Inflatable boat on a TC24

F

FRED & DEB

New member
We've been thinking about another extended trip on our TC24 but as our dog; Bowie is getting older, the need for an inflatable boat becomes more of a necessity so we can get him to shore to do his business. The problem is where to keep the inflatable, while it's inflated, on the TomCat. I have radar on the already crowded roof, which compounds this problem.
I am hoping that someone has already figured this out or has a better plan than we've been able to come up with.
Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

FRED & DEB
TomCat 24
 
Fred and Deb - Have you seen the pics of what Brent and Dixie did on their TC 255? They put a sort of "rack" for the dinghy that holds it aft, over the motors and motorwell. Go to "photos" and search for "Discovery" s albums. It is shown near the end of the photos.

John
 
John:
Thanks so much for the heads up. I found the photo of Discovery and the dingy rack that you spoke of. I think Brent's idea is terrific and that the basic design may work with my TC24.
One concern that comes to mind, however is how to get that darn inflatable up there from the water. Most of them are fairly heavy and definitely awkward which opens up a whole new set of problems. Oh well; I guess if cruising was easy everybody would be doing it.
I guess we should have gotten a smaller dog. :lol:

FRED & DEB
TomCat 24
 
Fred and Deb-

Do you have to go ashore in a dinghy?

Royal and Lucky have a great floating ramp that could be used to get the dog ashore if you're in calm fresh water and can beach the boat. It has floats on the bottom, a curved "hooking lip" for the gunnel, and is made of something light. It would be much easier to store than a dinghy.

Joe.
 
Joe has a good idea there. You know there are 3-4 different "doggy ramps" you can get that were initially designed for duck hunters that can be removably attachet to the side or stern. Someone had a ramp for a 22 that fit across the cockpit as a seat when not in use, but could be hooked up to the bow or stern for landing.

Also, although I would not like the blocked view, there are several hinged dinghy mounts that mount to the swim platform. You just engage the hooks where the dinghy touches the platform, then crank the dinghy up to vertical with a small winch.

John
 
Here's a LINK to a photo of the ramp drjohn71a mentions in the second paragraph. There are two more photos before and two after this one of the ramp in action.

I'll try to find a photo of the other ramp, but it may have been lost with the closing of the C-Dog site. ....Can't find it, but here's a LINK to a similar product.

Joe.
 
John and Joe:
Thanks so much for your thoughts on using a ramp to get my dog on and off the boat. I never thought about using a ramp but it may work under ideal conditions. I do worry, however, about having to back up to the shore each time and position the ramp on the swim platform to get off the boat. I don't think my dog can jump well enough to exit either side of the cockpit; thus, the stern is the best option. Also, Bowie weighs about 130lbs and is not what you would consider a great jumper.
Fishbob, your inflatable looks very interesting and the weight is something I think I could handle. Does it have a solid floor and will it hold 2 adults and an adult size dog? My radar arch is much is much lower than yours but I think I can work around that. Do you take an engine with the inflatable and if so where do you store it when not in use. Are you happy with it's overall performance?
Thanks guys for all your input. I really appreciate your help.
FRED and DEB
TomCat 24
 
FRED AND DEB-

TELL US A LITTLE MORE ABOUT YOUR FRIEND BOWIE, PLEASE!

RINCON_2003_2004_466.sized.jpg

BOWIE AT THE VALLEY OF THE GODS

*************************************************

JOE.
 
Hiya Joe:
Thanks or your interest in my buddy Bowie. He's a 10 year old Bouvier who loves to travel by boat and RV. He's very low maintenance and incredibly loyal. We have traveled around the USA and Mexico several times and he has been a real joy and great companion. We spend 2 months in Maine on the TomCat several months on Lake Powell as well as many smaller excursions on lakes and rivers all over the country. We spent last winter in the Florida Keys and had an absolute blast. I also took the TC24 to Mexico several times for 4-5 months each visit.
Last winter he injured himself jumping out of the boat and it took almost 5 months to get him back in shape. That is why I'm looking into a better way to get him on and off the TC.
Thanks again for your interest and helpful suggestions.
Bye bye for now.

