Trip from Virginia to Alaska with Tomcat in tow.

pwsuser

I bought my first Tomcat a year and a half ago in Norfolk Virginia, but I never wrote about my trip. Now I am.

After looking for boats for four years I decided on a C-Dory Tomcat. I live in Anchorage Alaska, and there were not many for sale close by so I broadened my search to the what we call the Lower 48. In late winter of 2015, I found 4 Tomcats spread from Seattle to Florida, but all got sold before I made an offer. I began checking the websites daily and one came up on the C-Brats site. I called immediately, I flew down to look at it and made an offer, which was accepted. However it did not have a trailer. I saw Marc Grove's (of Wefing Marine, in Florida) on the C-Brats website so I called him. He was extremely knowledgeable and very helpful. I told him I would be driving the trailer 5,000 miles so I wanted it heavy duty. He made me a custom float-On to my specs and I ended up with what he called the biggest Float-On trailer he ever made for a Tomcat. it worked perfectly the entire trip and still does.
My plan was to find a boat and buy a truck, a used truck, there and drive it home. But there was an amazing sale here in Anchorage and I ended up with a brand new 2015 3/4 diesel Chevy truck, but it was in Anchorage so I had to drive it to Virginia to pick up my boat. I called a friend and we had a 10 day "road trip" that included quick visits to four national parks. Once in Norfolk, I got my trailer that Marc delivered from Florida, put the boat on it and headed back to Alaska. My friend had to get home so I had another friend fly down to drive back with me. I grew up in PA and had some cherry lumber there that I had furniture made from so I stopped in for 4the of July, saw my family and loaded 1,500 pounds of cherry lumber on the boat trailer and in the bed of the truck. It took us about 11 days to reach Anchorage, we visited a couple of parks and saw some friends, but the ride home with the boat in tow was not as stress free as the trip down. Although we had no problems with truck or boat and trailer except for knocking off an anchor light in the suburbs of Chicago where I visited relatives. That Chevy diesel never slowed down on a hill all the way from Virginia to Anchorage, I was very impressed and happy. The boat, trailer, and wood weighed a little over 11,000 pounds.

Dave

colbysmith · Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2017 5:14 pm Post subject:

Dave, sounds like a wonderful, and fast, trip. I've driven to Alaska twice. Once was from California when I was in the Coast Guard, going from the Air Station in Sacramento, to the station in Kodiak. Took several weeks and made it a great trip, towing a camping trailer. Decided to leave the USCG while in Kodiak, and flew out shipping the car to Seattle, where we picked it up. (Sold the trailer and a small VW Bug in Kodiak.) Then several years later, my wife and I drove our motorhome from Wisconsin to Alaska and back. 9000 miles in just shy of a month was quite a bit of traveling in short time. I decided next time, about 6 weeks would be more ideal. (That next time has not happened...yet...)

Anyway, I'm seriously looking at doing the inland passage with my CD-22 during the summer of 2018. And with a little conversation already, sounds like it'd be best to do one end of the other, rather than both. SO my choice is probably going to be SE Alaska, putting in at Prince Rupert. Sooooooo, since you recently made the trip from out east here in the lower 48, wondering what routing you took and if you ran into any issues with inspections and what not. I'd be pulling the boat from Wisconsin here, and probably cross into Canada near Minot ND, if I follow my maps program. Three years ago I did pull the boat out to the PNW to cruise around the San Juans, and then two years ago took it back out west to Lake Powel. However both of those times I towed with a 2010 Toyota Highlander. This past fall I bought a 2016 Ford F150 with the 5.0 V8 (302), and pretty sure it will do an even better job towing. (I had no problems going thru the mountains with the 6 banger in the Highlander). Colby

srbaum · Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2017 6:58 pm Post subject:

Dave, I'm glad to see that the Tomcat found a good home. I looked at it many times while it was moored in the Lafayette River and had a slight gleam in my eye for it, but I never approached the owner when it turned up for sale, as it was not the boat for my needs at that time.
What a wonderful adventure for you! Obviously a very long trip and lots of great planning, but it appears that it was all worth it.
Congratulations and thanks for sharing your story with us.

