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Yes, I’m selling my beloved Geja, which I bought sight-unseen in 2008 through the pages of the Northern California magazine, Latitude 38. She will be available in early-September near Split, Croatia, the most popular cruising area in the Med. She’s got a one-year dry berth there starting in September (which is still a good month for sailing, just sayin’).
I’m an American, living in California. During 15 summers, I sailed her 13,000 nautical miles to nine Mediterranean countries and two continents with over 90 different friends, family, and acquaintances as crew. She has plenty of life left in her, fully equipped and ready to go for more seasons to come. Her travels are well documented on YouTube, a rather outdated website, and the pages of Latitude 38 magazine.
She is absolutely functional and comfortable for up to four people. As I write this, I’m midway through my 800-mile 2024 summer voyage from Sicily back to Croatia. As you see from the inventory list, most of her systems and rigging have been renewed during my ownership. As for all of those pesky things that plague most boats this age, such as deck leaks and sagging headliners, I’ve fixed most of them. And the portlights you ask, the most common leak culprit? I replaced them all with identical OEM parts from Mark Plastics in Southern California, brought in consecutive summers as carry-on luggage.
So, is there anything wrong with her? Well, she is aesthetically challenged. The hull above the waterline has long needed a paint job. The toe rails leak, a very common issue. I’ve taken the band aid approach by caulking their edges from the outside, but at some point they should be removed and properly re-caulked, a weekend job for two if things go smoothly. As a result of the toe rail leaks, and previous portlight leaks, some of the nonstructural interior woodwork is discolored and/or weakened. Even with these issues present since my purchase in 2008, they haven’t prevented me from safely and comfortable voyaging thousands of miles through the Med.
Geja was built near Los Angeles, California during a boom of fiberglass boatbuilding. In 1990, a couple from San Francisco bought her and spent 10 years sailing her across the Pacific and Indian oceans before reaching the Mediterranean. They sailed the Med for another five years before the husband passed due to illness in 2006. Though she hasn’t fully circumnavigated, some other Islander 36’s have. The hull is thick and strong, but do note that these boats were not intended to cross oceans. Still, I’ve had her out in some very challenging conditions, which she has always handled well.
The boat is a USA-documented vessel. Only American citizens can retain this status. Value Added Tax for the EU has been paid, so no worries about having to sail out of the EU every 18 months.
What else can I say? I’ve owned her for half of my adult life. She’s provided more than a lifetime’s worth of adventure with dozens of my friends, family, and acquaintances. I’m excited for an equally passionate owner to take over - she has plenty more to give. She sails beautifully and is so light on the helm, much more stable than current productions boats.
Andrew
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Some notes about the spec list...
PROPULSION
The Yanmar 3GMF diesel motor has been extremely reliable and well looked after. After 10 months of inactivity, she always starts within a couple of cranks. On a daily basis, it’s almost instant. As a seasonally used boat, she is serviced annually no matter that season's usage. Oil, fuel filters, impellers, belts... always replaced at proper intervals, if not sooner. After a typical 100-hour season, there is some oil loss, to the tune of less than a centimeter on the dipstick. But still within the upper half of the dipstick range.
Yes, when the mixing elbow was replaced in 2022, the heat exchanger was also cleaned and tested.
SAILS & CANVAS
The sails are no doubt old but still serviceable, and I definitely put them to the test every season. If I were to replace one, I’d do the genoa first. The bimini provides broad coverage and has slots for LED cockpit lights. I've stowed the sprayhood below and rarely miss it.
RIGGING
I had the mast pulled in 2021. Replaced the stays and shrouds and made a new HDPE mast step.
DINGHY
The Zodiac dinghy has been excellent and stable with its rigid fiberglass bottom. There's probably only a season or two left in her, and my next one would be a tad shorter.
I just ditched the gas outboard in 2024 for the brand new electric E-Propulsion eLite, an excellent, if slower, upgrade!
GROUND TACKLE
The reviews were correct - the 17kg Sarca Excel from Australia is an excellent new-generation anchor, replacing the old 20kg Bruce claw.
ELECTRIC
There was no sailing to be done in 2020, so I upgraded the electric systems instead. It was very satisfying to replace most of the old, crusty wires with new tinned ones. I tackled both the 12-volt and 230-volt systems, complete with new breaker panels. All heat shrunk and labeled.
