Gib Sea 92?

[Clyde Coastin']

Hello all,

My family are in the market for a new yacht, something in the 28-31 foot region and needs to fulfil the always challenging racer/cruiser requirement. We have been looking at a GibSea 92 which looks well cared for and is reasonable local to us. My question is, does anybody have any experience with these? I have had a good search around and can't seem to find much info other than the older ones were better than the newer ones and that they are all "lightly built". I realise that a lot toughts on different boats can be very subjective so I was hoping one of you lovely lot may have owned / sailed / raced on one before.

We are coming from a stiff, deep fin keel 28 foot mast head rigged machine that was seriously well put together so ideally looking for similar but with longer waterline and an aft cabin.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Tranona]

Not sure you will get much direct feedback here on such a relatively obscure boat. However the stats show a rather different kind of boat from how you describe your current boat. It is for example substantially lighter than a Moody 31 with a greater sail area and a bit lower ballast ratio. That was the way with many French boats and what gives them sharper performance and more spacious interiors because of the wider flatter hull shapes. so one would expect a livelier ride that the more sedate designs of the times. As to build quality, it is really irrelevant whether older ones were better built than newer ones - the boats you are looking at is what it is and has survived nearly 40 years' use. Best to assess it as it is and rely one your own inspection and your survey to determine whether the condition reflects what you are looking for.

 

[Sandy]

I have sailed a 1986 Gib'Sea 96 for the last six years. So slightly bigger.

Really pleased with her. Sails like a big dinghy - I mainly sail single handed and have all the lines lead back to the cockpit.

I've taken her as far north as 57° 30' even crossed over the primary meridian to the east side (scarry stuff there) and out in a F7 gusting F9 where she was quite comfortable. She will make way in 6 knots on a broad reach.

Pals who have know about things like racing, I have zero interest, mutter things about how quick she is.

I'm about, sometime in the next three months, to go back in the water after 'sprucing up the interior'. As a lady of almost 40 it was time to replace the fore and aft cabin headlining, add a heater and paint the bits you don't normally see.

Does the 92 have the ability to make a 'double'* in the salon? I use that on passage and the aft cabin at anchor.

* They say double, but you would need to be really close friends to sleep two there.

 

[jac]

Used to sail a 1986 Gib Sea 84 so slightly smaller but hopefully it may help.

As Sandy said about his 96, think big dinghy rather than heavyweight cruiser. Accommodation is very much quart crammed into a pint pot - Fine if you're a crew of 5'9" 11 stone guys but for a 6 foot 15 stone guy it's cosy. Lightly built but reasonable quality when built but below the standards of Beneteau, Jeanneau etc

Given the age i would expect to see a significant of owner " Improvements" over the years so would probably be focussed on finding a well maintained one as that's probably going to be more significant by now than original build