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Gemini Elite 650 Review

BoatAdvice
4.34K subscribers
18K views 9 years ago
Rigid Inflatable boats are starting to gain popularity in Australia because of their versatility. They make a great tender for bigger boats because they are extremely stable, capable of carrying more passengers than a similar-sized aluminium or fibreglass boat and the inflatable tubes act as a full-length fender ensuring neither boat is damaged when pulling up alongside. While this feature itself makes them an attractive proposition they can also be used for fishing, diving or even dropping craypots adding to their versatility. And they are hard to beat as a day boat if you just want to go for a cruise and explore your favourite bay or anchorage. BoatAdvice managing Editor, Steve Lague, took the South African-built Gemini 650 Elite for a test drive off Fremantle recently on a day when most boaties would have elected to stay home. It was not only overcast but the infamous Fremantle Doctor was blowing around 20 knots and while the swell was only  …...more
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Gemini Elite 650 Review
50Likes
18,534Views
2016Feb 22
Rigid Inflatable boats are starting to gain popularity in Australia because of their versatility. They make a great tender for bigger boats because they are extremely stable, capable of carrying more passengers than a similar-sized aluminium or fibreglass boat and the inflatable tubes act as a full-length fender ensuring neither boat is damaged when pulling up alongside. While this feature itself makes them an attractive proposition they can also be used for fishing, diving or even dropping craypots adding to their versatility. And they are hard to beat as a day boat if you just want to go for a cruise and explore your favourite bay or anchorage. BoatAdvice managing Editor, Steve Lague, took the South African-built Gemini 650 Elite for a test drive off Fremantle recently on a day when most boaties would have elected to stay home. It was not only overcast but the infamous Fremantle Doctor was blowing around 20 knots and while the swell was only small the breeze, making conditions generally uncomfortable, was blowing off the tops of the waves. But it was also the ideal conditions to fully test this 650 Elite, which is built to survey standards. While there was some water coming over the top, I am not sure there would be a centre console that would not be wet in these conditions, it was mostly only a fine spray and the centre console protected the driver and passenger pretty well. More importantly the inflatable tubes ensured the boat remained stable and composed throughout the test, with most of the spray being pushed well away from the cockpit. RIBs like to be driven hard and even in these conditions sitting on 25 knots did not seem an unreasonable speed. We even managed to crank it up to just over 30 knots when running downwind. All we needed to do was trim the nose up a little bit and the 6.5m RIB sat in the water beautifully. It was an impressive performance by a boat that will offer more versatility and flexibility than any other boat of a similar size.

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BoatAdvice

4.34K subscribers