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