In 2021, with the mast down, I replaced all mast cables and mast lighting fixtures.
While a 143ah house battery and 160 watts of solar don't sounds like much these days, I assure you that you'll seldom need to plug into shore while still having the coldest beer on the dock.
ELECTRONICS
There is a combination of NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000 gadgets, which all talk to each other through a ShipModul multiplexer. The multiplexer even broadcasts the data over wifi. I personally run the data through a RS232 cable to my MacBook running MacENC. OpenCPN would also work. The latter is free; the former is not. Either way, happy to share with you compatible charts.
The "chartplotter" at the helm is an old Garmin handheld device. While it doesn't have actual charts, it displays waypoint info such as distance and course to steer. MacENC can transmit waypoints to the Garmin.
Or just keep things super simple and run Navionics on a phone and/or tablet.
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PROPULSION
Yanmar 3GMF 3-cylinder 20hp, unknown total hours
Flex o Fold folding prop (2018)
Fixed prop, spare
115l (30 gallon) diesel tank
Air intake silencer 2008
Hour meter 2009 (currently 1500 hours)
Injector service 2009
Motor mounts 2009
Starter 2014
Fuel lift pump 2015
Control cables (throttle, gear, shutoff) 2019
Engine panel 2022
Mixing elbow, HDI Marine 2022
Fuel filter housing 2022
Starting battery 2023
Cutlass bearing 2024
Shaft lip seal 2024
SAILS & CANVAS
Mainsail: partial batten, loose foot, two reefs with lazy jacks
Genoa: 120% (?) with furling pad
Genoa: spare
ProFurl furler
Spinnaker: asymmetric with sock
Bimini 2021
Sprayhood/dodger
RIGGING
New stays and shrouds 2021
New mast step 2021
Many new Garhauer blocks
HULL
Stripped and barrier coated below waterline 2010
Keel soda-blasted and faired 2019
Båtsystem boarding/swim platform 2023
DINGHY
Zodiac 2.75m PVC inflatable YL 275 R 2007
E-Propulsion eLite electric outboard 2024
Oars
Anchor
GROUND TACKLE
Sarca Excel anchor 17kg (37lbs) 2022
30m (100’) 8mm chain
35m (116’) rope
Simpson Lawrence Hyspeed manual windlass
Snubber
Danforth spare anchor
12VDC ELECTRIC
143ah sealed lead acid house battery 2024
160w solar panels
2 mppt solar controllers 2009, 2017
Blue Sea auto charge relay 2009
Blue Sea distribution panels 2020
300w inverter
Victron 602S battery monitor 2011
USB-A and USB-C outlets
230VAC ELECTRIC
20a battery charger
Blue Sea distribution panel 2020
230V outlets
Shore power cord
PLUMBING
Pressure water at galley, head, cockpit shower
Jabsco PAR-Max automatic pressure pump 2019
10-inch water filter
Freshwater foot pump at galley
Maintenance bilge pump (Whale 220) 2016
High capacity bilge pump (ShurFlo 2000) 2019
Toilet Raske & Van Der Meyde Edam RM69 2007
Propane locker with electric solenoid
GALLEY
Refrigerator with Isotherm 2301, Danfoss BD35F compressor 2017
Two-burner Eno stove
ELECTRONICS
NMEA 0183
Garmin GPSmap 76S “chartplotter” 2018
Furuno NX-300 navtex receiver 2008
Autohelm ST4000+ wheel pilot
NMEA 2000
Garmin speed/depth/temp 2021
Garmin Gwind 2021
ShipModul multiplexer N2K/Wifi 2022
Standard Horizon Explorer fixed VHF with DSC 2011?
Standard Horizon HX370S handheld VHF 2008
Fusion MS-RA210 stereo 2023
Fusion subwoofer 2016
Humminbird depth sounder 2023
Vesper VHF/AIS antenna 2021
OTHER
life jackets
jack lines 2008
cockpit cushions 2017
5 Caframo 757 cabin fans 2019
2 folding bicycles
tool kit
spare parts
two fire extinguishers 2024
first aid kit
cruising guides
dishes, cutlery, pots, pans, etc.
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