TC-24

James and Betty: GREAT TO SEE YOU POST AGAIN...AND PLEASE POST ON YOUR 9 DAY TRAVEL LOOP!!.

I loved my TC24. Still have some pics in my FREEBYRD photo album. Great boat. I got it from Dusty/EQ. I did not realize any of the interior moisture problems my friend Pat spoke of in the boat....but then, I never had a lawyer on board inside with all that hot air over night either.... :mrgreen: I can not imagine if that Pat and this Pat both got together in any boat overnight having fun on a cold night... Pat, you know you and Miss Patty are always welcome on any boat of mine, and do hope one day, yall will fly into Nashville and allow me to return the favor you provied me at the Blakley Island gathering.

I was going to put some exterior mounted solor screens on FREEBYRD to help with the solor issue...but then, when it was hot down here...we generally were in the fresh waters anyway. I guess, if it was salt water or no water, things would have been different....but, the fresh water life was great on this boat.

I like some of the things of the TC255 and had some input as many of us TC24 owners did when it was being built. Simply put, they did not change some of the things I wanted to change the most about the boat (higher/different sponson set up as to fix some of the issues Bob speaks of in over 3' chop/waves that are closely spaced).

But, I would again still own one, and if selecting today between a used TC24 and TC255.... for me, I would save my money and go back to the TC24. Having said that.... I will be right up front and say...for my personal boat, using a portable head system and showering in the cockpit is the way to go. Use what ever room was designed for an indoor head for good storage. I like the PETT Wag Bag system for head use. We also use hospital urinals when we just have to pee on the boat...if peeing indoors...rather than overboard. ....

Now, mono hull vs catamaran..... two different boat systems, so I will not even compare the CD25 in this thread.... if going monohull in the 25' range, I went with another brand to get a smooth ride for my personal boat, and I wanted a large cockpit area...larger than the CD25 offers.

I did not like the trailer set up on the TC24, but, today, some folks are building a good trailer set up for the TC boats. ....and, some are still cutting corners...even with the new heavy TC255s. Be careful here.

Yall have a great boating day...and I sure hope MOLLY BROWN makes some post on the loop trip....

Byrdman
 
Great posts. Thanks to all for the time you took to write. Many thanks to Tortuga for the links.

I showed it to my wife and her comments were...."cute and goofy looking at the same time."

She's says that about me too, so I can live with that. 8)

A south wind is blowing and I'm going to use it to head north and see the TC 24 tomorrow. I'll post my observations tomorrow night.

One question remains thus far. From experience, it seems the 12-15 mph is the perfect Puget Sound speed. Fast enough to get there....slow enough to avoid logs. Does this boat plow at that speed?

An aside. I've given some consideration to a Seaswirl 2600 to replace my 22' Campion but ruled out the I/O version after seeing one at my marina. The "doghouse" occupies just about all the cockpit. It's a wonder they can fish with it. I'm still intrigued with an outboard version that's for sale in Boston but at 22k, it'll be gone before I'm ready. Anyway...if anybody has direct experience with these boats, please PM me. I'm most curious how the high freeboard affects the ride, etc.

Thanks!

-Greg
 
As to speed--my observations are that the 255 and 24 seem to ride approximately the same. My personal preference is that 20 knots on up gives a better ride. The problem with all of the Tom Cats is that the tunnel height is too low aft--this is a common problem in many US production cats. In my 255 the tunnel is not open--and drags in the water below true planing speed. With the Permatrims, I can get the stern up higher at a lower speed--and the boat is on a plane at 15 knots easily. Although the boat will plane at 12 knots, it is less effecient fuel wise and there is a lot of turbulance in the tunnel. The 24 is a lighter boat, and although there may be slightly more tunnel clearance--it is still not ideal at lower speeds. My neighbor's 24 has about the same "waterline" aft (tunnel clearance) when at low speeds. Thus "plowing" is not advised--the boats run best on a full plane.

An air cushion all of the way through the tunnel, is almost essential in the Tom Cats for a good ride. This is why, in my experience, the boats run better at a faster speed in a chop. Most of us are used to slowing down in the chop--the Tom Cat requires the opposite. There seems to be little if any fuel consumption difference between 15 and 25 knots: so not an advantage there. I run my Tom Cat at 17 knots in the Puget Sound area, and I don't see that there will be much difference in avoiding debris between 12 and 17 knots. It is those which are semi submerged that are the problems.

The Tom Cat 24 will give you a superior ride to any monohull in that lenght--the one exception might be a 21 - 23 foot Contender, with a 26 degree deep v--but that has a whole different set of problems.
 
Thanks Dr. Bob. I've gotten a lot of questions answered here and through e-mail with Les Lampman.

The TC 24 boat was unavailable to view so we're going to shoot for this coming Friday.

I ruled out the Seaswirl and Glacier Bay for now. If we change boats, consolidating with one, we'll likely go with a Cat of some sort. Heck...it's the one style of boat I haven't owned yet. :>

-Greg
 
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