Well, firstly, this is actually a review of the Gemini ST, which is a composite boat & it does not come in a plastic version, which makes sense to me.
The SP does come in a plastic version which also makes sense to me. Here's why...
The Gemini ST is light & actually quite fast on the water. I found it a bit "tippy" feeling on lively ocean water and I ended up lowering the seat by adding additional spacers, maybe a little less than an inch, and cutting back some if the under seat foam. That really worked & the kayak still felt lively, but also "planted", even in bouncy rebound off the cliffs.
Benefits of the ST are, its very light weight..a joy to load on & off the car! Also its excellent speed & tracking, without the kayak feeling "locked in" or dull.
It catches waves like a demon & tracks beautifully on the wave while being easy to steer with some edge & stern rudder. Obviously, without having the bow volume of the SP, it may bury the nose if pushed too hard (like on steeper, faster waves) but I did not go there.
Like the SP, its shorter length is a plus and it really is as fast as many longer, hard tracking tourers. Lowering the seat did not affect the ability to lay-back as with the seat at normal height, I couldn't do that anyway at the standard seat height :(
Its not a kayak you want to bounce off rocks in, as it isn't designed for that. Its light, fast & responsive and that is plenty!
The Gemini SP however is designed for pushing things a bit in surf & rough water and hence the addition of a plastic version. People will feel they want to get among the rocks in the SP, if they are so inclined.
At first, I was a bit non-plussed with the Gemini ST, but having lived with it for a while, I came to appreciate it's good points and did not get hung up on what it wasn't. If you enjoy sea kayaking and are looking for a lightweight but "real" sea kayak, that has character & "feel", you may be very happy with the Gemini ST. I am about 6' 1" & 12.5 - 13 stone and it worked well for me. For a very light person it may feel more bouyant...hard to say without testing it.
The only negatives for me were minor, I don't like the removable pod & removed it. I cover the space with a mesh bag & put my bottle & sponge in the pod space, which works well for me. I wish Valley had just built in a normal front hatch & provided a free dry bag, if they wanted to offer something removable :D
Also, I don't much like the variations in hatch sizes across the Valley line. It becomes a hassle getting the right fit in countries other than the UK.
I would prefer standard round hatches, like NDK boats.
I would also like Valley to design in a lower rear cockpit rim, to allow for easier layback, which gives me a real sense of freedom. The Aquanaut RM LV had that & I loved it.
So, in short both Gemini SP & ST are awesome kayaks. They do not have the flat planing hull of say the Delphin or Xtra, but have a pronounced keel, and as such, handle more like a standard kayak & are probably much more manageable (& enjoyable) in windy conditions. But they are also only 4.5m long, highly seaworthy, versatile & so much fun, without taking up a large space in your garage or shed. They can be paddled with finesse and encourage learning new skills.
