c-dory viewing

[flboy77]

Hello everyone

My wife and I are seriously considering a c-dory 25 cruiser, venture or Tomcat. We are especially interested in a Tomcat but we haven't had the opportunity to see any of them in person

I thought I would ask if anyone has a 25 cruiser or especially a Tomcat near Sarasota Florida they wouldn't mind us checking out real quick.

If so we would really appreciate it

[ricka]

We are in northern CA and purchased a new 2020 Tom Cat last Jan from Master Marine in MT Vernon Washington very close to the factory. I can just tell you that we are thoroughly happy and impressed with the boat as has been the case with everyone we have taken out on it. The dealer and the factory have been very responsive in helping with a couple of minor issues and also given me tips and guidance on the install of many upgrades I have done myself.
My one critic I might have would be that water coming in from the deck scuppers tends to fill the two large in floor fish boxes with seawater which then melts any ice you have in them. I have addressed this on one side by turning it into a live well with recirculating pump and aerator. The other side I have been thinking about installing a rubber seal/gasket to keep the deck wash out. Hope I haven't been to long winded and this is of some help in your search
Rick

[flboy77]

Thanks so much for that info and it's great to hear you love the boat so far. We are downsizing from our current trawler and are excited to checkout these boats.

[Dreamer]

We downsized from a Krogen 39 and thoroughly enjoyed the TomCat. Crossing the Straits of Juan de Fuca in an hour instead of 4-5 hours is a real plus. We used bathtub plugs to solve the scupper problem. Having the C-Brats to rely on is a definite plus too!

[thataway]

You might contact 3 Rivers Marine Crystal River FL, and see if they have a Tom Cat 255 in stock. The one they sold to a Florida Resident, I believe was resold recently. That boat had been in stock for about a year.

You can pull up the "Brat Map" in the header. Some of it is up to date, some not. There are Tom Cat 255's in your area of FL, by the map, and I know of a couple of 24' Tom Cat as well as a few 255's which were there--?? Try and contact the owners thru the links to their profile, and see if you can get a look or ride.

I have owned both the Tom Cat 255 and two of the C Dory 25's. If you want to go fast, there is no question that the Tom Cat (especially if equipped with two 175 hp Suzukis will do 50 mph). The limit of sea conditions is about 3' if short spaced.

If you want to go slow most of the time--which we do--I believe the C Dory 25 is a better boat for that purpose.

The Tom Cat has the huge forward berth. If you are both sleeping athwartship, the forward partner has to crawl over the inboard or aft partner to get out of the bunk. The V berth in the C Dory 25, is adequate for me (6'2" -may have shrunk some 180#). Our 25 has the entire port bulkhead removed, so it is fairly easy for each of us to get in and out of the V berth without disturbing the other. (The poodle is another story).

The layout in the cabin is very similar. The Tom Cat has an option for twice the water, and if you plan any Bahamas trips, that is a real plus.

The cockpit of the Tom Cat is slightly larger and has the sold higher transom. This is not usually an issue, but there are times when the larger cockpit is nicer.

The tunnel of the Tom Cat 255 is lower than it should be. You will have some tunnel drag and slap at slow speeds, and some times at night. On a plane this is not an issue.

At lower speeds both boats will be fairly efficient--after about 7 mph, there is going to be a small hump which is less efficient as one comes onto a plane. The C Dory 25 will plane at about 12 to 14 mph (depends on weight in the boat and trim)
The Tom Cat is slightly higher speed to get on plane. The C Dory 25 is going to have a max usable speed of about 30 mph with 200 hp. The fuel mileage is going to be better with the C Dory 25--ranging somewhere in the 3's mpg, on a plane, and the loaded for cruising Tom Cat 255 will get at best about 2 mpg--often in the 1.8 mpg on a plane. Again all of these numbers relate to load, weather conditions and trim. (Yes there are some claim 3.7 mpg for the Tom Cat--that is an extremely light new boat.)

Good luck in your hunt for a boat!

[gulfcoast john]

We’re going on 8 years with our Tom Cat, which is trailer boat number 13 for us. We think it nails the design brief for an expedition-quality pocket yacht for a couple that can be trailered anywhere in the continent, 24/7, by a standard truck without a permit. So it can’t exceed the Federal guidelines of 8.5 ft wide x 13.5 ft height.

The boat is stable like a barge at rest, and glides over 1 foot chop like it’s on rails even without my hand on the wheel. The air cushion between the sponsons is actually more effective the faster you go, so you’ll find yourself accelerating into wakes instead of bracing for impact.

The larger cockpit (45 SF vs 47 SF on the Ranger 27 tug) is a top feature for us. Other than sleeping, we spend more time in the cockpit than inside the boat.

The biggest and best in class berth is another top feature for us.

A real marine head with macerator option (if over 3 miles out) is yet another best liked feature.

We always get at least 2MPG combined, except once with crops of hard growth the size of fingernails on the hulls.

Although 2MPG sounds expensive, you can trailer it 2,200 miles round trip to the Erie Canal getting 11MPG with a typical ¾ ton HD truck, burning a total of 200g of diesel for $300 for 2,200 miles. Or to the West Coast and Inside Passage of BC, which is where we had planned to be this summer. How much to get your trawler there? Ouch. You can trailer but not trawler at 60MPH right through a thunderstorm, easily making 500 miles per day (Eileen doesn’t drive the rig).

For trailering a TC255 without limits, a ¾ ton (2500HD) diesel with 4 wheel drive and Electric Over Hydraulic trailer brakes are worthwhile expenses we wish we had invested in sooner. Used F250 trucks with lots of miles left in them are much more available and much cheaper than used TC255’s. Count on 11,000 lbs rig weight in cruise mode with ⅛ tanks of gas.

As cruisers who don’t fish, I simply disconnected the fishbox drain pipes at the macerator pump so it drains into the bilge to be pumped overboard by the bilge pump. We store the aft anchor, fenders, lines etc in there. Agree this is our only beef, and there are other ways around it like a float switch inside the fishbox.

It’s the perfect trailerable pocket yacht for a cruising couple who want a cat ride, the biggest berth, the biggest cockpit, and a real head that’s not by the bed. Some bow slap at anchor doesn’t bother us, but we mostly stay at marinas. Best for DIY folks who have some experience camping and being mostly self-sufficient.

Ranger/Cutwater is the luxe competition with cherrywood panels, glass sinks and difficult to access systems for folks who camp at the Ritz (just kidding, we’ve camped at the Ritz).

If you don’t find one closer, you’re welcome to come up and look at ours all you want (but you can’t touch it! Private Msg me for info).

Happy Hunting,
John

[flboy77]

You all are awesome, can't thank you enough for all the useful information. We're excited to check this boat out, it's def on the top of our list. As two people who still work full time the ability to tow it or move quickly from place to place is a great feature.