PS, for Colby, I did 26 years in the CG and never made it to that side of the earth. I never wanted to go to Alaska when younger, but found that all of my Coastie buddies that were stationed there, loved it and never wanted to leave.

colbysmith · Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2017 7:35 pm Post subject:

I have to chuckle some Steve. A CG friend of mine also did not want to go to Kodiak. I didn't want to go to Barbers Point, and we both got our wish. (I got Kodiak and he got Barbers.) I always say my tour of Kodiak was a paid vacation at the taxpayers expense! Not to mention the experience I got from flying the Herky Bird around the state. Smile

Colby

gulfcoast john · Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2017 7:37 pm Post subject: TC55

Dave,
Congratulations on your adventure and the complex logistics...you'll have stories for a lifetime!
It's a big heavy boat that calls out for the big heavy truck and big heavy trailer you got right away (I wasted $10,000 trying to 'make do' initially).
I paid $2/mile for a pro to tow my rig from NC after we flew up to buy it. He gave me the best boat trailering advice I ever got..."never tow a big heavy boat over 60 MPH and all will be well."
If you weighed your rig on a scale for the 'slightly over 11,000#' wgt ticket, you are only the 3rd TC255 owner to do so and post here. Mine (first to post) is 10,760# with jack stand on the trailer scale in Heavy Cruise Mode with 3/4 fuel and no water to Key West (but no cherry wood).

Happy Boating!
John

Casey · Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2017 5:09 am Post subject:

Aah yes, Coasties and Alaska. Wonderful subject!

I think Alaskan boater's, and particularly commercial fishermen, almost worship the USCG.

When I live in King Salmon, AK (1981-87) The USCG Herc would fly over to King Salmon (AKN) when the wx got Really skunky. AKN had virtually all the IFR approaches, so USCG aircraft would come over from Kodiak for training a few times each year. I don't think they never flew in good weather! When the wx got bad enough you could almost expect the C130 to arrive.

Another USCG/AK story ... (sorry).

Years later, while boating through Ketchikan I met a young couple who were both doctors in the USCG. I remember their boat was named "ParaDocs." They were being transferred to the Lower 48 ... and rather pissed to be leaving Alaska.

Good memories.

Best,
Casey&Mary

pwsuser · Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2017 7:16 pm Post subject:

Thanks, glad you enjoyed the story.

Colby, I drove down the Cassiar with truck only and back the ALCAN with boat in tow. The Cassiar had some dips which I would have had to slow down quite a bit for had I had a boat attached. The only inspections I had were for zebra mussels and some other invasives they are trying to keep from spreading. No problem going through the borders.

I weighed my boat and trailer several times as I had to adjust the tongue weight before and after I loaded the cherry lumber. My trailer weighed 2,380 pounds, the boat with Honda 135s and about 1/4 to 1/2 tanks of gas was 7,840.

Dave

chriscarrera · Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2017 11:58 am Post subject:

Pwsuser, I have a question for you.

I have the same boat as you, in looking at your pictures I noticed that the strakes are gone on the outside edge of your bracket. How is the spray when cruising at speed into the cockpit and is the bracket quite wet? My concern is that those strakes cause a lot of turbulence and spray. I am temped to remove them, since the new boats don't have them either.
Thanks
Chris

Wefings · Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2017 1:56 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the good words Dave . As I remember that trailer had load range G tires and a carrying capacity of right at 12000 Lbs .
A Monster Trailer !
Marc

pwsuser · Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2017 2:34 pm Post subject:

Chris,

My boat was the 5th one made after they changed the style in 2006. My bracket was 30 inches long, from front to back and it had no strakes. After they made about 12-15 boats they shortened the brackets and at some point added the strakes. I had to remove my bracket and buy a new one because i was getting salt water in my new motors from the water the motors threw on each other at low speeds. My new bracket is 24" long and has strakes. Someone thinks strakes are the way to go.

Dave