Gemini 105 MC Buyer's Guide
The Gemini 105 MC occupies a singular niche in the used catamaran market: it is the most widely produced American-built cruising catamaran of its era, and that history gives buyers something rare — a deep pool of boats with a well-documented ownership culture and broadly available parts and service knowledge. Designed by Tony Smith through his Annapolis-based Performance Cruising Inc. and built from 2003 to 2011, the 105 MC is the third and most refined iteration of the Gemini line, inheriting three decades of evolutionary development. What you get is a compact, shoal-draft cruising cat with centerboards that lift to under two feet — a trait that opens anchorages and canals simply unavailable to deeper-draft rivals. The flip side is that this is emphatically a couple's boat, optimized for live-aboard cruising and coastal passages rather than rallying a large crew offshore. Buyers who understand that framing tend to be happy owners; those who buy expecting a performance catamaran or a charter-sized vessel often are not.
Layouts on the Used Market
The vast majority of 105 MCs on the brokerage market present the three-cabin arrangement, with private aft staterooms in each hull and the master berth spanning the bridge deck forward of the saloon. This layout suits the couple-cruiser demographic the boat was designed for, and it is the configuration most commonly encountered when shopping. A smaller number of examples appear in alternative arrangements, so it is worth confirming the specific layout before traveling to view a boat, but buyers focused on the three-cabin version will find the supply reasonably consistent.
The saloon itself centers on a C-shaped settee and a convertible teak dining table that rotates and extends to seat a larger group — a detail that makes the interior feel more versatile than the footprint would suggest. The galley was expanded during the MC development cycle to include countertops on both sides of the passageway, and the navigator's station to port provides a long, dedicated work surface. Both aft staterooms carry opening ports and genuine standing room, which is atypical for a 33-foot cat. The single head, located forward to port, is the one layout limitation frequently noted by buyers accustomed to larger multihulls.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Used 105 MCs typically arrive well-equipped by the standards of their era, and many have been substantially upgraded by conscientious owners over extended cruising programs. Autopilots, chartplotters, and VHF radios are nearly universal on boats that have seen offshore or bluewater use. Inverters, solar panels, and dinghy davits are commonly fitted — a reflection of the boat's popularity among extended cruisers and liveaboards who configured their boats for self-sufficiency. Air conditioning appears frequently on boats that have spent time in the Caribbean and southeastern United States, and watermakers are a common owner addition on examples from that market.
Battery bank upgrades, including lithium conversions, appear with some regularity on boats that have been actively maintained and modernized. Radar is often seen alongside the chartplotter installation. Starlink satellite internet has made an appearance on more recently refreshed examples as the technology has become accessible to the cruising community.
Owner upgrades that appear less universally but merit attention during the shopping process include asymmetric spinnakers or gennakers for downwind performance, bimini extensions or hardtop conversions over the cockpit, dedicated freezers supplementing the standard refrigeration, and cockpit showers. EPIRBs and life rafts are worth confirming as well-maintained items rather than assuming their presence from a listing description.
What to Inspect
The 105 MC's construction is solid fiberglass with minimal coring — balsa is used only across the foredeck, cabintop, and cockpit areas clear of deck fittings — which reduces the risk of the widespread delamination that plagues more heavily cored boats of its generation. Still, the hull-deck joint uses a chemical-cure adhesive covered by a gunwale guard, and any separation or weeping at that joint deserves careful inspection. Press and probe along the full perimeter.
The centerboards are a defining feature and a known inspection point. Constructed of fiberglass mat and Kevlar over closed-cell foam, they pivot upward in hull cavities and are raised from inside the main saloon. Check the boards themselves for delamination, cracks, or play in the pivot mechanism, and operate both boards through their full range of travel. The pivot hardware, being a wetted component, is subject to corrosion and wear.
The propulsion system requires particular attention on any used example. The boat is powered by a single Westerbeke diesel through an outdrive leg that lifts clear of the water, and a commenter in Practical Sailor's own review notes bluntly that the outdrive and original engine are no longer in production. Parts availability for the original Westerbeke outdrive arrangement has become genuinely challenging, and buyers should establish before purchase exactly what engine and drive configuration is installed, whether it has been replaced or rebuilt, and whether supporting parts and service are accessible in their intended cruising grounds. This is the single most consequential mechanical question to resolve before committing.
