25' C-Dory Sedan vs TomCat

[Captains Cat]

Roger, are you sure that's a 25 next to the TC in your picture? Looks more like a 22 but I can't figure out where it came from. The TC is a little closer to the camera too, which makes it look bigger! My TC looks HUGE when it's out of the water...

Charlie

[T.R. Bauer]

After considerable brainstorming, I have decided what you should do about this important decision. Buy one of each and keep the one you like the best. The other one, whichever it is, you can give to me and then we will both be happy. Please check your pms for shipping information.....

[Dreamer]

Charlie,

That's Sea Pal, a CD-25 from Bend OR. We spent a month together in the Broughtons in 2008.

[Captains Cat]

Thanks Roger, you should know!

Sure looks a LOT smaller! Maybe it's the perspective?

Charlie

[thataway]

[Pacificcoast101]

We bought our Tomcat last year after several years of decision making, or as I like to call it, between boats. Despite the higher initial costs and ongoing expenses, I feel we will save money in the long run by making this the last boat we will ever buy. After one year of ownership we still have that feeling of owning a new boat every time we set foot on it.

[matt_unique]

I went through the exact same decision three seasons ago. I started a thread back then discussing my observations based on test rides in the same conditions.

Without repeating much of what has been written above, the biggest thing for me was the ride. I made sure my wife and a dive buddy were with me to test drive. After cruising in 1' white capping chop my wife turned to me and said "this one feels like our current boat". We returned to the dock and got in the Tomcat to test the ride in the exact same seas. Within minutes our decision was made. I wanted my next boat to provide a totally different ride - I was sick of pounding in seas. The Tomcat fulfilled that requirement.

Now - every vessel has their limits. I find it depends on the loading...if I'm loaded light I can cruise at my usual speed of 22 knots in real 3' seas. If I'm loaded with 4 divers with equipment and a lot of fuel it's more like 2' seas at those speeds. This is still considerable! Beyond this the wing deck will slam. With a short period and larger seas I have to slow down and/or quarter off the waves. There is a point when I too have to slug it out off plane and get beat up. In these conditions I think the C25 would be better. Anything short of that and the Tomcat wins hands down.

Good luck with your research.

[JamesTXSD]

Having cruised with Brent and Dixie (they have a TC255) while we were in our CD-25, they are very different boats. The cabins appear similar, but that's where the similarities end.

When we bought our boat, the TC255 was recently released. We got to see all the C-Dory models at the 2006 Seattle Boat Show. We went into this thinking we wanted a 22, but quickly saw the 25 was a better fit for us. We looked briefly at the TC255, but it was about $40k more and would have required a bigger tow vehicle. As it turns out, our 1 ton van was not a good match for the CD-25 and we wound up buying a diesel pickup before taking delivery of the boat.

The TC has a lot more storage than the CD-25, due to the sponsons. If traveling fast is a priority, the TC absolutely is the way to go. For ease of loading/unloading from the trailer, the CD-25 is a piece of cake. For putting along at displacement speed, with the occasional run up to 20 knots, the CD-25 is our choice. When out cruising, we spend a lot of nights at anchor - the 25 is "quieter" than the TC at anchor, where you get a slap on the bridgedeck with the TC - that wasn't a consideration for us when making our buying decision, because we didn't know that at the time. And this is purely subjective: we like the looks of the 25.

Knowing what we now know, the CD-25 would again be our choice if we were buying today. Hindsight is sure easier for those buying decisions. They are both great boats; decide how you will use it, and it will help make the decisions. It was fun cruising together with the two boats; gave us an interesting perspective.

Good luck with your decisions.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

[edc]

I still am not sure of what model C-Dory is best for me, or if I should get a C-Dory, or if I should get even get another boat. But I sure am impressed with the knowledge and willingness to share it on this forum. To me, that says a lot for the boats. If everyone was not really sold on C-Dory vessels and very proud of them, this forum would not be as effective as it is.

Anyway, I have read and reread all of the info and tried different links and I now have a much better understanding of the different models. I should get in to a few of them without a doubt and "feel" the different models in a sea trial. However, sometimes a deal comes along and you roll the dice.

A few questions (which probably have been addressed but I am still unsure of): Is there a notable difference between the TC and either the CD 25 or Venture 26 when maneuvering around marinas, docking in the wind, docking in general? My experience is that if a boat is difficult to handle under such conditions, you tend to use it less and go in fewer harbors etc. etc. And, it was mentioned and is obvious that the CD25 is easier to launch and put back on the trailer than the larger TC, can someone elaborate on this. I have never owned nor used a cat, and it looks awfully huge and cumbersome (sorry if that offends anyone) on the trailer --- if it is windy with some chop is it a pain to put on a trailer. My experience is that the deeper the V of the hull the easier this maneuver is as the boat centers itself easily -- that may be the case with with the cat if the trailer is set up to do so -- help me understand this. And lastly, if you really get stuck in significant seas/wind waves, is the TC trickier to handle properly -- or will both boats do well assuming you slow down and don't do stupid things?

