Tomcat fixes and questions

matt_unique

New member
I bought a 2007 Tomcat with 2008 Suzuki 150's. I don't take delivery until March and I wanted to compile a list of things to have fixed or to look for the next time I am at the dealership. The next time I am there will be for the sea trial with the new engines as well.

I have read about lot's of things but I wanted to cast the full net if you will. In looking at several Tomcat's, I was impressed with the level of finish on this particular hull. With that being said, there will always be a few little things.

In my first review of the boat I found a few things that would need to be fixed:

1.) The galley vent cover was broke. I assume the fix is to sand off a portion of the new plastic vent before replacing?

2.) The shower sump box had a hose broken off with the plastic nipple still inside the end of the hose. How should this be fixed?

3.) There was a bit of a kink in the water line where it comes off the water heater. Should I be concerned with that?

4.) The fix boxes were full of water. I ran the macerators to drain them and this caused a vacuum. I could literally not open the doors to the fish boxes due to the vacuum pressure and I could hear the pressure slowly releasing. After several minutes the pressure reduced enough to open. I don't recall from reading if the Tomcat fish box doors typically have the same leakage problems as the C-25's but these had quite a bit of water in them. What is the best fix for these on the Tomcat? (I read where some had some sort of truss system installed).

Other Questions:

1.) I was looking at the holes through the transom for the engine rigging. There is no sealing or coating from the inside. The outside has plastic covers. How should this be addressed?

2.) How do I determine my hull "number" based on the hull id?

3.) The hydraulic steering had slightly more resistance in some positions/directions. I would turn to the left...then to the right and there would be slightly more resistance to the right. Also, the current engines were not aligned parallel to one another. A service manager showed me the valve to align the engines. How often do the engines on the Tomcat need to be aligned? What causes them to move out of alignment once they are straight? I use hydraulic steering on several commercial vessels. On the inboard vessel with rudder, you literally need only two fingers to turn in either direction. I also run a vessel with twin outboard 90's. On this vessel, engines are connected with a bar and require more effort than the inboard vessel. The Tomcat requires the most effort out of the three. Is there something I should be looking for or is this basically normal for engines of this size with separate port and starboard hydraulics?


What else should I look for? I read Bob's summary of the possibility of poor sealing between the roof top and the sides of the hull. I will test: the shower drain, complete function of the water system hot and cold, shore power if possible to test each plug, fridge, every single switch, lights, engine trim, range and ease of motion of steering, scuppers to make sure they drain OK. I welcome your suggestions as to what else I need to look for or what else I should make sure I test before I take delivery.

Thanks!


[/img]
 
I also had the rusted "Chinese stainless" Bob mentioned on some of the exterior tank caps. Have other owners replaced these and did C-Dory/dealership cover that?

Thanks
 
Matt,
First, good on you for being so pro-active in checking out your new boat. The galley vent, shower fitting and kinked hose should all be corrected by your dealer with new parts if necessary and to your satisfaction.

The steering is not real smooth, especially on the trailer. You are operating two cylinders rather than one cylinder with a metal tie-bar between engines. If there are no leaks in the system and it has been completely and properly bled of all air, aligning with the valve will not be necessary for quite a while. I do it from time to time with the engines fully raised and laid over to one side. Get a Edson steering knob (necker knob!). It makes maneuvering much easier.

The fish boxes are close to air tight and have to be opened slightly to pump out. Being air tight is a problem because anything wet that's put in them stays wet and the moisture condenses and then everything in the box is wet. I'm still considering how to solve this one. Possibly cutting vent holes in the sides into the bilge area to let some air circulate. Anyway, they aren't the great idea the factory thought they were at the begining of production.

As Bob Austin has said so many times, holes through any part of the hull especially the transom should be sealed with several applications of activated resin.

My HIN # is CD025522A606. The 22 is the sequential hull number. The 255 refers to the model and the A606, the builder.