Wiring looms are bonded to the hull liner before the liner is installed, making subcutaneous electrical repairs extremely difficult. Inspect all accessible panels and connection points carefully; any sign of corroded terminals, chafed wiring, or previous amateur work inside the bilge or liner spaces should prompt a close look by a qualified marine electrician. The trade-off is that 12-volt runs are protected in PVC conduit and spare hose runs were installed at the factory, which aids retrofits if accessed correctly.
Check the mast step and bulkhead carefully. The mast is deck-stepped atop the main bulkhead, with chainplates bolted through steel strapping bonded into the foredeck structure. Look for any cracking, delamination, or soft spots in the foredeck around the mast base and chainplate exits. The split backstay tensioner and checkstay hardware should be inspected for corrosion and proper function.
The cockpit enclosure — canvas or solid panels — is a distinguishing feature of the MC variant over the 105M, and its condition varies considerably across the used fleet. Evaluate whether the existing enclosure is serviceable or budgets for replacement, as custom-fit enclosures are a meaningful expense.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The 105 MC circulates most heavily in the United States, particularly in the Chesapeake, Florida, and the Gulf Coast. The Caribbean — including the US and British Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic — accounts for a meaningful share of the available supply, reflecting how many of these boats completed their transition from coastal cruising to extended voyaging. Examples also appear along the Mexican Pacific coast and in Canadian waters, particularly British Columbia. The pool is large enough that selective buyers can afford to pass on boats with compromised mechanical systems and wait for one with a resolved drivetrain, given how central that question is to ownership experience.
Before making an offer, work through this checklist:
- Confirm the engine and outdrive configuration — identify make, model, rebuild history, and parts availability before proceeding
- Operate both centerboards through their full range and inspect for delamination, pivot wear, and trunk condition
- Probe the hull-deck joint along its full perimeter for separation or moisture
- Have a marine electrician evaluate the accessible wiring and panel condition, paying attention to signs of past amateur work
- Inspect the mast step bulkhead and foredeck chainplate areas for cracking or soft spots
- Assess the cockpit enclosure condition and budget replacement if needed
- Verify watermaker, battery bank, and solar installation dates and service history
- Confirm EPIRB registration currency and life raft inspection date
- Survey the rig — spreaders, standing rigging, furler bearings, and checkstay hardware
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Gemini 105 MC. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 17 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 25 | 1 | $ 96,000 | — |
| Mar 25 | 1 | $ 74,900 | -22.0% |
| Apr 25 | 2 | $ 82,450 | +10.1% |
| May 25 | 2 | $ 93,950 | +13.9% |
| Jun 25 | 3 | $ 89,500 | -4.7% |
| Jul 25 | 1 | $ 82,000 | -8.4% |
| Aug 25 | 4 | $ 120,000 | +46.3% |
| Sep 25 | 5 | $ 79,999 | -33.3% |
| Oct 25 | 4 | $ 89,700 | +12.1% |
| Nov 25 | 5 | $ 65,000 | -27.5% |
| Dec 25 | 3 | $ 84,900 | +30.6% |
| Jan 26 | 5 | $ 114,330 | +34.7% |
| Feb 26 | 6 | $ 107,500 | -6.0% |
| Mar 26 | 14 | $ 79,200 | -26.3% |
| Apr 26 | 16 | $ 94,750 | +19.6% |
| May 26 | 8 | $ 87,000 | -8.2% |
| Jun 26 | 3 | $ 89,000 | +2.3% |
Where they're listed
Gemini 105 MC listings appear across 8 countries. United States has the most listings with 47 (69.1%), followed by US Virgin Islands and Dominican Republic.
Country view
68 listings · 8 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $ 79,900 | 47 | 6 | 69.1% |
| US Virgin Islands | $ 140,000 | 10 | 2 | 14.7% |
| Dominican Republic | $ 87,000 | 4 | 4 | 5.9% |
| Mexico | $ 97,500 | 2 | 0 | 2.9% |
| British Virgin Islands | $ 140,000 | 2 | 1 | 2.9% |
| Australia | $ 103,931 | 1 | 0 | 1.5% |
| Canada | $ 88,900 | 1 | 0 | 1.5% |
| Italy | $ 114,330 | 1 | 0 | 1.5% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
4 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performance Catamarans 105 MCYou are here | — | $ 88,900 | 73 | 16 |
| Leopard Catamarans 39 | 37.5' | $ 289,000 | 53 | 20 |
| Performance 105M | 33.5' | $ 60,950 | 14 | 3 |
| Performance 31/3000 | 30.5' | $ 30,750 | 8 | 3 |
