SoCal marina/slip location ideas?? (new owner)

[Pacificcoast101]

We dive around Palos Verdes/San Pedro at least once or twice each week (If we ever get our boat out of the shop). We fuel up at Yankovich in L.A. Harbor, so you will probably see No Pressure occasionally.

[thataway]

You will enjoy the Tom Cat. But when it really pipes up, you will still be limited if the seas are more than 2 1/2 foot chop---that is you probably really don't want to try going to Catalina at 4 PM. You should still run at good speed at any other time--and the Tom Cat is a great boat.

[aGrandView]

Phil,
Sounds great. See you out there!

Bob,
Would you say most boats wouldn’t really want to be underway from LA to Catalina around 4pm when the chop is typically worst? Or are you saying the Tomcat is more susceptible to rough offshore conditions than other boats? (Such as a 35’ deep V convertible fishing boat.)

[Pacificcoast101]

When I had my last three boats in L. A. Harbor, I made sure I was back inside before 1:00. The times I was late, I paid for it.

[thataway]

[aGrandView]

[Pacificcoast101]

After owning our Tomcat for ten years I can say that I will likely never buy a monohull again, however, the Tomcat does slam into chop over three feet. If the swells are close together or it's windy I have to slow down.

When motoring in relatively calm conditions, nothing beats a cat. I love that we can walk around on deck or get in our heavy dive gear without holding onto anything. The Tomcat is a more stable platform than many boats twice its length.

[aGrandView]

[aGrandView]

[thataway]

[thataway]

[aGrandView]

Thanks. This is very detailed and useful context for understanding previous comments.

After more research and feedback like this I think I have a better idea of the TC limitations now.
-It has a lower tunnel/smaller sponson design which makes it more uncomfortable in rough water than some cats
-It also has a planing hull so it’s ability to be comfortable in the chop is more contingent on enough speed to be on plane (compared to semi-displacement cat hulls that can do well even in sub-plane speeds)
-The low tunnel/small sponsons + planing hull make the TC more sensitive to load (load makes the tunnel even lower and also makes it harder to plane over the chop)

So it won’t be as good offshore as a World Cat or Glacier Bay (which have higher tunnels/larger sponsons and/or semi-displacement hulls), especially with a large load (lot of people/diving/fishing gear). But it will be more efficient, have more cabin space, and still be a lot more comfortable than most sub 35’ monohulls in most conditions. Including in this case specifically where I’m choosing between a TC and a CD25, the TC will be a much better boat offshore and for making island runs than a CD25.

I think I’ll do well to always consider my load and to really learn the trim and planing characteristics of my TC to get the most out of my boating experiences when I want to go offshore.

[aGrandView]

[thataway]

The displacement/semti displacement hulls do not plane. They are limited in top speeds.

Any hull design is a series of compromises--this includes all sizes and types of boats. I am not aware of any one good book on Catamaran hull designs. Read some of Richard Woods,Morelli and Melvin, Chris White, Malcom Tennant's web pages. Boat Design.net has some discussion of types of hulls in the forums. Dave Gerr's Books on the "Nature of Boats, plus the one on structure of boats have a lot of information on boat hulls, which can then be applied to cats, if you really want to do some searching.

The Hull Truth forum--if you cut thru the crap...BullShipper has some excellent posts on cat hulls. There is a lot of information, but not just in one place. Plus seeing how different boats run (both sail and power--(more similarities in cats perhaps than in mono hulls). .

[aGrandView]