Good luck and congratulations, it should be a enjoyable boat.

Roger
 
Matt:

A few comments:

1. The last 4 items in the hull # refer to the date of constrution. For eg., A606 for Roger's boat means that the date of construction was assigned as January 6, 2006 (A = Jan, B = Feb etc); the next numeral is the day of the month, and the last two are the year.

2. Aligning the motors takes just a minute. We have had to do it perhaps once in six months.

3. Regarding the air-tight fishboxes, you can either drill a hole in the lip which will open into the bilge, or you can make a 2 mm wide cut in the rubber gasket so air can leak in. My boat had the hole already drilled by the factory.

If I had a choice, I would have made the cut in the gasket. The fishboxes are not watertight- they WILL fill up when you have water in the cockpit, so a little gap in the gasket should not make a difference.

On the other hand, the Tomcat takes on water into the cockpit via backflow from the starboard scupper whenever there is excess weight on the starboard side of the cockpit, and I do not like the idea of that water draining into the bilge via a hole in the fishbox lip. Why risk filling the bilge if you leave a heavy cooler and a generator in the cockpit overnight?

4. Keep an eye on the connection to the hot water side of the shower in the head. This connection is under the sink on the right side. There is a plastic connecter seald with white goop. It has given way in a a number of boats- I developed a leak in mine a couple of weeks ago. When the water system is pressurized, it can make quite a drip (and a mess) under the sink. There is info on this if you search the forums.

5. The anchor locker drains to the outside through the tport and starboard side lockers. Make sure that the drain holes are patent. On our boat, only the starboard side hole is patent- it has been adequate. This way, the port side locker stays dry. Some people have put a tube from the anchor locker through the side locker to the outside- again, a search will give you info on this.

6. Keep a lot of fuses handy- especially for the macerators. They will blow.

Our hull # is (I think) 48. It was built in August of 2006. Jeff Messmer was still with C-Dory at the time. The Brat list had raised a number of QC issues. Jeff did a personal walk-through of my boat checking on those issues and called me AT HOME prior to delivery to tell me that he had done so. I have to tell you- when the VP of a company calls you at home, it builds customer loyalty! Of course, Jeff has moved on...

All in all, it has been a great boat. We are enjoying it thoroughly.
 
Roger and Alok have pretty well covered it. Of course we all have different problems. I agree that the shower sump pump should be fixed by the dealer--he should install a new sump pump box--You can cut out the old hose barb, put in a thru hull, with a hose barb, reinforce the box with starboard and then put the hose back on the new hose barb--but time wise it is cheaper to put in a new box.

As for the shower fitting--the thread on my boat is British Pipe thread--not American Standard!--so C Dory can send you a propper new fitting. I would suspect it is when it leaks not if it leaks. I had the same type of problem with the washdown pump--incuding damaging clothes in the hanging locker--so beware--and double clamp.

I rarely have to re-align the engines. Straight ahead is best--no toe in or out. I agree that the steering is stiff--and many times stiffere than my CD 25--which is finger tip--or even a non feed back mechanical Teleflex on my center console. I figured it was as Roger said--and perhaps because of more check valves with the "liquid tie bar" I think it is worth it--and don't see any fatigue problem--I can run 10 hours and still be relaxed. I also put a "spinner" or "brody knob"--I find I use it more on the Tom Cat--although I have one on my Center console. When the boat is up on a plane the steering feels fine to me...but I am used to some of those old things with sails, or a couple of big diesels....I haven't seen it as a problem.

I would fix the kink in the water hose. That will cause restriction in flow.

The anchor locker drain is a real puzzlement to me--I have a drain to the starboard locker and both lockers to the outside. No drain from the center to the port. Since I have the CD 25 finished, I will get back to work on the TC--and will be building up the locker so it drains to the stb and use a tubing to the outside. Surprisingly, despite heavy rain, we don't seem to have water accumilating in the anchor lockers...or the side locker.

