Older Tomcats

[dredger]

If you were interested in buying an older TC, what problems if any would you look for ? Were there many problems with the older model ?They kinda look like Luke Skywalker should be driving but still have an interesting look. Thanks

[matt_unique]

[drjohn71a]

Dredger,

As Matt mentioned, there are alot of threads about the TomCat 24's on here. Byrdman owned one and I think Brent of Brent and Dixie on Discovery had one before getting their TC 255.

My take on the older TomCat was that I liked everything except the sloping windshield and the head down by the bunk. Many owners have had a roof rack with a forward "eyebrow" canvas kind of like the bill on a baseball cap, but smaller proportionately put in for that.

The head is under the helm which is good in that it gave 360 degree, uncluttered view, but bad if you want a big head compartment. The TC 24's were smaller and lighter than the TC255's and they were originally designed for small, lightweight, 2 cycle engines. One reason for the aft extended Armstrong brackets on the TC 255 was to accomodate the larger, heavier 4 cycle engines. I believe twin 90 hp engines were common and some 110's or some other larger sized unit.

Some of the TC 24s - one that I read about on here, had a crack in the transom fiberglass. That can be repaired if there was not much water influx over time. Some threads discuss making sure there is a strongly supported transom/side hull joint in the early 24's and a few early CD25s.

Properly powered and loaded, they have been reported to perform well on the site. I haven't heard of any catastrophic problems on this site or the old C-Dogs site, so you just have to look for the normal problems buying an older boat, e.g. physical damage, abuse, poor maintenance, etc.. Some have reported moving the holding tank and/or changing out the head unit for a portable or built in tank type, like the CD 25s and TC 255s.

Try some searches and see what you find. Good luck! John

[Forty Two]

Great boat.

Things to watch for:
The trailers are terrible - don't fit the boat very well and will gouge your boat on launch and retrieve. I got an extendahitch to work around that problem.
In northern climates, the long sloping windshields tend to fog up in a big way. A shower squeegee helps a lot.
If you drift fish, the boat will turn sideways to the waves. Get ready to rock.
The scupper flaps let almost as much water in as out. See my photos for a simple fix.
Anchor locker drain - the factory likely forgot to install it, and the dealer may forget to waterproof it. Easy fix.
Kinks in the fuel tank vent lines cause the tanks to burp gas. Another easy fix.
No access to the inside of the hulls. I hate this.

These are all little things, and most are easily fixed. The boats handle well, go fast enough, are a little better on fuel than most 24s, great fishing deck, great visibility.

[thataway]

I don't know if all of the plastic fuel tanks were replaced, but at least one burst--and I know that a number were replaced.

They are lighter and easier to trailer--115 is more than enough (they handle the 115 4 strokes Yahama's) v s 150 for the TC 255.