Beneteau 393 vs Gemini 105Mc?

[Dooglas]

Originally Posted by docrn

My only "problem" at the moment is that sailing the Columbia River is boring! Not really any place to go and the tacking back and forth gets old after awhile. We are really missing the Seattle area and I'm counting down the days (530) until we are allowed to return!

No arguments with the appeal of sailing the San Juans, the Channel Islands, and Desolation Sound. On the other hand, where have you gone in the Columbia? Sailed down to Cathlamet, Tongue Point, Astoria, and Ilwaco? Sailed up to Cascade Locks and Hood River? How about the Islands off Beaver Slough? Or Walker Island? Or Martin Slough? The Columbia River has a bunch of places to keep a boater entertained.

[Lowcountry]

Both boats are lightly-built, but the Gemini in particular is very lightly-built.

[thinwater]

That's a lot of sailing in a lot of different conditions. I doubt I'd want the same boat for the loop and the ICW, as for Hawaii and Alaska.

Figure out what boat you are going to use NOW, and then sell it and buy the boat you need next. I see a lot of people buy the boat they think they need for high latitudes and crossing oceans, and then they don't sail the local waters or the inland routes they wanted to, because it is too much boat.

I sailed a PDQ 32 (stretched to 34) for many years around the east coast. Great boat. Originally I'd been thinking of crossing oceans and going farther, but at length, I learned I really didn't like blue water that much. I like coastal waters and day sailing. So I bought a smaller, quicker, fun boat (Corsair F-24). I might get back into cruising, but the F-24 is the boat I want NOW. If I do, I'll buy something like my PDQ. But right now I know I would not be enjoying it. I would be laboring with the wrong boat.

Buy the boat you need for the sailing you are doing now. You will use it and you will learn what you want to do next. If you take care of it, it won't be hard to sell and you will get what you paid for it.


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Personally, I would go for quality over size, and spend just a little more. You'll get it back and you will like the boat better.

[docrn]

Originally Posted by Dooglas

No arguments with the appeal of sailing the San Juans, the Channel Islands, and Desolation Sound. On the other hand, where have you gone in the Columbia? Sailed down to Cathlamet, Tongue Point, Astoria, and Ilwaco? Sailed up to Cascade Locks and Hood River? How about the Islands off Beaver Slough? Or Walker Island? Or Martin Slough? The Columbia River has a bunch of places to keep a boater entertained.

Very true, there are some interesting places on the Columbia and to anyone who hasn't seen it you are missing out. Especially the Columbia River Gorge! I've been sailing the Columbia since 1986 and I've seen roughly 200 miles of it (everything down river of The Dalles). Cascade Locks was actually my favorite part of the river and used to be our home port. I think I'm just bored with it and long for some longer stretches where we can just set the autopilot, relax and see some new things. Maybe Orcas, dolphins? That type of stuff.

Anyway, all that said I do plan to do the entire river, or at least as much of it as my 6'3" draft and 55' bridge clearance will allow before we leave the Columbia for good. Been wanting to do that for a long time now. : )

[docrn]

Originally Posted by Lowcountry

Both boats are lightly-built, but the Gemini in particular is very lightly-built.

I'd say that the B393 is not as stout as our Cascade was but I have no reservations using the boat for what we plan to do (for now anyways). In fact, the 393 is a better boat than I thought it was when we made the purchase. Very happy so far.

[docrn]

Originally Posted by thinwater

That's a lot of sailing in a lot of different conditions. I doubt I'd want the same boat for the loop and the ICW, as for Hawaii and Alaska.

Figure out what boat you are going to use NOW, and then sell it and buy the boat you need next. I see a lot of people buy the boat they think they need for high latitudes and crossing oceans, and then they don't sail the local waters or the inland routes they wanted to, because it is too much boat.

I sailed a PDQ 32 (stretched to 34) for many years around the east coast. Great boat. Originally I'd been thinking of crossing oceans and going farther, but at length, I learned I really didn't like blue water that much. I like coastal waters and day sailing. So I bought a smaller, quicker, fun boat (Corsair F-24). I might get back into cruising, but the F-24 is the boat I want NOW. If I do, I'll buy something like my PDQ. But right now I know I would not be enjoying it. I would be laboring with the wrong boat.

Buy the boat you need for the sailing you are doing now. You will use it and you will learn what you want to do next. If you take care of it, it won't be hard to sell and you will get what you paid for it.


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Personally, I would go for quality over size, and spend just a little more. You'll get it back and you will like the boat better.

Get the boat for what you are doing now. I think that is great advice. The boat we ended up with was really not a good one for the ICW (6'3" draft) but I think it is the best configuration of the B393 when it comes to windward performance. So far very happy with it for most of what we plan to do. If we still have it by the time we make it to the east coast we will sail on the outside I guess.

Also, I think we ended up changing our minds about Hawaii. We researched it even more and it doesn't seem to be a very cruiser friendly place at all from what I've read. Moorage appears to be scarce, outrageously expensive as well as lots of documented issues with locals stirring up sh*t with cruisers. I don't know, we'll see. I'm just way more interested in sailing the inside passage than I am anywhere else right now.

[Dooglas]

Originally Posted by docrn

Very true, there are some interesting places on the Columbia and to anyone who hasn't seen it you are missing out. Especially the Columbia River Gorge! I've been sailing the Columbia since 1986 and I've seen roughly 200 miles of it (everything down river of The Dalles). Cascade Locks was actually my favorite part of the river and used to be our home port. I think I'm just bored with it and long for some longer stretches where we can just set the autopilot, relax and see some new things. Maybe Orcas, dolphins? That type of stuff.

And one other thought for pocket cruising experiences while being homeported in the Columbia. Consider short cruises to nearby coastal harbors. In particular, Grays Harbor, Tillamook Bay, and Yaquina Bay. These can be fun experiences and good ways to become more familiar with your boat under ocean conditions.

[docrn]

Originally Posted by Dooglas

And one other thought for pocket cruising experiences while being homeported in the Columbia. Consider short cruises to nearby coastal harbors. In particular, Grays Harbor, Tillamook Bay, and Yaquina Bay. These can be fun experiences and good ways to become more familiar with your boat under ocean conditions.

Our lease is up this summer and we might just move the boat to Newport for awhile and take a few trips down to Florence and back (my parents have a deep water dock on the Siuslaw). The only problem with Florence is its miles to the bar and there's a couple bridges that need to open. Otherwise it would be our home port. In Florence you have to go under the 101 bridge and you need to give them 2hrs notice. The other is the Cushman railroad bridge and they require 24hr notice to get it open.