter market and make great boatominiums unfortunately they sail like a shoe and can be downright scary in rough offshore waters. You need to give a lot of thought to the purchase before you pull the trigger. Look at as many boats as you can and include everything you can think of including monohulls and other types of boats you have no intention of considering. You will get a lot of ideas about space and design.

[Navegante1105]

Hello,Brian: Welcome to CF;
Reference your height, I am 1.82 , more or less 6,006 feet, and I am the owner of a Beneteau Oceanis 40' and there is plenty of space; You do not feel like moving your head down when you are doing things inside the boat. Also, I have been sailing in an Oceanis 393, it is just the same; even in the bathroom, You can have a shower without flexing your knees.. If You are going to live in the boat, remember You are paying( in Spain, that is the way) for your complete square meters in the marina. So we are taking in consideration, 48 square meters on a 40' and if you are thinking in a catamaran, think about nearly double.
Maybe because I have been all my life in monohulls, I feel more comfortable with a wide place with saloon,kitchen cabins and bathrooms in the same level, not to have independent hulls for been in a cabin or in the other. I suppose, depends in what You are use to.
And the price for a used monohull and a cat, are far one to the other.
So, it is my oppinion...So You start using the balance and compare what You would like and what people says about.
Anyway, welcome and start enjoying this way of life; you will not regret, I am sure.
Regards, Agustín.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by Navegante1105

................... If You are going to live in the boat, remember You are paying( in Spain, that is the way) for your complete square meters in the marina. So we are taking in consideration, 48 square meters on a 40' and if you are thinking in a catamaran, think about nearly double. ..............................

This is an important point made by Agustin; however, one of the benefits of the Gemini is that it can fit within a standard 15' wide slip. Although there are some marinas in the US that charge by slip length, most charge by boat length. None that I know of in the US charge by area.

[Brian T]

Yeah that was one of the big draws for me when I found the Gemini... it has many of the advantages of a catamaran, however with 14' beam it can fit in standard slips and get hauled out anywhere

[Rav]

Originally Posted by Brian T

Yeah that was one of the big draws for me when I found the Gemini... it has many of the advantages of a catamaran, however with 14' beam it can fit in standard slips and get hauled out anywhere

Brian,

The narrow beam will also mean that it can go places that beamier cats can't - like the French canals all the way to to the Med.

And don't take some of the comments about multihulls not being Bluewater cruisers seriously. For some reasons there are certain Cat and Monhull people who have only contempt the other side's boats. Just like some dog lovers can't understand why people love cats and vice versa. Just look at any list of great blue water cruisers and you will see Wharrams and Prouts and countless other MH's that have made innumerable circumnavigations.

I think that your adventure sounds fantastically exciting and the way that you are gong about it is great. I made the same decision when I was about 32 and I am only about to embark on it now .... 17 years later! So, I feel your joy! good luck.

I should tell you that, although headroom was a big priority for me, it was / is secondary to the more critical matter of how easy the boat is to singlehand. I ruled out cats straight away since the idea of taking a big single prop cat, with huge windage, into a crowded marina in a big blow is scary. So, I decided that it would be no cat for me. Just a fin keel monohull that liked to reverse.

But then heart overtook head and I am hoping to close the deal on a catamaran next week!

A Prout Snowgoose 35. It was love at first sight!

Even if I am a dumb so and so, I would still suggest that you give a bit of thought to what you need from a single hander, though. Any boat can be set up to improve singlehandability and there is a recent separate thread on here about 'the best cat to singlehand' which you would probably find interesting.

Having proven that I am unable to follow my own advice, I would suggest something which maybe, just maybe, I got right. On the advice of a friend, I bought an old boat a few years and tried to learn about all the maintenance tasks that I hope will come in handy to stretch my budget and keep me away from a windowless office for a bit longer. I also found that it taught me alot about what I did and didn't want for my 'dream boat'.

You have a great dream and you are making it come true. Congrats, good luck and may fair winds speed you on your way.

Keep us posted on your journey.

Rav.

[Brian T]

Thanks Rav I am super excited to wake up every day these days! I have now officially decided and closed on my boat... my new home that is!

I appreciate everybody's help and advise, and I looked at and considered TONS of boats for my first liveaboard, however when all things were considered, the Gemini 105MC ended up at the top of the list. (too many factors to list)

I continue to be baffled by the debates that go on between folks who seem to think that everyone has to be on one side of an opinion or the other, with no comprehension of being able to relate to both sides... I have been a bit of an anomaly my whole life in that regard. I was never a skier OR a snowboarder, I first learned to ski and then later on tried snowboarding and liked it. That doesn't mean that I instantly disliked skiing and had any less respect for those choosing that over snowboarding. Same thing with polotics, I could never choose ONE party to always side with on every issue. I like big trucks as much as I like small fast sportscars... It's no different with boats. I happen to choose to buy a multihull to live on becasue it happens to have the most advantages for my situation. This does not by any means mean that I am "a multihull guy" I have been sailing monohulls my whole life, and that will not change just because I happen to live on a cat. I just felt like I had to get that out there since I feel like the topic is always around.

Anywho, I'm prepping the boat for the trip home in a few weeks and can't wait to get the hell out of my apartment Anybody have any "most forgotten item" for the first trip on a new boat?