MultiThom
Super Anarchist
Guy in the local marina parks his Gemini Mc105 in a slip. Doesn't sail it much so I'm wondering why. Seems to be a pretty nice accomodation space. Anyone have Gemini experience? Any other slip sized catamarans?
funny you call them 'the Hunter of production cats', as they are/were built by Hunter. They are heavy, slow, and hobbyhorse like mad in any kind of waves.They sail ok because they have centerboards. Their bridgedeck clearance, especially later models (where they piled on more stuff), is abysmal. Quality is moderate. The Hunter of production cats. Wouldn't cross an ocean in it though some have.
I imagine the early Brit Cats (30' Iroquois at 13.5' beam, 35' Cherokee at 16.5' beam) can fit in lots of typical slips. The Iroquois has a reputation for capsizing due to wind a bit with enthusiastic owners.
Most were build by Tony Smith in Annapolis MD. From their site:as they are/were built by Hunter.
absolutely. and the history goes farther back than that to Tony building in England. but Hunter finished it, and made some horrid overweight boats.Most were build by Tony Smith in Annapolis MD. From their site:
https://www.geminicatamarans.com/common/resources/GEMINI/Press/Gemini-Gems-Gemini-The-Beginning.pdf
"In 1981 the very first Gemini Catamaran was launched.... Between 1980 and 1996 Performance Cruising produced over 500 Geminis with 4 different ‘models’. First came the 3100, followed by the 3000, the 3200 and finally the 3400. ...In 1996, Tony began work on a brand new Gemini. Built from the ground up and designed using the latest computer modeling programs, the Gemini 105M became the pinnacle of Tony’s career.
....Mid-2009, the downhill slide in the economy and the marine industry...blah blah J
Just prior to the complete shutdown of the company, Laura Smith Hershfeld made an approach to The Catamaran Company to see if they had any interest in helping to keep the Gemini alive and together with Laura they agreed to form a new company to purchase the assets of PCI. This was fantastic news for PCI and the family as it gave Tony and Sue the means to retire and Laura became the President of Gemini Catamarans, Laura had originally approached Hunter Marine in 2008 with a view to having them manufacture the Gemini 105Mc but no agreement had been reached. Two years later Laura finally partnered with Hunter to have them manufacture the Gemini....The initial result of this new manufacturing arrangement was a new “hybrid” Gemini, which was introduced at the US Sailboat show in Annapolis, MD in October 2010"
So Hunter has been in the picture for about a decade, but Tony Smith and family built the vast majority from 1981 to 2009
There is a smaller version, a TomCat 6.2 which is trailerable with demountable amas so 8' wide on the road, 11' wide while sailing. One is listed in Latitude 38 for sale in N. CA. Looks like a nice day sailor with an all up weight of about 900 pounds.One of the nicest slip sized catamaran (I call them "pocket cats") I've ever encountered was the TomCat 9.7 or 970. Decent accommodations, nice build quality, and good performance as a coastal cruiser.