This ones a head turner; nothing but compliments on the water.
Very unique South African made rough water RIB. With its oversized tubes, narrow beam and excessive horsepower it handles the chop and swell nicely. Boat has less than 200 hours and it shows. Comes loaded with:
Full Esignglass enclosure
Fly by wire controls
Autopilot
Night vision camera
Remote control spotlights
High end custom chaps that fit like a glove (Hypalon tubes underneath are showroom quality)
Large display Raymarine GPS
epirb
Located in San Diego; delivery available.
Welcoming offers and Available for bareboat charter.
I have a potential buyer flying in on Tuesday for a sea trial. I would be surprised if the sea trial doesn't convince him to buy the boat, but I'll keep you posted.
Unfortunately because he bought a plane ticket, I have to give him first shot at it.
Will be shooting a 360 fly video for the sea trial should be pretty cool.
I flew down and checked out this rib last week and it was awesome. I would have purchased it, but because I wanted to use it for salmon fishing, I needed to put a trolling motor on the stern and the transom was not quite wide enough.
I took it out for a sea trial and it handled beautifully. Everything worked on it including the power assisted steering, autopilot, gps/fishfinder, radios, and a multitude of aftermarket gauges and lights. I have never seen so much electronics on a 22 foot boat.
Where this boat really excels is in its power and performance. The acceleration from 25 to 40 knots was incredible. I operate a Zodiac 630 with a 200hp for work and this boat is similar in size with another 100hp. We took the boat out into the ocean and were fortunate enough to have some swell mixed with good wind chop to see how it handled the rougher water. It performed flawlessly. The engine started on the first push of a button and purred like a kitten. Because of the chop, we could not get above 50 knots, but there was still power to spare at that speed.
The owner/seller was great to deal with and I really wish I could have made this boat work.
That's the first thing I tell people when I do a charter on a RIB; and this boat is no exception.
I hate sea trials, but this one was amazing. It was the tail end of a hurricane that blew through Baja. The waves were 6-8 at 3-4 seconds, all stacked up on top each other and it was blowing almost 20kts. Not your typical Socal day. The Gemini loved it! We were skipping across the crests and at one point while air born we caught the stern on a crest and slammed the bow into the trough. He looked over at me for approval and all I said was, "that's what it's meant to do, keep going". I tried getting video, but it was obvious that one hand for the boat was not sufficient. We were doing 30 kts slicing through the waves. The boat will do 55 kts but on glass only. This boat is a prime example of how extra horsepower can actually give you good fuel economy. It cruises doing 32 kts at 3,000 rpm all while only burning 5.5 gal/hr.
When I first bought the boat I wasn't sure what it was worth. Now after all of the offers, I know exactly what it is worth. The boat will sell between $33k and 35k.
cantp1 anytime you or anyone else on RIB.net wants to take it for ride, I'm down. I'm convinced these are superior boats, and can't wait to get a Fluid.
cantp1 anytime you or anyone else on RIB.net wants to take it for ride, I'm down. I'm convinced these are superior boats, and can't wait to get a Fluid.
Well firstly I WILL take you up on that offer next time I'm in CA!
And secondly you're right about the Gemini / Fluid. I think I have already told the story of witnessing a friend in a Gemini 550 rolling it in rough seas and the thing righting itself, essentially saving his life. Well that and the kill cord...
Working with a friend that's starting a whale watching company, but he's concerned about six pack charter seating and wants to put jockeys on the foredeck.
I also have another guy that wants it for surfing in Mexico, but he's worried about the Narcos mistaking it for federales. I have no ideas on solving that problem. Unfortunately most of my boats are like driving a Crown Victoria on the water.
I did receive a deposit last week for the boat. If anything changes I'll keep you posted.
I upgraded the lines to 1/2" amsteel and it really made the boat pop. I never realized what a focal point that was. I'm not sure why Gemini used polypropylene, it was my only complaint about the boat.
Hi there,
My name's Simon and I purchased this boat from RIBS4SALE. I just wanted to post a quick note on here about the process as it was an especially positive experience, and good merchants should be recognized for solid work. Buying anything internationally, or in a place not close to your base of operations can be a stressful process with all the potential pitfalls of buying a used product that you don't have direct contact with. Patrick, and his father Mike, made this a very easy process and met all my concerns and questions in a pro-active way. They were always straight-up and went out of their way on numerous occasions to make me feel re-assured they had my best interests in mind. In fact, after I drove down to California to pick this boat up, a small problem was found with the propshaft and Patrick made good on the small repair. Many other merchants would look the other way, but here is a guy who values his reputation in the RIB community. I would feel very confident about doing business with him again and would encourage others to feel good about buying from away. The boat is in active service now and I couldn't be more pleased with its performance.
Cheers,
Simon Otb Charters