Finally the fish boxes. I agree with Alok--I would not want drains into the bilge. I have just lived with any water and the suction--when you step on the box, there is this "sucking sound"--sort of puzzles folks...I keep my camper canvas on full time, and so I don't get water in the boxes. I don't seem to have the problem that Alok has with water in the cockpit--maybe I have more weight foreward (batteries under the dinette and storage foreward). Just doesn't seem to be a problem...for me. Also I don't keep my stb tank as full either--so weight distribution is a factor.

The vent under the galley is for the Wallas stove. If you don't have the stove, then you don't really need the vent. You might put some nice grillwork over it.

I agree that the holes should be filled--but my transom is high density foam, I didn't find any wood in it. The bracket is well sealed and I havent had any water intrusion, so I have left it along--when I have drilled holes (like transducers and put in Cable Clams, I epoxied the holes, as I pulled out a little core. I may go thru and pull some of the bracket bolts and check them this year to be sure. But we are comming to the best boating season for us here, and I'll be playing more!
 
Thanks...this is a great help.

In terms of the hull id...I don't follow the sequence. My last 4 digits are H607...based on what Alok mentioned above, that would mean August 6, 2007 but I know the dealership has had the boat for a lot longer than a month.

Thanks again and keep em coming if anyone else would like to add their experiences for fixes/things to look for!

Bob also suggested I make sure the dealership winterizes the water system if it had been used previously. I don't believe it has been, but I will double check.
 
You want to winterize the boat, even if the systems have not been used. It is very possiable that there is water in the pumps/lines from the factory.

The hull numbers are not necessarilly sequental--they are related as to when the boat was ordered by the dealer--but the date of manufacture should be correct. H607 would be August 6 2007. So this appears to be strange--I certainly believe Matt--and a boat which was started on August 6 07 (usually the last 4 numbers of the HIN are the date the boat was started... would probably not be finished and to the east coast yet....So maybe you are getting the 2008 boat???--and not the 2007...assuming that the dealer put the correct HIN on the bill of sale.

My Tom Cat is hull # 39 and the last 4 digits are # E606, which fits with the manufacture date which I understood--that the boat was started May 6 2006. It was finished the end of May, and to Florida about the second week of June.
 
What great info! I DID buy Brock's TC255, it's at the pier now with my 22 still on the lift....It's hull #15 so it's one of the early ones. I've got a couple of questions of my own....

I do have the ferrous L brackets but there's no rust apparent at all. I think I saw where the factory would supply SS ones for free, so I think I'll ask for them and replace them as needed.

Are the fuel tanks aluminum or fiberglass? Haven't looked through any of the access ports to see yet. I did fill it fully on the way to the launch ramp and was surprised that it took only 30 gal to fill up the port tank and 45 to fill the stbd one when the gauges on our test run the day before showed them almost empty. Brock even took along two 5 gal tanks of gas just in case because he thought they were almost empty. He told me that a name plate on one of the tanks said it was a 75 gal tank while the specs say 65.

How do I get to the shower sump? Where does it drain to? Does it have an automatic pump in it?

Warren:
The arrangement is just as Sarge has outlined, except on the TC 255 the plastic box with the sump pump for the shower is under the kitchen cabinet on the starboard side. Open the trapdoor on the floor of the cabinet and the pump will be right below it.
_________________
Alok


On Edit: Aha! Alok answered this question in another thread! Thanks. Should read more before squaking. "Ready, Fire, Aim!" :roll:

So much to learn!

The Suzi 115s push it along nicely, haven't got the GPS in it yet but Brock's GPS showed nearly 40mph with three adults on board. Plenty fast for me and with engines a little lighter, it should sit more nearly on its lines. Lots of splashing around the engines at low/non planing speeds but it goes away at higher speeds. The factory paid to have the little strakes on the engine brackets and that helps a lot.

My bride likes this one a lot more, she keeps eyeing the head!

