TomCat 24 vs. TomCat 255?

T

trisailing

New member
I am a newbie to power cats. I am still sailing around in a catamaran, but I am interested in perhaps changing over to power. I understand that there have been improvements in the TomCat 255, but I can't seem to find what they are aside from being shorter. The issue is that the TomCat 24 is listed as somewhere around 4000 lbs. while the 255 is about 2000 lbs. more. I have a 1/2 ton truck that will haul a 4000 lb boat, but it won't haul a 6000 lb. boat very effectively (with gear and trailer, it seems to be more like 8000 lbs.)
Can someone please explain what the design differences are inside. My wife and I tend to spend weeks at a time cruising, and I would like to know what the trade-offs are between the 2 boats. Thanks in advance for any info.
 
trisailing":237g52w2 said:
I am a newbie to power cats. I am still sailing around in a catamaran, but I am interested in perhaps changing over to power. I understand that there have been improvements in the TomCat 255, but I can't seem to find what they are aside from being shorter. The issue is that the TomCat 24 is listed as somewhere around 4000 lbs. while the 255 is about 2000 lbs. more. I have a 1/2 ton truck that will haul a 4000 lb boat, but it won't haul a 6000 lb. boat very effectively (with gear and trailer, it seems to be more like 8000 lbs.)
Can someone please explain what the design differences are inside. My wife and I tend to spend weeks at a time cruising, and I would like to know what the trade-offs are between the 2 boats. Thanks in advance for any info.
Click to expand...
The Tomcat 24 and 255 share the same hull. The 255 is basically the 24 with a different (and some think better looking) cabin on top. Neither boat on a trailer will weigh less than 8000# and the 255 will be closer to 10k on a trailer (maybe more depending on trailer type).
 
The 255 is also longer, with the addition of Armstrong brackets that extend the motors out a few feet further in the rear, making essentially a longer boat that offers more flotation, will pitch less in chop, and handle more horsepower. The original 255 had brackets that proved to be a little too long, and the subsequent ones had shorter ones.

Bob (Thataway) once compared the two cats, IIRC, but finding that comparison might be difficult unless he, or someone else, remembers in what thread/context it was done.

I think there might also have been some modification of the tunnel involved, but that's pretty fuzzy in my mind. Ditto for the interior layout, to a minor degree.

Roger is very correct in noting the changes to the cabin forward top, the addition of the hood in the 255 making the boat look more like a C-Dory and less of a spaceship, or NASA project, according to some. At any rate, the hood blocks some sun & heat intrusinion into the cockpit, which is similar to the problem experienced in the late 50's early 60's style cars like the 1959 Chevy Impala Hardtop.

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Trisailing, see Redbaronce for-sale 24/255 entries and albums and PM him.
There aren't that many Brats who have owned BOTH models, AND have owned them simultaneously, AND are selling one of them, AND will happily keep the other one, whichever model does not sell first.
You need plane tickets!
Search the site for comparisons.
Agree a loaded 255 rig requires 10K tow capability to stay safe. Full gas alone is 900#, which is the same as 3 Mississippi good 'ol boys. Or 2 and enough beer (300#) for the day and part of the night.
The concept behind either is an expedition quality pocket yacht trailer-able anywhere without a permit at 60 MPH through a thunderstorm while getting 13 MPG (in my 2500HD diesel), vs sailing for 10 weeks at 7.2 knots to get there.
In any event, happy hunting!
Cheers!
John
 
I have owned both and cruised on them for extended periods, 11 years total onership of TomCat's. The TC255 is far superior to the TC24 as a cruising boat. Larger cabin ( 18" longer ), a head on the main level ( not down in a hole ), shower ( TC24 has none ), larger cockpit ( 18" longer ), Swimstep/Armstrong bracket ( not the cramped motorwell of the TC24 ), The TC255 has a vertical windshield ( not the sweptback elongated windshield of the TC24 )

The TC24 trailer from EZ Loader is a poor design and very user difficult to load in a crosswind. There are good TC255 trailers, including the EZ Loader trailer and others.

Either boat will require a 3/4 or 1 ton truck. I have towed both of them in excess of 30,000 miles. Including the length of Mexico Baja highway to Cabo San Lucas. The TC255 is 10,000 lbs. loaded with trailer. The TC24 a little less, about 9,000 lbs. loaded.

I regretted purchasing the TC24 almost from the beginning. We had a lot of input with the factory during the design of the TC255, and received the 5th boat built. We have cruised on the TC255 four different years for periods of 65 to 90 days each. We are planning on a 3 month cruise to Alaska next summer.
 
I will add a non-TC-owner observation. We were present when Dusty's Tomcat 24 was christened in Olympia in 2003 ( the original Daydream CD22 was christened at the same time). It was raining hard, and the condensation inside the Tomcat 24 was like being in a small rainstorm inside the cabin. That completely turned us off on the Tomcat 24s. We have heard nothing negative about the Tomcat 255s. Now, the choice between a Tomcat 255 and a Venture 26 is something else to consider. Not being a devotee of going really fast, the Venture 26 is WAY more appealing to us than a Tomcat 255. But to each his own!
 
Not really sure why the 24 Tomcat has gotten such a bad rap from some folks on the c-brats forum. The boat is criticized for its looks here but I can tell you that it gets a lot of compliments when out and about.

I can proudly say that the boat is wonderful. It is not only unique looking but offers 90% of the performance of the 255 for less money. The interior is smaller, but still substantially larger than a 22 cruiser. The cockpit is nearly identical in size to the 255 (actually less than 6 inches difference.)

Is the 255 better? perhaps if you need more room in the cabin. The standing head/shower is nice as is the hot water.

