Tomcat 24 vs 25 Cruiser for Kids and fishing and rough water

[kaelc]

After being boatless for a few months I'm ready to buy a boat and was hoping to get some opinions on the Tomcat 24 vs a 25 Cruiser for long distance boating with kids. We have a 9-month-old and plan on at least one more. He has liked his few boat rides and I'm praying he and mom will like the comfort of big C-Dory.

It looks like the table bed in the 24 are smaller then a twin at 6' 3" L by 32 W and the 24 berth is about the size of a double 7'2" average length by 51". Is the 25 Cruiser the same? I'm thinking of keeping the kids on the table bed until they are about 5 and then kick them or me out onto the back deck under a full canvas? It looks like the back deck is bigger on the Tomcat 24 then the 25 cruiser? Is the cabin space pretty similar?

How is the room on either for a family of 4 or 5? I know it will be cramped in the cabin but with a full canvas and an extra heater, as well as frequent shore trips I think we'll be fine?

How do you like fishing on the two boats? I haven't seen any with rear steering to watch rods when trolling? I am hoping there is an easy or affordable option for setting up a rear steering station close to the rods and to let the family sleep while I'm fishing. I have a Lowrance Electronics/radar package, that I could add autopilot too and add a remote control, can I do that with an older Furuno GPS as well?

Finally, I live in Victoria BC where we get some weather but I do like to fish off the West Coast of Vancouver Island where it starts to get really nasty. Ideally, I would like to do the inside passage with the family up to Prince Rupert this summer, and there are stretches there that can get nasty. A broker is trying to convince me they an Osprey is the boat I need, but I think caution and planning with a C-dory will do me and the family well and safe.

If you have owned or currently own a 25 or a 24 and have done extended trips with kids, or fished some rough water, please chime in or PM me with your number it would be great to pick your brain. Thanks for all the wonderful tips and sharing you have already done and Happy New Year.

[Discovery]

I've owned both the 24' and 255. Go for the 255 if at all possible. With kids you will never be happy with the 24". The bathroom alone on the 24' would be a deal breaker for kids. It's down in a hole under the helm, and not easily accessible for a parent and child.

The cockpit on the 255 is much larger and the swim step is family friendly. Much easier to fish from the 255. Get a cockpit bimini and camperback enclosure and you have a secure dry second room.

The best boat trade I ever made was selling the TomCat 24' and buying the TomCat 255.

[thataway]

I agree with Brent. (As usual). One addition, is that we had a cushion made to fill the foot well in the 255 for the forward facing dinette seat. (can be either forward or aft facing). That allows me to sleep fore and aft on the port side of the huge bunk forward. There is room for a gal and several kids to sleep athwartship there also, if you do this. The table/conversion to bunk, is slightly larger on the 255. However, I prefer to put kids (Grand kids and adult daughter in our case) on the forward queen, since it is safer for kids--not going to fall off!.

The "second room" is great--but not necessary for sleeping the family for a number of years (until the kids are in teens--then they will want to sleep outside!)

Several of the 255 have been rigged with controls aft on the Starboard side. It is probably easier if you have the electronic controls for the engine, but not necessary. The helm is hydraulic, so that is fairly easy to "T" into the system. Also autopilots are fairly easy to install. I like the Simrad pilots, but Garmin and Raymarine both make excellent pilots for that size boat. Most pilots are going to interface either with a compass/fluxgate compass, or the GPS--and there are some compatibility issues when you cross brands. The newest radars and fish finders are head and shoulders above those of 8 to 10 years ago. The older Furuno GPS, might be good for a back up...but modern electronics are pretty reliable...and the new chart plotters are far better than older Furuno.

I'll be traveling for the next few days, but will PM my # when I am in a fixed location.

[kaelc]

Thanks, guys, I'm afraid of that advice. The sticker shock on a used 255 is killing me as well as the towing weight! Is there usually a canvas for the front bed for keeping it dark for kids sleeping?

