TomCat

[John T]

Hi all,
My wife Misty and I were (maybe still are) considering purchase of a new 25 Cruiser. Patrick and Kim were kind enough to give us a ride (unexpected whale watching included!) in theirs at the recent gathering in Friday Harbor. We loved it! However, we are now thinking a TomCat might be best for us (no need to reduce speed so much in a head sea, and a more spacious cabin). Is there a TomCat owner out there who would be willing to give us a ride in their boat? Anyone in Puget Sound or even near Gig Harbor, where we live? We would really like to experience one of these boats before moving forward in our shopping/purchasing process.
Thank you so much,
John Thomas

[rogerbum]

[friendsoftilly]

Hi John
I would be happy to take you out on Sea Rose, if you can get to Salt Spring Island- or maybe Sidney.
Nick

[journey on]

Journey On is a 25 so I can speak to that and say what bothers me. Then I will extrapolate it to a Tomcat. Forgive me all who disagree.

First, when one is on the water , a bigger boat is always better. And I'll agree that the Tomcat is the bigger of the two: bigger in sleeping space and somewhat in the cabin. Both boats have a beam of 8' 6" in order to be towabale without permits. And clearly the Tomcat is faster and more stable, since it's a twin engined catamaran.

So, why don't I have a Tomcat. It would surely make sleeping easier. And getting places faster.

First, I'd have 2 ea. 150 engines of which to take care. Oil changes, plug changes, water pump changes, just twice as much. And running 2 engines will take more gas; not twice as much but more. I'm getting between 2 and 4 mpg now. More gas would be really hard to swallow.

Second is handling the boat: it's heavier and needs a bigger trailer. One needs at least a 3/4 ton truck to haul it (which I now have, but not when I bought Journey On.) Towing Journey On isn't easy over hills and through traffic. I don't know how much harder a Tomcat is, but it has to be tougher, because it's heavier. In fact I'd vote for 4 wheel drive, which I don't have.

Journey On is a bear to launch and retrieve, helps to have a dock alongside and I find I'm getting older, less spry and etc. The launching isn't too bad, because we have electric/hydraulic brakes and Judy applies them whilst I undo the winch. That takes 2 people. Hauling it out of the water can be dicey on some of the ramps we've used. They vary because we like to cruise and have been all over the place. See Journey On's Travels.

So it's not just the sea handling and camping but the items we only find about after we have the boat: maintenance, trailering, launching. In fact you might start looking at a 22. Or send a message to Dr Bob/thataway who's gone from a Tomcat to a 25 and now owns a 22.

Boris

[ssobol]

One of the best things about a smaller boat is being able to move it around easily. We live about 35 miles from the nearest water so trailerable is a must. Being able to take the boat a lot of different places (hundreds of miles apart) is a big plus.

Having a bigger boat might be more comfortable. But in addition to the extra work and maintenance, having to keep it in a slip and only being able to cruise the same river/lake/stretch of water would get old pretty quick IMO.

In some places you could cruise the boat to a new locale, but towing it is a lot faster and usually cheaper. For instance, between two places that I boat it is approximately a 180 mile cruise or a 40 mile tow.

A Tomcat might be an acceptable compromise for some between too big and too small, but we are quite satisfied with the size and livability of our 22.

[PaulNBriannaLynn]

If you want a 255 go for it, it is an awesome boat!

I still remember the first 255 I saw at the Seattle boat show in 2005. It was huge inside. A boat you could truly spend a lot of time on and not feel claustrophobic. I'd have one in a heartbeat if I could afford it.

Now that I don't have a 22 anymore, Ill admit it had some limitations. I can definitely understand the appeal of the Tomcat.

[Discovery]

http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?t=24484

I think Warren's boat is still for sale. Personally we prefer the TomCat over the CD25' especially if you are going to use it from a slip without a lot of trailering. However we have trailered from Utah to Cabo San Lucas, the Florida Keys, Skagway Alaska, and various West Coast locations. Over 50,000 miles of trailering the TomCat in the last 10 years. No problems to speak of.

[gulfcoast john]

John T,
I've previously listed the downsides of the TC255, most all regarding being more expensive everything as Boris noted. Don't assume over 2MPG at cruise. Another 'downside' is that once you've been on one both underway and at rest, you'll never want to go back to any monohull. Having two widely spaced outboards gives maneuverability like having thrusters without the problems. If you anchor out a lot (we're past that), even minor waves may cause some hull slap noise, but never at a marina.
We simply avoid 'dicey' ramps, any local Sea Tow office will give advice on the most appropriate local ramp. The centering cage makes loading easier than any monohull I've had, it forces self-centering. Just make loading a 2-step process...step one, trailer in shallow and boat centered but only 80% on, step two, back down and drive boat up to the stop.
Yes it's a big rig going down the road at over 11,000#, but it's no extra effort on your part. The most physical exertion would involve changing one of those huge heavy trailer tires (when one explodes at 65 MPH the other on that side must be assumed to have exceeded its' rating and be structurally compromised and replaced as well, at $200 each). You can hire this out cheap. The other is winching up and down off the hitch ball, I replaced the 2,000# winch with a 5,000# geared winch for much less work in the 110 degree August heat advisories. Another is climbing down under the bow rail/trailer steps after loading on the trailer to pull her out of the water, because Eileen is afraid she'll let the rig slide down the ramp between Park and Drive...but we can train to be confident in not releasing the parking brake until 1500 RPM to prevent that possibility. I agree that launching and loading a TC255 is much easier with a 2 person team at a deep ramp with Ear-Tec talk-over headsets and a pier to tie off to.
I'm not sure we could manage this rig at age 75 or 80, which is why we'll retire next year at 62 and hopefully have 10-15 good years slinging it all over the continent.
Have fun shopping!
John

