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?
Slip Sized Catamarans
- Thread starter MultiThom
- Start date
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.
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.
basketcase
Fuck you second amendment
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.
Any of the 16 foot beam boats will go into a double slip. the PDQ32 was a nice little boat, the 36 was a bit big for a slip. The Tomcat 970, if you can find one, is a great little boat, well built. The Iroquois are pretty old, and mostly overpriced and tired.
Training Wheels
Anarchist
We had one for 5 years, great boat for what it is. We kept it relatively light, even though we lived aboard, and we thought it sailed great.
longhorn
New member
Endeavorcats are slip sized but they too suffer from a really low bridgedeck. The lightest chop will have them slamming even at anchor. These small cats are great if you can accept and work around their limitations. We have friends with a Gemini and it's a Bahamas cruising machine. The 1.5 foot draft is amazing.
Tomfl
Member
Stiletto 27 at just over 13 ft beam would fit in most slips. It will beat the pants off every thing mentioned so far as it is basically an over grown beach cat. There are coffin like bunks in the hulls and if you have half a day you can take it apart and put it on a trailer with a couple of big strong friends. Easy to rig a tent over the boom for boat camping.
(203) Capt Mike's inpection - YouTube
(203) Capt Mike's inpection - YouTube
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
basketcase
Fuck you second amendment
absolutely. and the history goes farther back than that to Tony building in England. but Hunter finished it, and made some horrid overweight boats.
Training Wheels
Anarchist
Personally, I wouldn’t touch the newer redesigned Gemini’s with the twin diesels and fixed keels.
boardhead
Anarchist
Tony used to be "in the other half of the building" in Sandwich, Kent (next to Derek Kelsall's Sandwich Marine) where he built the Telstar range of trimarans, mostly the twenty six footer which became the 8M. The common thread with the Telstar and Gemini range of multihulls was their affordability, Tony was expert at putting just enough into his boats to get the job done and he made a lot of them - pretty sure over 1,000 105's in the States.
As has already been stated here they were not the greatest quality or the highest tech but they made it possible for guys to include the wife and family in their sailing exploits safely and inexpensively and the improved quality and higher price of the Hunter product proved that Tony's approach was a winning formula.
As has already been stated here they were not the greatest quality or the highest tech but they made it possible for guys to include the wife and family in their sailing exploits safely and inexpensively and the improved quality and higher price of the Hunter product proved that Tony's approach was a winning formula.
Cat2Fold was a very unique one off 36' folding catamaran. It will fit in a slip (I think) and is trailerable. It was for sale in Mexico with the trailer at $75,000 which is cheaper than most Gems.
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f152/cat2fold-is-for-sale-36-x-24-folding-trailerable-biplane-rigged-sailing-catamar-217761.html
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f152/cat2fold-is-for-sale-36-x-24-folding-trailerable-biplane-rigged-sailing-catamar-217761.html
Veeger
Super Anarchist
My Mainecat 38 fit really nice into a standard* sized slip.
* a 57’ slip....
* a 57’ slip....
Wess
Super Anarchist
ProaSailor
dreaming my life away...
Gougeon 32?
guerdon
Anarchist
G32 fits slip easy peasy. We used to sail out backwards because she was so light. Great fun to baffle the monos.
DoTheDrew888
New member
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.
