Carrying dinghy aboard TomCat 24

[GxK]

If I plan to acquire an inflatable for use as a dinghy, do I have any choice but carrying the boat on the cabin top?

I'm looking at West Marine PRU-3 (L 8'6" W 5'1" 53 pounds) or similar Saturn or Brig, quite likely powered by a Suzuki DF 2.5 (30 pounds).

The cabin top on the TomCat 24 is 6' wide but only 4'4" long. Any advice on how to stagger the overhangs fore and aft?

In order to carry a dinghy in such a manner, I'm assuming I will need a radar arch to raise the radar and other antennae out of the way, right? No, Bob, not contemplating davit system at this time.

--Georgs

[hardee]

Not a TomCat, but there are always options.




Harvey
SleepyC

[thataway]

Georgs,
Great dinghy and motor combination! (That is the combination I used for the AK trip--and was sorry I sold that dinghy and motor with the boat!).

I agree that a radar arch would be ideal for the Tom Cat 24. I probably would put the arch aft, and let the ends of the pontoons of the dinghy reach slightly aft over the cockpit, and then the forward part of the dinghy overhand over the windshield. That also gives you a "visor" over the forward windows!

We carry a 9 1/2 foot inflatable floor dinghy, aft of the radar post--and it does rest lightly on the first bow of the bimini on the C Dory 22. The pontoons of the inflatables have enough rigidity to allow overhangs. We do carry the boat right side up--the only down side to that may be if it rains really hard. But it does allow you to put some items in the middle of the dinghy when on the roof.

As for the davit--I believe I am a bit more decrepit than you!

[Dora~Jean]

[thataway]

In fact we do remove the train plug (or in some of the newer boats there is a "drain gate"--a lever which closes the orifice in the transom.

However, some water will still accumulate--most of it will be spilled out a launch, but it can make the boat significantly heavier.

Also spray in rough weather can get inside of the boat.

One of the reasons I don't carry it upside down, is that the wooden transom, or the aluminum motor plate will rest on the cabin top--that can be padded, but it might scrape when being loaded.

[GxK]

What's the best way to fasten the dinghy so it won't blow off the cabin top at, say, 25 knots?

--Georgs

[hardee]

I would highly recommend using some good line (rope) 1/4" or 5/16" nylon braid is easy and strong. You learn about 3 knots, and do them right and tight and you have no worries. If you use strap, you have buckles that could brake or release, and if you use bungee cord you need a good smack on the back of the head

Bungees allow movement, unless they are tightened to the point of no stretch,(if you are doing that you might as well have used rope anyway), and they can give up, come apart or snap and you loose your load. AND the worse danger with them is that if they give out, while you are in the process of tightening them you could loose an eye. (Happened to a good friend of mine in college) and it would have been totally avoidable had he been using a piece of rope.

Over thousands of miles of towing trailers, and trucks with loads, the only time I ever lost anything of a load was when a bungee came loose on a canoe trailer and we dropped a 18 foot Grumman on the highway into Moses Lake, WA. Some scrapes, dents and wrinkles, but no life lost.

Harvey
SleepyC

[hardee]

[trpsurf]

I love when I see a question about 24' Tomcats, as they are a rare breed and I am a proud owner!

I have a radar arch that sits about 8" above the roof. I keep my dinghy on the roof all the time and run at 25-30mph all the time, with no issues. Basically, the two (pointy) ends of the tube in the stern sit under the radar arch I use a dockline tied across the boat to the hand rails. I have never had any issues with the additional windage, with the dinghy on the roof and don't feel any noticeable difference with it living up there. Also, when we were fishing for tuna this year, I had a buddy sitting up in the dinghy, using it as an impromptu Tuna tower. This also did not cause any noticeable difference in the way the boat operated.

I do have a recommendation on a dinghy, if you have not purchased one yet. Our first dinghy was similar to this:
http://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--pru-3-performance-roll-up-inflatable--14272488
It came with the purchase of C-Pelican (my previous 22' cruiser). It was a great boat, very light, and handled my honda 2.3 outboard quite well. It had a number of leaks and tear in the floor seam, so I purchased another dinghy:
http://www.defender.com/product3.jsp?path=-1|215570|1794282|1794288&id=2586137

I wanted t a hypalon boat and this was the lightest one that I could find. It is about 20lbs heavier and far too heavy to put it on the roof by myself. While I love the new boat, I am actually regretting the purchase. I wish I would have bought another, lighter version, as it was a breeze to throw it up on the room by myself.

I hope that helps. So glad to see another 24' Tomcat thread!

[trpsurf]

One other thing that I forgot...

one of my projects this winter is to add a a radar tower like this to my radar: http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|344|2028703|2029038&id=1921491

At the moment, when I have the new dinghy on the roof, it partialy blocks my 4KW Raymarine radar. As a result I get a less that accurate radar image. If I travel at night or run into fog, I simply deflate the boat and I get a great radar image, but I would love to move the radar dome up 6-8 inches and get a clear image with the dinghy up there.

Oddly enough, the previous boat had a slightly lower transom and did not block the image of the radar... another reason I wish I would have bought a different dinghy.

[GxK]