STREAMLINED and elegant are not words you would readily use to describe Andrew Craig's catamarans.
More like characters in a child's book than ocean-going yachts, they are the workhorses of the boat world; small yet sturdy.
Used for everything from surveying to carrying either fish or passengers, their safety in difficult conditions means they are in demand as far away as Norway and the Faroe Islands.
Mr Craig started work as a teenager on West Mersea fishing boats, but a bad back meant it was difficult for him to keep his balance on monohulls.
Knowing his future lay with catamarans, he got together with a naval architect and worked out a design "on the back of a beer mat in the pub".
Years later, a back operation forced Mr Craig ashore and he launched Gemini Workboats at the Hythe, Colchester.
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Mr Craig worked to refine his catamaran design, overcoming the traditional slamming problem in heavy weather by using a sensible hull width and Gemini-designed anti-pitch foils.
Together, they give a high degree of manoeuverability and the ability to carry huge loads.
However, despite a strong order book and a reputation for producing the nation's best boats of their class, Mr Craig is worried about spiralling production costs.
"Resin has gone up - £30,000 last year - because of oil prices," he said.
The cost is mostly passed on to Mr Craig's customers, who are willing to pay up to £450,000 a time - these workhorses are just what they want.
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