I have a tow vehicle that will handle either boat and I can afford either boat. So far the logic leans toward the TC, but damn that CD-25 or Venture 26 sure seems ideal to take my grandkids out to get a few crabs or a couple of salmon. But again if the fish are 20+ miles from the dock there could be considerable time differences between the running time for the two models. This isn't rocket science but pretty close to it.

Thanks again for your great assistance, Ed

[Captains Cat]

Ed, what is it that seems to make the CD25 or the Venture 26 better in your mind than a TC for taking kids out?

Charlie

[edc]

Charlie, I was not clear with that statement. I meant that the from a classic nautical sense the traditional look and feel of the CD25 and it being more user friendly to launch etc. seems like a nice platform for gunk holing or however you describe just casual boating and hanging out with the kids (and limited other help). That probably comes from my mental perception of what a boat should look like -- I am very familiar with mono hull operation, launching etc. The cats are a new world to me (the old dog would have to learn new tricks) but that might not be an issue. In summary, my perception only.

[billtwymank]

******
Once my First Mate put her foot on the stable TomCat,
took it out for a ride on a good chop........

........IT WAS A NO BRAINIER...........

the TC was the only way she would go........

........decision made!!!!!!

We are both happier today with Lady KC than that first day we were first acquainted with the TomCat............

***

[Dreamer]

Ed,

The widely spaced engines on the TC, make it a dream to maneuver around a dock. The centering device on a TC trailer is in the tunnel and it self centers as you power forward onto the trailer.

I just started my eighth decade and would hate to go back to maneuvering a single engine monohull. A royal pain IMHO. Any chance of your taking a trip to Friday Harbor around May 13-14? I bet you could get a ride on one of each

Roger

[thataway]

Let me tackle the launching issue--I have single handled launched both boats, mostly behind a diesel truck--but also the 25 behind a 30 foot RV, and down some long ramps--which attracted a crowd!

The C Dory 25 sits a few inches lower on the trailer and can be easier launch at very low slope ramps (example Lake Powell)--but in steep ramps (most in the PNW and Calif), this is not a problem The Tom Cat, because of the hulls width has to sit on top of the fenders--and I have 16" tires (a bit oversized perhaps--and you can get it a few inches lower with tripple axel trailer. I found that the C Dory 25 was actually harder to center--because it sat between the fenders and there was only about an inch and a half clearance on each side. I didn't have side guides, but did have the aluminum pipes with PVC guide ons, which will give.

The Tom Cat trailers have bunks in the center, which helps to center the hull (see photo in thataway album, so It self centers. We launch and retrieve our Caracal, which has slightly less beam, and is lower, and has both side bunks and center bunks on a dirt ramp with ease, so it is not the hull form.

As for handling--I think that the cat hull is easier. The reason is that both hulls act as keels and the wind has far less effect. Also you have counter rotating outboards set widely apart, which give great turning torque. So the Tom Cat is very easy to maneuver. The C Dory 25 has no real keel, and tends to pivot in the outboard, thus is more affected by the windage. In the water the windage is not a lot different between the two boats. I have never hesitated to take either boat into "tight" spaces. But the nod goes to the Tom Cat.

Draft--perhaps you can take the 25 in slightly less depth of water. I routinely take the Tom Cat out in 16" to 18" of water over a sand bar in our winter low tides--I suspect that you might get the 25 or venture in 14" (but you still need enough water to let the prop be effective and have good cooling water intake).

Rough weather--Some others may answer this better than I--but 3' chop is considerable. As far as big rollers, both boats handle this very well. I have had the Tom Cat in 2 1/2" chop and 4 foot rollers with no problems. If you get to real 4 foot steep seas, both boats will survive well, but be uncomfortable. The Tom Cat may have some "slam" under the wing. But the C Dory 25 will bury the bow. (I am thinking specifically of coming out of Cattle Pass in the San Juans, with a good breeze blowing waves into the pass and and ebb tide which will steepen up and confuse the seas.) Running in a a breaking bar, I would prefer to be in the Tom Cat, because the boat responds so rapidly and has good bouyancy forward.

Some cats will handle going into chop better than the Tom Cat--and these are the semi displacement boats. (Glacier Bay and World Cat) But their top speed is limited, there is more sneeze, and there are some major problems down wind/seas which the Tom Cat does not have.

One other advantage of the Tom Cat not mentioned is the wonderful aft bracket. This acts as a great swim step for kids or divers. There is a good "T" ladder, which can be easily used by divers with grab rails. The dinghy fits between the outboards for boarding--I think the Tom Cat is a much more kid friendly boat. Also the cockpit does not have the splash well, or any of the weakness associated with that. The cockpit is bigger in the Tom cat, because it does not have the intrusion of the splash well.


Note the bunks in the center of the trailer, that rest on the inside of the hulls. The slicks on the front of the trailer make launching and retrieving much easier.

Ignore the blue crate (that is what I put the generator fuel tank on)--look at the area for the entrance into the water from the platform on the Tom Cat.

[edc]

Well it seems the TC has a lot to offer with little downside (other than cost and dealing with a larger package esp on the trailer). I noted someone mentioned a height with radar (I think) of 13' on the trailer. The highest door on my shop is 12', any other insight on height on trailer? I realize that is not a show stopper. I would like to get to Friday Harbor, have to think about that. Thanks again to all of you, Ed