New Gemini Legacy 35

[Boatguy30]

If I spent what, 250K +++, I'd be too proud not to love it.

[valhalla360]

Same thing applies to any boat...even ones that are home built. I mean what kind of fool would put all the blood sweat and tears into building a large cruising boat and not claim it's the best boat ever.

You have to take the responses with a grain of salt but it's still good to get some feedback.

[Boatguy30]

I assume you're referring to me. That's why I'm going cheap on sails, engine, mast. Stuff I can upgrade later depending on how much I like the boat and what I end up doing long term. Not an option with the Gemini. You're stuck with your barge love it let the bank foreclose I guess.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Boatguy30

I assume you're referring to me. That's why I'm going cheap on sails, engine, mast. Stuff I can upgrade later depending on how much I like the boat and what I end up doing long term. Not an option with the Gemini. You're stuck with your barge love it let the bank foreclose I guess.

No clue what boat you have. I'm just pointing out that there is nothing special about the Legacy in regards to your comment about trusting comments from owners regardless of what they paid (cash or sweat equity)

I understand the pro's and con's of my boat. I won't claim perfection but she serves us very well.

The comments I would be hesitant to put much faith in are those that claim a boat is either perfect or horrible with no middle ground. Since you have had nothing but negative comments going back a couple years, your fall in that category.

[Tropic Cat]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Not only are they from the same historical family, there are only so many ways to layout a "narrow" beam 30-35' catamaran. TomCat is largely the same boat with some minor changes.

I would be curious to hear how they are selling and what owners who have had one for a little while think.

You bring up a very good point. I've been involved and around catamarans for more than a decade, but know almost nothing about the TomCat pocket catamaran. Are people buying them? Have there been reviews written? Opinions offered?

The traditional Gemini, whether people love the boat or hate it is an example of a successful product with a dedicated following. It's unquestionably a good boat for its intended purpose. On the other hand the Gemini Legacy, other than the engine upgrade, I know little about the boat from what I've read. Which begs comment from satisfied owners.

The TomCat is a complete mystery... at least to me.

[valhalla360]

Not sure how TomCat is doing. There are some features we liked. Others not as much.

I have mixed feelings on the dual outboard setup.
- I like outboards and with one in each hull manuverability must be good.
- It looks like you would have people stepping on the outboards all the time as they stick out thru the hull.

Another similar boat would be the endeavor 34-36'. I don't think they are making them anymore (they seemed to have gone supersize as others have) but again almost the same layout. A condo-maran if you ever saw one but with the living space made up for it. This one does have a seperate shower stall and it's actually big enough to shower in.

[Tropic Cat]

Those Endeavors sail better than they look. I've sailed the the 30 and I think the 36 and was really surprised. Plus they are very roomy boats.

No TomCat owners on CF??

[valhalla360]

Endeavor was definetly on our list when we were looking. At 6'2", she may be bulky looking the space was awesome.

TomCat had just come out and we were looking for used to keep the cost down. That was the primary reason we ruled them out.

We liked Catalac but the only one we came across at the time had lived a rough life (no fault of the brand) and we weren't looking for a project boat.

We still believe a small catamaran is a great option for a couple living aboard doing coastal/inland cruising. Large enough to be comfortable but small enough for two to manage with ease. With shallow draft and reasonable beam, about the only place we've found that is out of bounds is the narrow canals of england (but outside the narrowboats specific to those canals, nobody fits in them).

I won't speak to offshore as we have no interest even if you gave us a 60-80'er.

[Cuttyhunk]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Another similar boat would be the endeavor 34-36'. I don't think they are making them anymore (they seemed to have gone supersize as others have) but again almost the same layout. A condo-maran if you ever saw one but with the living space made up for it. This one does have a seperate shower stall and it's actually big enough to shower in.

We have the Endeavour 36'. It does sail pretty darned well; I have been pleasantly surprised. My guy is 6'8" and this is about the only boat I could find that he is comfortable in for extended periods of time and isn't HUGE. It's not the prettiest vessel from the outside, but I think the wide cats are not that good-looking, either. Having lived aboard in the past, I have a good idea of what I want and this boat works for me. Plus it has a good stern layout for fishing, my husband's favorite thing to do.

I climbed aboard the Gemini Legacy 35 last Saturday at the New England (Boston) Boat Show. Much, much smaller inside than our Endeavour. It's only about a foot narrower overall, but the hulls are narrower and I wasn't crazy about the engine access. I would hate doing all my maintenance hanging upside down with my stomach folded over the edge of a cockpit hatch. The berths are narrower, the head is small and there is no separate shower stall. On our boat, I can squeeze by my husband in the galley if I have to. In the Gemini, that would be impossible.

There are so many boats out there. I actually feel a little lucky that my husband's height narrowed our choices so much that it made it easier to find the one for us.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by bethflkys

We have the Endeavour 36'. It does sail pretty darned well; I have been pleasantly surprised. My guy is 6'8" and this is about the only boat I could find that he is comfortable in for extended periods of time and isn't HUGE. It's not the prettiest vessel from the outside, but I think the wide cats are not that good-looking, either. Having lived aboard in the past, I have a good idea of what I want and this boat works for me. Plus it has a good stern layout for fishing, my husband's favorite thing to do.

