Tomcat question?

[katkt]

I have water entering cockpit drains, when I'm not moving out on the gulf. The water drains out immediately when we start moving. Is there a better idea than the rubber muffler flap? Are any of the rest of you having a problem with this?



Thanks,
Gordon

[Discovery]

Katkt,

We have had the same problem at times with our TomCat. Usually at rest in a following sea. I drilled a hole in the center of the flap and threaded a 1/4" surgical tubing thru the flap, then up the drain pipe and tied it to a 4" piece of 1/2" PVC pipe. The PVC pipe acts as a handle, adjust the tension on the flap until its just slightly hanging open. The following sea can't flow in and water can still drain out. If you need the flap to open all the way, just turn the handle and let it go onto the drain pipe.

Where on the Gulf are you located? Looking at the Gulf to spend the winter months. Last two on the Baja but maybe a change this winter.

Brent

[katkt]

My wife and I have a place near Pensacola, and had planned to relocate there. However, as usually happens with plans the move has been delayed. We currently travel back and forth from central Illinois as often as schedules permit. We don't ever wonder where to go on vacation anymore.
I've seen a drain cover with a nuetral bouyency ball float that might work. They only wanted $10.00 for it, I might order one to see if it can be made to work. If we can keep the thread on the front page long enough, mabye Molly Brown or Two Dawgs will add something.
In your photo alblum there is a shot of a macerator pump in a waste line. Do you use that to drain the waste tank instead of a pump out station? Does ti work well.

Thanks for your reply,

Gordon

[Molly Brown]

Hi All:
We had the same problem as well and our fix was a small nut and bolt thru the fold of the flap. It keeps a small amount of tension on it to keep it closed but light enough so that any water behind the flap can drain. Works like a charm.

[Discovery]

Katkt, Molly Brown,

The macerator pump is used to drain the holding tank. I machined a brass fitting that goes in the overboard discharge thru hull. It twist locks on the two small ears inside the thru hull fitting. I threaded the end to fit a 1 1/4" flat discharge hose. Now we can use the head and then dump at the RV dump stations. Also the holding tank can be emptyed when far offshore in legal dumping areas. We spend time in Baja California and the Sea of Cortez and there are no pump out stations.

Does Molly Brown have any recomendations on places to Winter on the Gulf Coast with the TomCat? Looking to spend this Winter in Florida or Texas (South Padre Island). We pull the TomCat behind our Lance camper on a Ford Superduty.

Brent

[katkt]

Cygnet, Molly Brown

Thanks to the both of you for your replies. I'm going to put a hole in each flap, start with the bolt and nut, and if need be I'll already have a hole for the tubing.
As has been stated so many times before, this forum is home to simple fixs and tips.

James, I really like the hat bill on Molly Brown. The photos you posted where directly responsible for our decision to purchase a tomcat.

Not to snub the mono hull fans that make up the majority of this forum,the enthusiasm you all have for your boats is infectious.

[Molly Brown]

Hey All:
Katkt. the nut and bolt I installed is thru the fold at the very top of the flap not thru the middle. It pinches the flap shut but since it's on it's extreme edge it can still open easily. I removed the hose clamp and glued the flap to the drain pipe which cleaned up it's appearance and left room to place the nut.
Cygnet, I'd probably head to Flamingo in the Everglades National Park and use that as a base of operations. Winter winds are generally NW so you'd have all of the Everglades, the Keys and the Ten Thousand Islands on up thru Marco and Naples available from the Park with lots of places to duck in if conditions worsened. You could start in Crystal River (north of Tampa) and work your way south and of course there's the East coast but it's a little too developed for my taste.
Not to cut this too short but we are working 6-12 hour days at work so I need to go now.Best to you both and I do check my email daily and the Brat site regularly so feel free to write. Good luck,

[katkt]

Molly Brown,

Thanks James, I've got it right this time, thanks for the clarification.
We're currently at the wrong end of the only road we seem to be traveling on anymore,so it will be a little bit before I get to apply the fix.

Gordon

[Molly Brown]

Katkt Gordon:
Don't despair. We needed 5 months just to do the initial outfitting and after almost 2 years we're still "bonding" with the boat. Oh, what good times we're having though and taking trips I never envisioned even though I've been on or around boats most all my life. You do what's require to satisfy the demands of life and in the end the reward is yours.
Calm waters,

[katkt]

Molly Brown,

Give me a short one or two word opinion of C-Dory/Tomcat, based on your experience with other boats. I don't have the history to refer to like
alot of the forum members and have always wondered( or at least since we bought the boat)how it stacks up against the rest. I know this is a realitve thing and am mostly interested in your opinion of your boat based on your experience.


Thanks, Gordon

[Molly Brown]

Morning Gordon:
That's a tough question. Good thing you asked for an opinion as I certainly have mine. Let's just say that most of us are biased towards our boats and can't be relied on to be objective. That said, I can say that the first time I saw a C-Dory I knew right away it was the boat for me. Can't beat the lines on a Cruiser and having owned one for a couple of years I can vouch for it's attractiveness. Could not take that boat anywhere, not even just to top off the fuel tanks, without people coming up to the boat with compliments or questions. Our original requirements for a boat were a shallow draft to navigate to "shallows" in our creek, beam under 8' to get thru the RR trestle, a low enough profile to get under the Burnt Store bridge and something that didn't look like every other boat out there. The 22' Cruiser fit the bill to a tee. What we didn't figure on was that our boys would grow soooo fast and the addition of "Lily" the dog. When we decide to get a larger boat we stuck with Dory because of their proven design, ease of maintenance, simplicity of operation. There's a lot of nice boats out there but usually they're just too much boat. When I see a boat I like my first question is how big is the fuel tank? That alone will give you a good idea of what it will take to maintain it. Around here it's sheer weight that allows these boats to plow thru the water; no finesse there.
I've never been fond of the lines on a TomCat but do admit that the longer I own the "Molly Brown" the more I like her and the prouder we are to have her. Hope that answers your email...off to work I go!!!

[katkt]

Molly Brown,

James, thankyou for the time you took to answer my question. I'll stop pestering you for now , I'm new to the boats and motors scene and although I'm handy and not afraid to tackle most any thing as far as changes and upgrades go, I am still trying to assess the real value of the boat.

I know , I can hear everyone laughing, DON"T USE MONEY AND BOAT IN THE SAME SENTENCE.

I followed the trim tab thread a while back and purchased a set of the permatrims when I saw them on a different forum and paid close attention to the Head Nerds evaluation. It will be awhile before I get them installed but I will let you know the results.

Thanks, Gordon