[Ron on Meander]

If I read the original post correctly you were comparing the C-Dory 25 mono hull cruiser to the 24 Tomcat. I've never owned a Tomcat but my 25 cruiser has been in some nasty weather in the past 12 years and its been towed to a lot of destinations. Lake Powell, the Baja, Trent Severn, New York state. It has cruised the inside passage, sea of cortez and of course, crossed Georgia Strait dozens of times. We have cruised with two people and two 60lb dogs for up to 37 nights in a row. No kids though. And maybe the dogs might not complain about the sleep arrangements quite as much. I wish I could remember which C-Brat had cruised on a 25 with two kids, they had posted a fair bit a few years back. I think they cruised somewhere on the great lakes.
I towed the 25 cruiser with a Dodge 1500 for 4 years with no problems. I have electric over hydraulic brakes so that helped a lot with the stopping.

The Tomcat 255 is a lot more boat and if the budget can be stretched to accommodate it, that would be the way to go. More room, faster, stable, bigger cockpit. I don't know if it will handle really heavy weather much better that a 25 cruiser, but it will certainly handle up to the 3-4 ft range better, IE less need to slow down. Boats are always a compromise though, it costs more, needs twin engines, burns more fuel and needs a bigger tow vehicle. So far the 25 cruiser has worked for us. If money were no object though......

Cheers
Ron

[Avidmagnum12]

Ron
You are right on about the 25. I’ve had our 21 year old granddaughter travel with us on SCUBA diving trips with no problems. I sleep on the dinette and the girls sleep in the v-berth. No reason why 2 little ones could not sleep up there with mom. I fish a lot and the 25 has lots of cockpit room. I wish I had a live well but just throw the fish in a cooler till I’m ready to deal with them.

If the waves get big I slow down. With the trim tabs and permatrim the bow cuts well. Would I like a 255.....well there’s lots of things I’d like. But the 25 pulls nice behind the F-150, fits in my storage building and my wife loves it!
We’re on it at least 5 months a year and tow it thousands of miles a year.

Kaelc ...Get a ride on one and go from there. I think you’ll be pleased.

[kaelc]

Tom, I would take you up on an offer to go for a ride but you are a few miles away! Thanks for your guys insight!

I would love to get out on any C-Dory, but unless someone offers in Washington State for Saturday morning my first ride may be on the one I buy. Paying for the survey and planning a sea trial for Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning.

Figures crossed!!

[trpsurf]

If there is a question about kids and a 24' Tomcat, I can attest that my kids love it. I have a 6 and 9 year old and they have more time on the water than most of my "saltiest" friends.

Here is a link to our youtube channel, with videos from our 24' Tomcat and our previous boat, a 22' Cruiser.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMC83MyFWgfzKgGB4MF1RXA

Folks who comment that a 255 Tomcat is a better boat are probably right. The design upgrades from the original 24' model with the engine bracket, separate head, etc. certainly would be a welcome addition. The nearly 2X cost of the 255 over the 24' put that boat financially out of reach for our family. It was clear to me that when we had a 2 and 5 year old, that we were going to grow out of our 22' Cruiser very quickly and that it would be difficult to make frequent trips further offshore. We opted for a 1997 Tomcat for the added space, speed, and increased offshore capabilities.

After 4 years with our 24' Tomcat, I can attest that this boat can go anywhere, in most weather conditions. We have over 150 trips to Catalina and have visited every channel island in the Southern California bight, including San Nicolas, the Tanner Bank, and the 43. Very few boats in our region have done this, all from our home port of San Pedro

All boats represent a series of tradeoffs. The bottom line is that you need to buy the best boat that you can afford and MORE IMPORTANTLY, that you can afford to use.

[kaelc]

Thanks Tim! I saw your video from earlier in the year but just rewatched it. Great to see they have so much fun on the water. Love your radar arch rod setup and the girls fishing off the bow. I tried to land a 100-pound halibut off the front of my old boat and was almost as excited as you guys with the octopus. I have a million questions for you but the one you answered for me is buy the damn boat, life is short!

[djy887]

Adding to this thread that's a couple years old...but still relavant. Although the hulls of the 24 and 255 are essentially the same, the power and fuel consumption are quite different. Most 255's I've seen are twin 150's or 175's. Our 24' has a pair of Honda 90s and is pretty fuel efficient (5.4 gal/hr combined) at my favorite cruising speed (3600 RPM roughly 20 mph). Yes, the cabin of the 255 is a better layout...but OG TomCat cabin has plenty of space.

[Robert H. Wilkinson]