25 Tom Cat Seakeeping Qualities

[stan livacz]

I am thinking of selling my 26 foot Glacier Bay and buying a new or used 25 foot Tomcat. Can anyone comment on the seakeeping qualities of the Tom Cat? For example I take my Glacier Bay from Palm Beach to the Bahamas on reasonably good weather days. Would this be doable with the Tom Cat?

Stan Livacz

[Sarge]

I'm interested in the answer to this one.

I've always been interested in Glacier Bay boats because they are very well built and seaworthy, but they seem to be more 'fishing boat' than 'cruiser' until you get up to the larger sizes. The TomCat is set up as a nice cruiser (thus the debates about CD25s v TomCats), which is more my style. Now that I read a Glacier Bay owner is thinking about becoming a TomCat owner my ears are perking up.

Let the discussion begin!

-Sarge/Carl

[Kerry and Lisa]

You've got a big second on welcoming a comparative discussion of the merits and seaworthiness of the Tomcat versus the Glacier Bay. There are a lot of Glacier Bays at the marina where we dock our Tomcat. The two boats definitely take a very different approach with respect to hull design. The Glacier Bay's sponsons are much deeper and enter the water at a considerably steeper angle (hence, semi-displacement?). I would be interested in comments about the handling and survivability of these cats in extreme seas.

Kerry

[Alok]

There is some good discussion on this issue in the following threads:

Glacier Bay 2690 vs Tom Cat 255

http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?t=2232&highlight=glacier+bay+tomcat

and also on page 27 of

New Tomcat 255

http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?t=1272&start=390

I have no experience on a Glacier Bay, and only 8 months on the Tomcat-but I have driven it around 2500 miles during that time. A summary of my experience:

Calm waters: Top speed 45 mph (before Permatrims); totally controllable; will turn at high speeds without any sense of slippage or losing control. I routinely run between 27 and 30 mph.

2-3 foot waves: Stay on plane, but tacking is necessary so you are not running head on into the waves, otherwise the boat will launch itself and try to be an aeroplane- especially as the waves approach 3-4 feet. 20-25 mph is a good speed in a moderate chop. Permatrims help the ride in choppy waters, but seem to take away about 10% from both top speed and fuel economy. For me, it is an acceptable trade-off. We have a lot of days with choppy water in Galveston Bay!

4-5 foot waves: Slow down to near displacement speed- 6-7 mph. The Tomcat provides an extremely stable and "safe-feeling" platform. We have been in sea states where waves were breaking over the boat. Yes, if you climb the front of a short, choppy wave you will come down with a crash on the other side, but the boat feels absolutely sturdy and stable. Unlike my trawler which rolled enough to scare me, the Tomcat (and, I suspect, any catamaran) stays quite level.

As has been pointed out by others, a true V-hull will probably do better up to a point, but I think that the Tomcat will handle a wider range of heavy weather with more comfort.

These are my thoughts. I have no doubt that others will provide more perspective.

[Kerry and Lisa]

Alok,

Those are excellent leads on earlier GB/CD postings.

Lisa and I are finding it difficult being here in Bryan with the Kid'n'me in Galveston. We have only been down twice since it was delivered: quick 1-day visits to clean and organize the boat and set up the slip to our liking.

We were hoping to take her out next week, but the marine weather forecast is not good, especially for beginners. Always something!

Glad to hear that you and Charlie are enjoying putting plenty of miles on the Top Cat.

Kerry

[Alok]

Kerry:

I understand your concern about the weather. Unfortunately, that is a typical spring and early summer weather forecast!

I have also sent you a private e-mail with some information...

[thataway]

When I wrote those posts which Alok refered to above, I didn't have much time in a Tom Cat. I still feel the same about the surface chop--3 feet is about the limit for comfort going into the seas--and Alok seems to confirm that from his own travels as do most of the other TC 255 owners. The bridge deck on the Tom Cat 255 does not have as much clearance as it should have (in my opinion), and not as much as the Glacier Bay. Thus the boat has to be kept up on a plane to get the smooth ride. You will get differnent opinions as to where the boat planes, but my studies show that it is about 10 knots with the Permatrims installed. For most conditions this definately is slow enough to be reasonablely comfortable.

Now as for down wind or across wind and waves, it is my opinion that the Tom Cat is better than the Glacier Bay. The boat remains level on turns, not the outward lean that the Glacier Bay has. I have never felt that there was anything by 100% control going down seas--the boat is very responsive and can get up on top rapidly--5 seconds from idle to plane. This allows "working" the seas. There are none of the "Squirley" problems down wind as described in the Glacier Bay threads--and nothing which makes me feel that the boat migh capsize as the one Glacier Bay did (but this involved shifting of crew weight and a full ice chest).

The Tom Cat has the Glacier Bay beat in accomidations. I think that the Tom Cat gets slightly better fuel mileage than the Glacier Bay, but the Glacier Bay has slightly bigger tanks. The Tom Cat has narrow side decks--we don't see this as a problem. The Glacier Bay has a 13" wide stb side deck--and a narrower pilot house. I still believe that the opening font window is a real plus in the Tom Cat.

I have documented my TC 255 in the "Thataway" thread--and in the Thataway Album (The last part is concerning my second C Dory--a CD 25, so don't confuse the photos). There have been modifications to the boats in the last year, and we hope that all of the minor quality control problems have been resolved.

A very knowegable boater, and one who has seatrialed almost all of the small cats, is considering buying a Tom Cat. I am happy with the Tom Cat 255 for cruising. If I was fishing, I would probably consider the Glacier Bay 2690 more strongly. Although there are several other cruising cats, I would still choose the TC 255 for cruising.