Tomcat build questions

[ricka]

Have any of you had the extra water tank installed? Does it take up any cabinet storage space? How much does the extra weight affect the boat? On the spec sheet I do not see what the loading limits are for the TomCat.
The main reason we have ordered the joystick docking is to make in marina maneuvering easier for my wife. She has never become comfortable with our single engine boats over 40+ years of boating and I want her to be able to dock in the event of an emergency. I also have 0 experience with a twin engine boat I hear they are a lot easier than singles.
Happy wife happy life!

[bridma]

[gulfcoast john]

Hi Ricka!
The two, widely spaced (this makes all the difference) outboards on a 255 make it possible to to do a 360 degree spin in the 28 ft length of the boat, with a little practice away from $1M boats. You will be amazed at how the 255 can maneuver without thrusters (and the downsides of big batteries and underwater metals hanging in saltwater).

You will have more manuvualbilty than you ever imagined possible with single engine non-cats. This is our 13th trailer boat, our first cat, and we will never, ever go back to any monohull.

We hear you with wifely concerns re docking, however, if you or I are having a heart attack, then bumping the boat against the dock is NOT a real concern; a good fiberglass girl can fix all that cosmetic damage in 4 hours for under $500.

So how much is that ‘spendy’ docking option compared to my $500 estimate?

We admit that it is absolutely amazing technology and to see it in action is jaw-dropping.
But you just don’t need it. Spend that on a truck and trailer that can take you anywhere on the continent safely and serenely instead.

Hire an off-duty Sea-Tow captain of a cat in your area to teach you everything you both need to know in 2 hours at $100/h and it will be the best money you ever spent on a $180,000 investment.

Re extra tankage, the only 4 owners posting (incl me) all reported over 11,000# on the scale. We find that a few 1g jugs of WalMart water is fine as we don’t mind drinking out of the marina spigots as refills but decline drinking from our 30g tank, though for no good reason. You will learn what you like as you get familiar with your boat. There is no predicting what you guys will learn to like.

No 255 has ever ordered ‘docking control’ to my knowledge, and you don’t need it either.

Sent PM with my cell phone#; if you don’t want to be talked out of ordering the docking control option, then don’t call me. Any idiot (including me) can aim a 255 into any dock with a 2 inch clearance on both sides at dead slow with no issues.

Cheers!
John

[hardee]

John is right on. Spend the money where it does the most good. The 2 hours of a training captains time and the fuel will be well worth it. AND then do it again for your wife while you stay on the dock and take pictures. You all will appreciate that way more, later.

With practice you can learn to walk your boat froward or reverse at a 45* angle, spin it in it's own length, dock or leave with about 3 feet of extra dock space over your length. Really.

Not everyone with twin engines knows how to use them. Just walk a side tie dock and look at the engines. IF they are not pointing straight ahead with the boat at the dock, they were docked like a single. The good thing about that is that the driver is getting his or her wrist, arm and shoulder exercise, and keeping the steering cables greased.

Harvey
SleepyC

[clayhubler]

I’ve been thinking about TomCats lately and I was very fortunate to have a local C-Brat who was willing to give me a ride and let me poke around the boat. I have some questions about the build.
1) Is there a bilge under the bridge deck? Or is that solid (cored).
2) It sounds like the transom is cored which I expected, but are the sponsons cored?
3) The cockpit area and cabin floor above the sponsons must be cored?
4) It seemed like there is a lot of un-utilized space in the sponsons. Is there room for larger fuel tanks?

Thanks for your insight!

[thataway]

The bottom of the hull and transom are cored--some with balsa and some with foam. The cockpit deck and cabin floor are cored and are part of the bridge deck structurally. There has to be a "beam" holding the two hulls and bridge deck together. The aft cabin bulkhead helps with this, as does the forward bulkhead between the area under the forward berth and the hulls on each side. The water tank can be on either port of starboard, forward of the fuel tanks. Some boats had a second water tank put in. The "fish boxes also take up area of the hull aft of the fuel tanks.

To put in extra fuel tanks, you would probably have to cut up the cockpit deck, eliminate the fish box (probably not a bad idea anyway--they all leak). The 150 gallons give you a good 200 mile range. You don't want to put too much more weight aft. The downfall of the Tom Cat 255 is limited tunnel clearance--it is gone at rest--and you need to keep it open when on a plane. If not you are pushing a lot of water...

[clayhubler]

Thanks Dr. Bob,
Is there access to the sponsons forward of the gas tanks, above the water tank and below the cabinets/dinette? I assume the water tank could be relocated further forward if selecting a different shape or size tank?