1996 Gemini 105M for Sale

If after reviewing the information on this site you are interested in learning more about Ocean's Five, please feel free to send a message to David at [email protected].  

I am asking $120,000 for this unique vessel (to include the Portland Pudgy sailing dinghy/lifeboat, Torqeedo Travel 1103CL outboard, and numerous spares).  Please read on to find out why I believe she is truly exceptional.

Overview

After six happy years together, I'm afraid that it is time to let go of my beloved Gemini 105M, Ocean's Five.  While she has proven an extraordinary vessel and safely carried me on adventures all over Northern and Central California, I'm now embarking on an around-the-world sailing journey with a crew that will swell to seven, and having that many bodies aboard full-time would be a tall order for Ocean's Five.

I am interested in selling Ocean's Five to someone who will really appreciate all that she has to offer.  I don't want to see her languishing at the dock.  She is an extraordinary passport to adventure, a truly unique sailing vessel that can take you places no other 34-foot vessel ever could.  She managed the often extremely rough conditions off of Half Moon Bay quite well.  (For context, the famous big-wave surf break Mavericks is just outside the harbor entrance).

Based on my experience, she would be an absolute dream for the following West Coast locations:  (1) Puget Sound, (2) the San Francisco Bay, (3) the Los Angeles area (for trips to Catalina and the Channel Islands), and (4) San Diego (for trips north to the Channel Islands or South to Mexico).  Finally, if not for my new life plans, I would have loved to bring her around to the Sea of Cortez.  With her shallow draft, "beach-ability" and solar self-sufficiency, you could cruise comfortably and relax in the shallowest of bays and inlets for ages.

Here is what I love about her:

  1. With her new main and genoa (2023) and a clean hull, she will cruise at 8+ knots in 18-20 knots of apparent wind, and she has surfed down waves at speeds of up to 16 knots while cruising down the Central California Coast.  Sailed more conservatively, she will happily slip along at 6.5 knots.  She is fast for her size, and centerboards help her point higher than many cats with mini-keels.  With the centerboards pulled up, she will slide down waves in a very large seas -- a nice safety feature.
  2. She can quietly motor fume-free for more than fifty (50) miles on a single charge of her 28KW Torqeedo lithium ion battery bank.  In addition, she enjoys triple redundancy when it comes to motoring.  The two Torqueedo Cruise 4.0s and their battery banks and controls are entirely insulated from each other, and the included Torqeedo Travel outboard serves as a backup system.
  3. With a draft of only 18 inches with her centerboards and rudders pulled up, she can explore inlets and rivers that a monohull or a catamaran with mini-keels would never dare to enter.
  4. She sleeps four comfortably, yet she is easy to manage single-handed.
  5. Her hydraulic tilts have worked flawlessly and maintenance-free since installation in 2019, and raising and lowering the Torqeedo 4.0 outboards with a flip of a switch eliminates a significant source of frustration that plagued many owners of Geminis -- i..e, the often-temperamental manual lift.  Raising the outboards also reduces drag on the vessel significantly, increasing her speed under sail.
  6. Five (5) high-quality Solbian walk-on solar panels feed the house battery bank, while two large Panasonic hard solar panels feed the propulsion power bank.
  7. The carefully-planned charging setup (via programmable Mastervolt chargers and dual A/C inlets) can fully recharge the 28kw battery bank in 6.5 hours.  Various conversion cables make hooking up to any of the various shore-power connections available easy (120V - 30amp, 120V - 50amp, 240V - 50Amp, and even 120V - 15amp).
  8. If motoring a long distance is required, her lightweight and highly portable auxiliary power system increases the range of the vessel from 50+ miles (battery only) to more than 300 miles.
  9. Her instruments were updated to the latest B&G equipment (to include a 12" Zeus chart plotter), and best of all, her incredibly-reliable remote autopilot makes steering the vessel from anywhere on the boat easy.
  10. The failed steering cable conundrum (which seems to afflict all Gemini owners at least once) is a thing of the past.  A buttery smooth hydraulic steering system has proven to be nearly maintenance free.  Better yet, the associated/upgraded autopilot is quiet and powerful and has confidently steered the vessel down 10+ foot waves in 30+ knots of apparent wind.
  11. When you reach your destination and it's time to drop the hook, the upgraded sail track system makes dropping the main into the new stack pack incredibly smooth and fast.  Likewise, when it's time to depart, hoisting the main on its track involves so little friction that it can be managed with minimal use of the winch.