FRED & DEB

That was pretty neat how you got his picture on your last post. :lol:
 
Thanks, Fred and Deb, for the low-down on Bowie! Sounds like you truly have a loyal companion there! Nice collection of travels, too. Makes that TomCat into a real home away from home!

I've got a 135 lb Great Dane (Misty) who's only 14 months old, so have the same kind of problem. Her predecessor, Shadow, who eventually got up to 175 lbs, or so, could get in from the dock over the gunnel and onto a large 120 quart cooler with carpet glued to its top as an intermediary step.

I think what we really need is a hinged ramp with one side in the cockpit, and the other extending out over the gunnel or transom to the dock or beach. Maybe a two-part ramp would be more adaptable, however.

Would have to be at least four feet long on the short end, and probably eight feet or more to reach the beach on the other. Would have to be made of something really light to keep the overall weight down, and would have to be stored on the roof or across the engine well.

If the boat were designed only for the dog, the short section could be lead up to a swiveling platform over the engine well, and the long section mounted with it's end on the swivel to reach over the gunnel and to the dock or beach, much like a ladder in a ladder fire truck!

One question: If you go the dinghy route, how will you get Bowie into the dinghy? Don't you still need some kind of ramp for that?

Love 'dem puppies!

Joe.
 
Take a look at aluminum/plywood scaffold boards.

7 foot by 19 inches-weight 32 pounds and have hooks on both ends or a 6footer at 28 pounds.

7-0 @ $105.00.
6-0 @ $100.00. C-Otter.

P.S. you may be able to find all aluminum, less weight.
 
FRED & DEB":11j3jt9e said:
Fishbob, your inflatable looks very interesting and the weight is something I think I could handle. Does it have a solid floor and will it hold 2 adults and an adult size dog? My radar arch is much is much lower than yours but I think I can work around that. Do you take an engine with the inflatable and if so where do you store it when not in use. Are you happy with it's overall performance?
Click to expand...

1 - It has an inflatable floor.
2 - It should hold 2 adults and a dog. Not sure about a dog that big, though.
3 - I don't have an engine yet. It is rated for 2 Hp, but I plan to get an electric trolling motor - which I can store in the deck box.
4 - So far, I have paddled around in it, no great distances. No problems to date.
 
fishbob, which Alaska tender do you have? And is the motor mount easily removed and reinstalled? Reason I ask is I assume you would carry the boat upside down on the cabin roof, and you would want to remove the motor mount to avoid scratching, etc. Am I correct in this assumption?

Thanks,
Warren
 
Hi Fred and Deb,

Not intending to drift off from the original topic of this thread, but I'm sure a bunch of us out here would love to hear more about your travels. When you've done the Keys or Mexico for extended times, have you split the time between your RV (truck camper or Country Coach) and the boat, or just one over the other?

We used to travel with an American Coach and a Corsair trimaran, and found we had to drive separate so we had another vehicle to run around with when we got somewhere. Trying to launch at many ramps with a 40' coach was also a major chore. How are you handling this situation with your CC and the TomCat?

It's always a pleasure to hear how folks are using their boats. Thanks.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Joe:
Your idea about ramps sounds pretty darn good but I think I'll wait until you or someone else actually builds one and lets me know how it works first. I'm not a great builder and I'm not sure that my dog is ever going to learn to use a swaying ramp at his age. By the way I saw the photo of your old dog Shadow. He was sure a great looking fella. I'm sure you miss him.
I did borrow an inflatable some time ago an found that it fit perfectly between my engines. I only have to tether it to the hand rails, hop in, and cast off. No problemo. I'm still concerned that an inflatable will be to heavy for me to handle since I definitely need one with a solid floor, so my dogs nails don't puncture it. The Alaska tender looks to be the lightest I have ever seen but I'm not sure if they offer a solid floor. I'm going to call them next week and find out.
Thanks again guys for all your comments.