I climbed aboard the Gemini Legacy 35 last Saturday at the New England (Boston) Boat Show. Much, much smaller inside than our Endeavour. It's only about a foot narrower overall, but the hulls are narrower and I wasn't crazy about the engine access. I would hate doing all my maintenance hanging upside down with my stomach folded over the edge of a cockpit hatch. The berths are narrower, the head is small and there is no separate shower stall. On our boat, I can squeeze by my husband in the galley if I have to. In the Gemini, that would be impossible.

There are so many boats out there. I actually feel a little lucky that my husband's height narrowed our choices so much that it made it easier to find the one for us.

We love our Gemini but if we could trade for an endeavor 36 of similar condition straight up, we'd take it in a heartbeat.

I also question the logic of twin engines in the new Legacy but I know a lot of buyers see traditional shaft drive and diesel is what they want.

We have one of the older outboard models (with newer EFI 4stroke) and think it's just about the best option. The only real issue is doing an oil change without a haul out. It's a bit of a hassle involving the dingy and an oversize heavy duty trash bag but most of the time, we can keep the oil changes tied in with a haul out and it's easy on land to stand next to the motor and do the job.

[smj]

On the outboard cats we've owned we would suck the oil out of the dipstick hole rather than pulling the drain plug. Probably not as efficient as pulling the plug but a lot less mess!

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by smj

On the outboard cats we've owned we would suck the oil out of the dipstick hole rather than pulling the drain plug. Probably not as efficient as pulling the plug but a lot less mess!

I know a lot of people swear by them but I aways hated them on our old inboard boat where that was the only option. I tried a few versions and they never seemed to work as well.

Like I said, mostly do it on the hard where it is pretty easy to pull the plug.

[RKsailsolo]

The Legacy was at the top of my list for the last 12 months, until the Mahe replaced it. I spent a lot of time on the new Legacy 2013 and 2014 models at Miami, then Annapolis and back again in Miami. Would suggest anyone interested look at 2014 models as there are important refinements done to the head and cockpit regarding height. I am 6' and the 2013 was too short in both areas. They fixed this for the next model year. After spending more time looking at other cats in comparison (Leapord 39, Lagoon 39, Lipari, Tomkat), I finally stepped on board an older Mahe at Miami Yacht Club and discovered why Cotemar fell in love with this boat.

Mahe is a perfect go-between fit in comparison to Legacy/Tomkat and Leapord/Lagoon 39.

A few weeks after my latest Miami Strictly Sail experience, I recollect my time on board the Legacy feels as if I "wear" the boat like an article of clothing due to its small size. Narrow hulls, limited saloon space, having to twist myself steping into the hulls from the salon, a small weatherdeck, and a short cockpit. Smaller external dimensions are still attractive but the tradeoffs don't work for me (seaworthiness, load sensitivity, etc.). Still, the 2014 Legacy is a great boat for its size if your only into short cruise, weekend stays, limited coastal hops. That master queensize bed in the forward cabin with massive windows overhead is a fantastic feature. Besides the poor fit for my frame, the price for a new boat creeps into lower end bigger cats. 2013 was $242,000 US barley fitted out. 2014 is closer to $260K. That fact alone made me keep looking.

In comparison, Tomkat kept my attention for about two hours. Canadian owners (two bothers continuing what their father created) were very easy to interact with and generous with their time. Tomkat's wider than the Legacy but shorter. I like the outboard power for its simplicity and lack of drag. Hey, if its good enough for Seawind... The Tomkat interior--while a better personal fit--struck me as a college dormitory vs. a refined hotel room compared to the Legacy. Barebones, spartan. It was raining all day at Annapolis and I was kind of stunned to see rivulets of water from the deck fitings not well sealed pouring into the cabin. For a brand new boat, this did not make me confident about the quality of build. I did like the engineering of the single centerboard that drops down from bridgedeck bottom to give the Tomkat a good pointing capability while keeping draft to a minimum. Tomkat pricing was almost as high as the Legacy.

I moved on to view the Leapords and Lagoons while still seeing a few mono hulls at the three shows. Lamenting the fact that FP did not bring a Mahe to any of these shows, I finally arranged a walk through a few weeks ago while in Miami via a helpful broker I was introduced to here on CF. So, that's where I am at now; my timeline is still 3 years out so I think its just about the most perfect way for my wife and I to spend our time shopping for our dream cat. A charter designed boat from a well known builder, still in production, with extensive owner documentation, we will seek an Evolution model that's preferably one owner, not chartered, 3 to 5 years old. Seems doable.

[jackphillips195]

Hi,

I have had the Gemini Legacy for 3 seasons now. We have had some issues but Gemini has resolved most of them. I am generally pleased with the boat.

Next season I am looking to get a group together in NJ, specifically Barnegat Bay. Does not have to be just NJ. Barnegat Bay is a perfect place to sail this boat especially because of the shallow areas.

If we cannot get Gemini owners maybe all catamaran owners??

I have seen several Gemini's in the bay over the last couple of years.

Please contact me if you are interested. Currently I am a member or Cedar-Mar club. It is a mixed boat type group I have been with for almost 8 years now, great group and a mix of boats. I would like to start a group of just catamarans or integrate with has a division of Cedar Mar .

Let me know if you are interested.

Thanks!