The 24 does have its merits including being lighter by about 2000 lbs. It is also more agile and easier to maneuver in tight spaces. It is easier to single hand dock than the 255. and gets better fuel economy than the 24 which is a big bonus.

We insulated our cabin early on and never had significant issues with the condensation on the 24. The 255 actually has a lot more condensation. It should be noted that our 255 is not insulated however.

If anyone wants more detail or has questions of either boat, feel free to PM me.
 
Can't deny Discovery's take but I would point out that those benefits definitively come with added costs, bigger motors, more fuel, more maintenance, more things to go wrong. Our original attraction to the CDory line was the 22 cruiser with it's utilitarian aspect. Less is best sort of thing. 'Course the kids got bigger and we added a couple of dogs to the menagerie hence the search for a little bigger boat. The 255's were not even available in those days which is how we ended up with our 24. We are very comfortable and have no regrets. Truth be told I probably could not afford the 255. Our boat is 12 years old and everything works so we've no interest in "more" boat.
 
Pat Anderson":2sxbaptm said:
I will add a non-TC-owner observation. We were present when Dusty's Tomcat 24 was christened in Olympia in 2003 ( the original Daydream CD22 was christened at the same time). It was raining hard, and the condensation inside the Tomcat 24 was like being in a small rainstorm inside the cabin. That completely turned us off on the Tomcat 24s. We have heard nothing negative about the Tomcat 255s. Now, the choice between a Tomcat 255 and a Venture 26 is something else to consider. Not being a devotee of going really fast, the Venture 26 is WAY more appealing to us than a Tomcat 255. But to each his own!
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Hey Pat, the 255 can go slow too! :roll: :mrgreen:

But as you said... Each to his own, is a V26 in your future?

Charlie
 
No, we are quite happy with Daydream. Any other boat, no matter what improvements, would be a waste of Anderson family resources. We can do pretty much whatever we want to do in our CD25 Cruiser! Sure glad we bought it at the 2005 SBS, too - that price will never be seen again!

Captains Cat":3dn2xj1g said:
Hey Pat, the 255 can go slow too! :roll: :mrgreen:

But as you said... Each to his own, is a V26 in your future?

Charlie
Click to expand...
 
We have a 24' Tomcat (actually the second boat produced) and love it! I can't deny Discovery's take either, that the 25' has a number of superior features.

The head in the 24' is small, but two of my crew members are less than 4' tall, so I don't get all that many complaints. Our previous boat was a 22' Cruiser and the Tomcat fits our purposes far better than our previous boat. The ride, range, and stability of the Tomcat is fantastic. We have put 400 hours on the boat in the last 8 months and visited nearly every one of the Southern California Channel Islands.

http://vimeo.com/101133194

The truth is that there was no way I could afford a 25', so when a 24' popped up in Oakland, we jumped on it and scored an amazing deal, given the new motors and upgrades.

If I was still in the market, I would look at redbaronace's 24'. It looks like a really clean boat at a good price.

-Tim
 
trpsurf":2e6gqi4h said:
We have a 24' Tomcat (actually the second boat produced) and love it! I can't deny Discovery's take either, that the 25' has a number of superior features.

The head in the 24' is small, but two of my crew members are less than 4' tall, so I don't get all that many complaints. Our previous boat was a 22' Cruiser and the Tomcat fits our purposes far better than our previous boat. The ride, range, and stability of the Tomcat is fantastic. We have put 400 hours on the boat in the last 8 months and visited nearly every one of the Southern California Channel Islands.

http://vimeo.com/101133194

The truth is that there was no way I could afford a 25', so when a 24' popped up in Oakland, we jumped on it and scored an amazing deal, given the new motors and upgrades.

If I was still in the market, I would look at redbaronace's 24'. It looks like a really clean boat at a good price.

-Tim
Click to expand...

Tim, I absolutely loved your video. Take it from someone who's been through it, you and your wife are absolutely going to cherish that video after the kids are all grown and have flown the coop. I wish I had a video like that when my kids were young. Simply beautiful.

Peter
 
Thanks for all of your comments. They have been really helpful. I knew about the TomCat 24 for sale in NJ, but didn't know about it being on ebay until this AM. I have tried to reach the seller for more details, but so far, no luck. The one statement that they have on the listing that is questionable is the wieght. It is listed as 4200 pounds. Does that seem real?
Thanks again in advance for any input.
 
If I recall the numbers correctly, on a recent 2 week trip, boat fully loaded for cruising, i.e. full fuel, water, generator, air conditioner, coolers, beer, food, clothing, bedding, fishing gear, etc., we came in at 9350 lbs, minus trailer weight of 1850 lbs, puts us in cruising mode at 7500 lbs in the water. Yes, it does add up rather quickly
 
trpsurf":37jb6quj said:
We have a 24' Tomcat (actually the second boat produced) and love it! I can't deny Discovery's take either, that the 25' has a number of superior features.

The head in the 24' is small, but two of my crew members are less than 4' tall, so I don't get all that many complaints. Our previous boat was a 22' Cruiser and the Tomcat fits our purposes far better than our previous boat. The ride, range, and stability of the Tomcat is fantastic. We have put 400 hours on the boat in the last 8 months and visited nearly every one of the Southern California Channel Islands.

http://vimeo.com/101133194

The truth is that there was no way I could afford a 25', so when a 24' popped up in Oakland, we jumped on it and scored an amazing deal, given the new motors and upgrades.

If I was still in the market, I would look at redbaronace's 24'. It looks like a really clean boat at a good price.

-Tim
Click to expand...

Wow. Fantastic video!!!!
 
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