Reviews for Gemini Kayak by Feelfree Kayak, USA

With my fiancee on the front and no paddle I gave the kayak a spin. The kayak paddled decently quick with two people and only one paddle. The kayak was dry and VERY stable with her turning around and moving in the front but the kayak is too wide for my liking and the paddle blades will strike the sides if you're a high angle paddler. Turning was great on this kayak and seemed better than my Necky Dolphin and Perception Prism but still kept a straight course while moving from point A to B. The tupperware type hatch covers didn't stay on very well but they sat high enough that it really didn't matter. The seat was comfortable but it didn't have a seat back. I paddle without one on my other SOT kayaks anyways.

Just for reference I'm 6' tall and 235lbs and my fiancee is 5'3' 106lbs. We both fit the kayak OK and had no problems fitting the footwells properly.

For starters it leaked like a sieve. Not only are the storage hatches in hard-to-get places, they let in lots & lots of water. The rear hatch actually sits under water most of the time. I wound up gluing them shut as so much water was coming in that it effected the handling of the craft after only a couple hours. It didn't matter, their position rendered them worthless anyway. The molded eyelets under the gunnel (where the rope runs), to my surprise had holes in them! Small holes, but they let in water none the less. This is clearly a manufacturing issue related to bubbles in the molding process. The gunnel ropes were a nice feature too. I took the ropes out and plugged the eylets with washers and screws and then caulked over them. This helped keep the boat at least dry enough to fish in the ocean for a few hours without adding several gallons of weight.

As far as tracking goes - it's reasonable, about as good as any other yak (I've fished Tarpons and Cobras to compare with). It's a decent/stable single as it is light weight (but excellent payload for it's class). In calm water it is a pretty stable tandem. In anything over 2-3 feet surf it becomes very unstable in comparison to other tandems. The rudder you can attach to the back is a must if you are going to tandem in rougher water.

It is attractive, stable, fairly quick considering its girth and weight, pretty comfortable, and unsinkable. It is not too heavy at 26kg. I put it on the roof of my car on my own.

Could be better:
The seats aren't great. They are low and just a piece of nylon held between lanyards anchored at four points. I would like something a bit higher and stiffer. A company in the UK is selling "Universal Deluxe Backrest with Seat Pad" (GBP 45 ~ USD 100) and "Apex Deluxe Seat" (GBP 70 ~USD 150) and I may purchase one or the other.

The boat is not that long. I am 176cm (about 5'9") and I use the furthest foot stop. I like to row with fairly straight legs and my knees are only slightly bent when using the furthest foot stop from the rear seat. Which brings me to...
The thigh straps are interesting, but I have not worked out how to use them. In order to put the straps around my thighs to get a good grip I need to sit with my knees raised, whereas I would rather keep my legs straight. With legs straight it is difficult to get much purchase/feeling of security using the straps without tightening the straps to the point where they give me cramp (I guess that is to be expected when doing exercise with straps on your inner thigh). I bought the thigh straps as a option from the company, so the metal (dog lead-like) clips of my thigh straps are welded shut so I can not remove them. I would recommend purchasing the thigh straps separately so you can remove them if you don't use them. Fish hooks can get stuck in them. But I think that I will come to like them one day, especially in surf.

The self bailing system (basically holes in the bottom of the boat) seems keep my wife's butt wet. She is lighter than me (42Kg to my 72kg) but for some reason the water seems to come in more at the front perhaps when we hit waves. The after-part seats, or sitting on a life jacket both mentioned above, would cure this problem.

The front handle is great - I drag mine across sand. But it could use a side handle. I would like a hole or something for a fishing rod too but I can just about use the drink holder between my thighs.

I found Malibu 2XL for $800 in local store that has pond and tried it for a couple of minutes. I was expecting much better from it (tried with my wife along). So I decided to go with FeelFree Gemini just because I found a really great deal - $500.

Fist try on the water was in a windy day with small waves for about hour or two near Honeymoon Island, FL. It was something new, good and fun. After that trip we decided we needed better seats (still looking). The stock seats have low back support and I was sitting in the water all the time (finally put my life jacket under the seat that helped me to dry).

Second time, I decided to research little creek. I tried the kayak by myself. Kayak was great in calm water. It was very easy to navigate between trees and on sharp curves. Still was not hard to keep it straight. On my way back I decided to move seat closer to the middle. It helped with forward motion, but was not that easy to maneuver. In that situation I decided to move the seat back to its original position.

During the trip I had to come out to open lake with waives from wind and motor boats (Tarpon Lake, FL). Calm water was much better, but it was still okay, no issues with stability at all.

Kayak has two hatches to store small things. It can be difficult to get something from hatch while on the water, but I don’t think you really should. I’d better have my things dry. There is a small cargo area - I did not like its shape. I have a small plastic cooler and had trouble putting it into that space. The cargo area has shape for something other then plastic box.

It is a little heavy for me to put it on top of my RDX, but it's not an issue if you have a companion. Also, kayak does not have good handles that can be used by one person. That makes it even harder to load and handle. Again, this is not an issue for two people.

My only (minor) complaint is that the quick release buckles on the seat straps are two different sizes. I can't toss the side strap over a rafter in the boat house and connect it to the back strap to hang the seat to dry.

Molded-in hand grabs on fore, aft and sides, as well as built in side ropes make grappling this large kayak possible and feasible. The fore-handle especially is most useful, for either the positive handling or even lockability, when you us a cart on this kayak, the handle makes it like suitcase with rollers, very easy and agile, and in complete control. Even down rough roads beaches, cliffs or anything. I portage my kayak from the back of my truck, lash the kayak onto the cart, and walk it down the street for about 1/2 mile, then down a 200 foot elevation drop down a bumpy dirt road and onto the pebble beach. I launch. When I land, I lug the kayak up the cliff road; I really enjoy the details that make this kayak most practical and easy to access the most inaccessible. The molded-in fore handle really helps.

This kayaks shape lets it turn pretty quick for a long kayak and its pretty good in surf, I ride solo in the back seat, and the kayak seems to pivot from there quite easily, since the widest part of the kayak is right at the back seat. It seems to track nicely, and goes the direction I want it to. I have no problem out in the windy open ocean around Cabrillo Beach or the rocky points around Palos Verdes Penisula.

It also has a 617 pound capacity, most excellent for fishing or diving platform, or even big campout picnics. I will gear up my kayak for some kelp bass fishing, and clear water cove diving. It is very roomy and has lots of capacity.