[John T]

Thank you all for your insightful comments. Our usage of the boat probably wouldn't include trailering even though that would be fun from time to time. We'd have to get a bigger vehicle than we currently have, and we'd rather not go there. In fact, we probably wouldn't buy a trailer at all. Rather, we would keep it in a covered slip here in Puget Sound in the off-season and at a buoy in front of our house in the summer. We'd like to use it for everything from just getting out on the water for a couple hours to heading north to the San Juan Islands, Gulf Islands, Desolation Sound...Who knows! While I like the economy of a single engine, we've had twins in the past, and the maneuverability is nice; we'd be OK either way. Our primary concerns are quality, simplicity, seakeeping, and layout. The layout and simplicity of systems are perfect. Judging from what I've seen at the factory, quality is very good. Seakeeping requires that we ride in one, hopefully in a good chop at least part of the time.
Roger and Nick, thank you both for your offers to take us out. I am grateful and will keep your generosity in mind. There are some TomCat owners quite close to us here in Gig Harbor. I am hoping we may be able to go out with one of them rather than traveling to Salt Spring Island or Ilwaco, though those might be fun trips themselves. Very kind of you to offer.
Grateful for your thoughts,
John T

[Salmon Fisher]

We took a ride in a Tomcat a few years ago when a dealer was offering rides out of Cap Sante in Anacortes. Windchop was about 2 feet and that Tomcat just floated on top at about 25 mph. They took it up to 35 mph with no problem. Pretty impressive!
That 25 that is referenced above is probably one of the best for sale right now in the nation at EQ Harbor Service. It has the right motors, Yamaha is better IMHO.
Much luck to you both!

[John T]

Thanks Patrick. We're still enjoying great memories of whale watching with you and Kim. Any thoughts on Yamahe vs Suzuki in the 150/175 hp range?
John

[gulfcoast john]

Don't worry, there are no poorly designed/made outboards any more. Getting priority engine service after the sale from your LOCAL dealer is WAY more important than a one-time $1,000 savings on 2 big engines. You can't be a 'shade tree mechanic' and adjust the idle etc on these any more than you can on your modern car.
Marc has previously posted that C-Dory advises only 4-cyl outboards to 200hp for a TC255.
The Suzi gearcase is larger and can handle a larger prop. The digital engine ECM interface to a network is more plug and play (esp to Lowrance) than Yamaha (proprietary one-way Gateway interface is $300 extra alone, and Command Link gauges should have a lifetime warranty for the price).
The Yamaha F150 is a well proven design in worldwide use with a huge dealer support group.
The engineers (US, Canadian, Japanese) know exactly how much energy an engine can extract from a gallon of gas and have piddled around the edges (ie Honda BLAST) but bottom line you can't go wrong, even if you try, in outboards newer than 2006.
Happy Hunting and Support Your Local Dealer!
John

[thataway]

The Tom Cat Ride at speed, is far better into up to 2.5 foot head seas. The boat rides better at 35 than 25 when the seas get up close to the max the boat can handle. The top speed is far better--close to 50 mph, light boat. But, if you want to go a slow speeds into chop, there can be a bit of "slam". So, if you do want to do "trawler" speeds, the 25 will be a better boat. If you want fast, the Tom Cat is better. Having trailered both, I think the Tom Cat is certainly a lot more boat--and close to 3,000 lbs more on the trailer. If you have the right trailer, it should have steps, to get over the bow--and not too difficult. (Hay I still laugh boats at 80, and some of our brats do it at 85). I find the Tom Cat easier to get back on the trailer..the center bunk and side guides help a lot--not an issue. I agree that lining up the 25 is a bit harder--but again side bunks help.

When you get over 3 foot seas, then probably the 25 is better at slow speeds.

Definitely more room in the Tom Cat--head is slightly bigger (but not as big as the "Cruise Ship 25.)

[Salmon Fisher]

I'm not an expert, just a keen observer of boats on the water for years.
Yamaha, in the PNW and Canada, is the most popular engine and like others have mentioned has a huge dealer network.
So many boats with twin 150 Yamahas. I'm sure the the Yamaha 175 is just as great, but with more HP when you need it.
If you find a boat with 150s, it will probably be a great package and no need to repower.

[kevin ware]

John

Sure, we own a TC 25.5 and would be glad to give you and your wife a ride. Our boat is moored in La Conner, but we will also be at the Bellingham CD meeting on the weekend of August 19.

FYI. We have owned the TC for the past 6 years. Immediately previous boat was a SeaSport 24, prior to that a Nordhavn 46. We found the SeaSport's 25 knot speed much more to our liking for local use that the N46's 7 knots, but the smaller boat tended to pound in any significant chop. We took a demo ride in a TC, and put the SeaSport up for sale the next month.

A TC is not perfect, and most of them require quite a bit of fiddling around by an owner handy with tools, to correct their minor problems. But, they do give probably the best combination of interior room, speed, and stability (particularly laterally), in a trailer able size, than any other boat out there for less than $100,000. For this reason, finding a good used one, is sometimes not easy.

Kevin Ware
El Gato Thomas
TC 25.5