Venture 26 or Tomcat 255 help me decide

[starlink]

I have narrowed my choice of boats to a Venture 26 or Tomcat 255. Both are towable which is great. I'm here in Florida, and i want to roam in and out of the keys to the Caribbean islands and beyond, sleeping aboard, will equip with A/C Which of these boats would be better for shallow island exploring to going through the chop, deep water, sleeping comfort, 1 man mooring,
Would be so grateful if some here could post your thoughts and opinions here. I would be looking at a used boat,
Warm Regards
Erik

[Pacificcoast101]

I haven't been aboard a Venture, but after owning a Tomcat for nearly 13 years, I'll never buy a monohull again. The stability of a catamaran is the selling point for me.

[T.R. Bauer]

You'll get a lot of opinions on this for sure. I'm not down that way, but I suspect they're both on the small side for your intended usage unless you really pick your days. But if you're set on these models.....I like the cat better if all things are equal...like price, condition, age, hours....

[JamesTXSD]

Other than similar cabin size and layout, the boats are very different due to the monohull vs catamaran. Both are great boats. Either would be good for exploring Florida and making a trip to the Bahamas (pick your weather window when crossing the Gulf Stream). From there, fuel range and seaworthiness become a question when making a move from the Bahamas to the Caribbean.

Could it be done? It has been done in smaller boats, but you may want to build up a bunch of experience with either boat before taking on that last challenge. Not to talk down to you, but if you are questioning which boat would be better, you may need to build up some experience.

If you look at both of those boats on the trailer, you will find the TomCat is a much bigger and heavier boat. It will sit significantly higher on the trailer compared to the CD-26 which will sit down between the wheels, as opposed to the TomCat sitting over the wheels.

The TomCat will be faster in light chop, the CD-26 will be more fuel efficient when you slow down. When the water gets significantly lumpy, you will be slowing down in either boat. The CD-26 will "sail" some at anchor with wind; the TomCat will get "wave slap" as the water moves between the hulls at anchor. Both have a comfortable 1 or 2 person cabin with decent amenities for the size of the boat.

Your best bet would be to find a way to get a ride on both boats - that should answer a lot of your questions. Good luck with the search.

[gulfcoast john]

Both are great boats. You can trailer them 24/7 anywhere in the country without a permit, making 500 miles a day easy, while getting over 11 MPG rather than 2 MPG combined in the case of the TC255 on the water. We’ve been all over the Caribbean, but would never, ever go in a trailer boat, even if James was piloting. You can’t even get insurance if you go over 75 miles from land. Ask your agent.

I’ve never owned a CD26, but we’ve been cruising our TC255 for 10 years now (our 13th trailer boat but first cat in 35 years). Like Phil, we’d never go back to a monohull. We describe it as `an almost perfect non oversize trailerable cruising boat for a couple.”

We always spend six weeks on the boat in the Keys or South FL in winter, but we have never experienced enough forecasted safe weather days to want to cross the Gulf Stream in winter (or even Dry Tortugas) in any trailer boat. One winter we cruised from Key West west to Boca Grande Key with a two day long 1 foot seas prediction.



With a weather window in other seasons, Bimini and nearby islands are accessible but the outer islands are not a realistic goal for the vast majority of trailer boats. We prefer the NOAA marine forecast winds to be well under 15 MPH sustained and seas under 2 feet (which by NOAA definition means every 100th wave will be over 4 feet, which you don’t want to meet at 50 MPH in a TC255 or any other trailer boat). In true SCA conditions, the boat won’t break, but your femur or neck might. And even more importantly, it wouldn’t be much fun.
TC255 Pros:

Rides like it’s on rails in slop up to typical SCA conditions (eg 22 MPH gusts to 25, 3 ft seas) when no trailer boats should be out anyway).

Stable like a barge at rest or at anchor or when one steps aboard.

Largest berth in class due to bridgedeck rather than V shape.

Precise maneuvering w/o thrusters using throttle-only steering (maximally effective only with widely spaced outboards on cats).


TC255 Cons:

More expensive to buy (cats have 65% more fiberglass) and maintain (twin engines). The last buyer posted he spent $200,000 at Twin Rivers Marine (presumably all in).

Less efficient MPG at cruise (but faster).

Low bridgedeck can cause some hull slap at anchor. It doesn’t bother us at all.