 

List of Upgrades

Ocean's Five is about as far from a stock Gemini 105M as you can get, and she is unlike any other sailing vessel in California. She has undergone two extensive overhauls (total cost of upgrades exceeds $80,000), to include the following upgrades:

  • Complete removal of diesel drive-leg and fuel tanks and installation of two (2) Torqeedo 4.0 electric outboards and two (2) fully independent battery banks of four (4) Torqeedo 24-3500 lithium ion batteries each, for a total of eight (8) batteries and 28kw of capacity.  NOTE:  As of March 2025 the banks have been partially discharged fewer than 200 times with no noticeable change in capacity.  For context, testing has shown that after 800 full discharges, 24-3500s will lose one quarter of their capacity.  In short, these batteries have plenty of life left.  (2020).  See more about the electric propulsion system, including performance data, here:  https://sail-electric.com/electric-propulsion/
  • Installation of two (2) CMC PT-35 hydraulic tilts.  These powerful tilts are lightweight and yet incredibly durable and maintenance free.  The Torqeedos' manual tilt isn't sufficient to raise the outboards fully out of the water, and the PT-35s solve this by raising the outboards well clear using a switch in the cockpit.   (2020)
  • Installation of two (2) AC inlets along with four (4) programmable Mastervolt chargers.  (2020 and 2021)
  • Installation of two (2) Torqeedo solar chargers that power the propulsion battery bank via two (2) hard solar panels on the dinghy davits.  (2020)
  • Installation of five (5) Solbian walk-on solar panels.  These panels weigh only a few pounds each and yet reliably and efficiently produce energy for the lithium house battery via five (5) Genasun solar "booster" chargers.  (2020)
  • Installation of new Ullman Sails fully-battened mainsail and genoa.  (2023)
  • Installation of new Tides Marine sail track. (2023)
  • Installation of Rolly Tasker stack pack.  (2023)
  • Removal of the cable driven steering system and installation of a smooth and low-maintenance hydraulic steering system and extremely robust autopilot.  The autopilot is reliable and can handle very heavy seas and wind and yet draws only modest power.  In addition, the remote steering has worked flawlessly.  Finally, aligning the rudders with the hydraulic system can be done in less than ten seconds.  (2021)
  • Replacement of starboard centerboard with improved asymmetrical shape and carbon-fiber edge.  (2023)
  • Installation of an efficient and reliable Nova Kool R3800 3.5 CU FT AC/DC Single Door Refrigerator with Freezer.  This fridge/freezer (installed in 2020) has been absolutely trouble-free and fits in the existing space perfectly.  (2020)
  • Installation of a 12" B&G Zeus chartplotter along with a host of B&G instruments (wireless wind sensor, compass, depth/speed transducer). (2020)
  • Installation of a new VHF radio with AIS (that feeds data to the B&G chartplotter).  (2020)
  • Installation of two (2) new hatches.  (2020)
  • Installation of new windshields. (2020)
  • Installation of reupholstered saloon seating cushions (see photo).  Despite the white color, these have proven to be extremely stain resistant and easy to clean.  (2019)
  • Installation of fusion sound system and speakers.  (2019)
  • Replacement of master cabin mattress.  (2020)
  • Installation of swim platform at the transom.  (2020)
  • Installation of new Rocna 15 (33lb) anchor.  (2023)
  • Purchase of Portland Pudgy dual-purpose tender/lifeboat and Torqeedo travel along with a sail kit.  She sails surprisingly well, and the Torqeedo travel can be charged from either shore power or the DC house battery bank.  These items are included in the purchase price.  Further, I have modified the transom such that the Torqeedo travel can be mounted on the swim platform either facing aft (for triple-redundant propulsion) or sideways (as a very effective side-thruster).  (2021)  See more about the Portland Pudgy here (bottom of page):  https://sail-electric.com/electric-propulsion/

A Few Photos

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Night Sailing
Ocean's Five (2)
Solar Setup
Torqeedos Installed on Transom
Motor Sailing
Wing-on-Wing

Electric Propulsion

This is an overview of the conversion of the propulsion system on my Gemini 105M catamaran from diesel to electric, to include installation notes and performance data collected over several years and thousands of miles.

Learn More