FRED & DEB
TomCat 24
 
Jim:
Thank you for your interest in our travels. We have used the truck with camper and boat combination for much of our traveling the past 4+ years. When we stay in a place for any lenght of time we simply drop off the camper, put the boat in the water and then use the truck to run around in. This has been the best combination we've come up with so far and have towed the TC over 38,000 miles. In Mexico I would anchor the TC some 50 yards out in the Pacific and live in the camper just off the beach within easy sight of eachother.
We've had the Country Coach for approx 2 years but have decided to sell it because of the problems you mentioned plus we like to go places where it just can't go. We also found out that staying in RV resorts is just not our style. Sometimes too many toys can be a burden as I'm sure you found out too.
We maybe in the Keys later this winter and are considering going over to the Abacos early in the spring. This is why we need to make getting on and off our boat more dog friendly. I would appreciate any additional comments you or anyone else reading this thread has on traveling with an inflatable tender.
Hope this info is interesting and helpful to you.

FRED & DEB
 
<<Hope this info is interesting and helpful to you.>>

Indeed, Fred & Deb, and thank you for taking the time to write. At a point in our lives where accumulating more stuff has less importance, I am looking for an easily workable RV/C-Dory solution. I loved our big coaches, but I love the C-Dory even more... so, you make some choices. We have spent up to a month at a time in Mexico in the coach; looking forward to more of that in the boat.

Perhaps we'll see you in the Keys this winter? Our plan is to head that direction after the first of the year. Just last night, our discussion turned towards the Sea of Cortez. Decisions, decisions... I just want to take the time to enjoy and explore the places we go. :D

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Although we have a small dog currently, we have done a lot of traveling with large dogs (60 to 130 lbs). Of course the younger the better for behavior modification...My father built an "ultalight" ramp, almost entirely of 1/8" door skins, with epoxy saturation. There were 1/2 rails for the "I" section on the sides, (the sides were about 6" high, 3" above and 3" below the 14" wide part) (sorry I don't think I have an available photo digitalized) and cleats of 1x1 for the dog's traction--we later added some light weight "Ozite" carpet. This was about 14" wide, and 8' long--weight about 25 lbs. Our lab could easily climb from an inflatable up to the side of the boat--about a 45 degree angle (higher freeboard than a C Dory or Tom cat). We also used this same ramp as a "Passarelle" off the stern of the boat--and we as well as motor bikes went over it regularly for 4 years.

Most recently we have used the "pet step"--which weighs 18lbs and was linked above. We used it off the stern of the C Dory 22--it also works off the stern of the TC 255. We use an inflatable--but had kept a 6' 7" Bombard--and given the 8' to Jeff who purchased the C Dory22--mistake on our part--and we are now looking for a larger light weight inflatable.

High on our list are the air floor boats. Probably we will go with the Zodiac Zoom 8'8" or a comperable size Achillies LSI series (we like the Hypralon better than the PVC). I single handed on this trip, while Marie drove to met me. The inflatable was on the cabin top aft of the air conditioner. Even with my back problems it was easy to roll it onto the foredeck and inflat it there. Slid it over the side railings. I took Marie ashore and had to deflate and store the inflatable alone. I pulled the bow onto the Armstrong bracket and started deflating and pulling into the cockpit. I rolled it in the cockpit easily, and used the Garhart davit to hoist it on top of the genset box in the cockpit for the trip home--rather than putting it back on the roof. We may put a third mounting location for hte davit so it can be used to hoist items onto the roof--since the new dinghy will be closer to 55 lbs/vs the 35 lb we have now.

The dog can easily step form the the Armstrong bracket to the dinghy bow which fits between the engines--be sure you get a dinghy which is narrow enough in the bow to fit between the engines, so the dog can get in easily.

In summary--two options--gang plank--self made or pet step to the beach or dinghy along side. Second option is a dinghy which comes up to the stern and dog steps into the dinghy. May require a box or ice chest as a "step" to get over the transom.
 
I found out today that West Marine has some 2005 of the High pressure floor "285" inflatables--both in PVC and Hypalon at a good discount. These are smaller tubes (16" vs 18") and narrower beam (4' 11" vs 5' 3") than the 2006 models.

So we purchased a 2005 Hypalon 9'4" inflatable with the High Pressure Air floor--weight total is about 68 lbs. However one can separate the floor and seats to reduce the weight more--and we will carry it in the cockpit much of the time--and perhaps mount our davit to hoist it onto the cabin roof if needed.

With a large dog, I would consider a carpet on the floor of the inflatable--we have used "ozite" in the past--water drains out easily.
 
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