Expensive rig: We wasted time and money on two other HD 250 trucks before we got happy with a HD 4WD diesel and a near-custom Float On trailer with EOH brakes (which ran $9,500 way back in 2015).

TC255 requires a deeper/steeper launch ramp because the sponsons ride above the trailer wheels rather than partially between them. The only suitable ramps in the Keys which also have trailer storage and transient slips are Founders Park and Key West City Marina (Garrison Bight).

Either boat would be great for exploring the Keys. Navigation is straightforward, but unforgiving. Esp on the Gulf side, if you pass an ATON on the wrong side you may find calf deep water over coral and face a hefty fine as well as a ruined outdrive. Single handed mooring in wind and current is not easy, take a friend.

The US has tens of thousands of miles of beautiful waterways to explore by boat. You can ‘camp’ on the boat en route. Choose your area and weather window carefully, and on the vast majority of days and places a CD22 may be all a solo cruiser needs (but not on Lake Michigan in January). You’d save big bucks with that choice and a much smaller truck, fuel and maintenance costs with maybe 80% of the capability of the TC255 on most days, esp if you’re retired with more time than money. See some of Colby Smith’s Adventures on their CD22 under Home/Forums/Grand Adventures.

Consider coming to the Hontoon Hoot March 7-9 and seeing a bunch of C-Dorys. No ‘rides’ though because it’s on a manatee river with mostly min wake and 25 MPH max speed zones.

Have fun researching and hope this is helpful,

John

[forrest]

I have a CC26 and love my boat but....in the ocean with a 2 foot chop and a swell greater than 4 feet you aren't gonna go faster than 12-15 knots. Of course going with the wind/swell isn't as bad. The Tom Cat would be a much smoother ride for most ocean conditions. 99% of my boat usage nowadays is in the ocean. When going out 30 miles after halibut I wish I would have purchased a 24XL SeaSport. When I get back and have to fill up after three days fishing, I'm glad I purchased LongStory. My boat gets 2-3 times the mileage per gallon of fuel than the deep Vs like SeaSports, Grady Whites, or any of the deep v aluminum boats.

[thataway]

I may not agree with 100% of above, but pretty close. I feel that any of the 25' on up boats are better towed with a 3/4 ton truck. I have used 2 3/4 tons and one 1/2 ton, so I have had a real world comparison.

I will second those who say no to the Caribbean in any of the C Dory boats. I have loved them for almost 40 years, and owned one for about 20 years. But not a single one has the range or capacity to safely make it to the Caribbean, and I am one of the few on this forum who have sailed there and spent time on my own boat. (62' LOA, diesel powered Motorsailer). I have friends who have world cruising boats in the 45+ foot size, who have to wait for weeks to find a weather window to cross the Gulf Stream. Granted it is a short trip, and only a few hour window is necessary. There are limitations of water and fuel for both of these boats, but that might necessitate slower speeds for the fuel, and a watermaker for the water.

I have chosen twice to own a CDory 25 vs the Venture/Cape Cruiser 26. It is mostly about some fit and finish (such as vinyl headliner, leaks into the bilge (the venture 26 is unusual in the C Dory line, in that there is a bilge under the cabin sole.) I like the layout of the C Dory 25--and that is just a personal preference.

I feel that 2.5 foot seas are pretty much the limit in the Tom Cat. We have a run up Perdido Bay against Northerlies at times, with a fetch of about 12 miles, and winds up to 50 knots. I would put the pedal to the metal and run at 35+ MPH to get more air cushion under the bridge deck. The Tom Cat needs to have 6" deeper hulls (moving the clearance of the bridge deck above water--it drags the aft bridge deck until up on a plane). The. bunk in the TC 255 is certainly larger, but the rest of the layout is very similar to the C Dory 25. Depending on how one sleeps, there can be crawling over your bed partner getting out of the queen + size bunk. I like the 25 or 26 with the bulkhead (non structural) removed, and then either partner can get up without disturbing the other.

We don't know what you boating experience and expertise is, so that has to be factored in the plans. Certainly any of the C Dory boats work very well around the keys, in the Great Loop, and inland Lake and river cruising (watching the weather). They are very capable of going to AK on the inland passage, and most other places bordering the continental US and Canada, including the Sea of Cortez.