Charlie
 
Hmmm....something is definitely amiss with the hull id. Either I have the wrong hull id or the interpretation reference above is not correct. I will double check with the dealership.

In terms of the L-brackets inside the cabinets, the vessel I purchased had no rust on any of them. I looked at another Tomcat and the brackets were rusted. Perhaps this one already has ss brackets? I thought they were SS but sometimes it's hard to tell.
 
OK....there has to be an error in the logic described above to interpret the hull id number. I just double checked a quote sent to me via email for another 2007 East Coast Tomcat. The last four letters of the hull id are "I607". There is no possible way this boat was built September 6 2007! ;)

I will let you know when I find out the logic to the hull id....

Thanks for the suggestions about what to look for, etc. Is it March 08 yet?!?!?
 
Matt:

I believe you are right. The "07" must be the model year, not the calendar year, so boats started in 2006 still have the "07" number if they are the "07" model.

I just looked at my Tomcat's ID. It is:
CDO 255 48 G607

That would be July 6 2007. The boat arrived at the dealership in August, 2006. That would make perfect sense if construction started sometime in July, 2006.

Dr. Bob and others: Any thoughts?
 
OK, here we go....

HIN_New_2003.gif


What I don't know is what they would do when they get to 100 hulls? If they use the first three of the serial number for "255", do they start over each year?

Scot, can you enlighten us?

Also, I think my 255 only holds a total of 75 gallons of gas! The spec sheet shows 130 and one tank has 75 on it but both tanks indicated just about empty and I put 30 in the port side and 45 in the stbd side and filled it up. Mine is hull #15 in 2006, was very early. Scot, can you help with that one too?

Charlie
 
The last 4 places in the HIN refer to the month and year of build followed by the model year of the boat. Most boat builders start building the next year in July so it would be normal to see "G607" meaning the boat was built in July 2006 for the 2007 model year. A707 would be January 2007 for the 2007 model year.

Hope that helps,

Randy.
 
My boat is CDO 255 55 G 607

I know this boat was built in the 2nd half of 06 so I wonder if the 607 means July 06?

If you think C-Dory serial numbers are confusing, just try to decipher one from an old Airstream trailer. The factory was way inconsistent with its numbers.

Warren

P.S. Posted this after the Coastie Dory message...
 
Well, now that we've got the hull # thing settled, how about the gas tank capacity on Charlie's boat (Brock's ex-boat)?

I am supposed to have 150 gallons total, but I have never been able to get more than 110 gallons into the tanks even when the guages were almost on empty.

I suspect that the guages are inaccurate.

The specs say that the earlier 255s had a 130 gallon capacity and the later ones- if I remember correctly, somewhere in the mid-teens hull #- (here we go again!) - switched to 150 gallons.

Jus out of curiousity, has anyone ever put in more than 130 gallons in a later model TC 255?
 
I've never run my TC to empty -- for obvious reasons. However, if you would like to ride shotgun and tow me back to the fuel dock after I run out, and fill my tanks for me I would be more than happy to tell you how much gas my tanks take. :P

Because I generally follow the rule of 1/3 to get there, 1/3 to get back, and 1/3 for reserve, I have never put more than 100 gallons in at a time.

Warren
 
Alok":2bf1econ said:
You've got two tanks! Would you be willing to let just one tank run dry- so that we can all know for sure? :D

Actually, that would not be hard to do after I get my boat back from Les at EQ. It is supposed to go in to his shop the last week of the month and one of the mods I want him to make is one he thought up: to reroute the fuel hoses so that instead of one tank feeding one engine, a switch and additional hoses will be installed to make it possible to run both engines from one tank. A side benefit of this mod is hopefully to run the stbd tank dry first so as to help the stbd list common to TCs.

Warren
 
My boat had one tank run out of gas on the sea trial (which didn't really get out of the harbor)--so we had the opportunity to "fill up". As best I recollect one tank took 72 gallons and the other 73 gallons. Nominally I have 150 gallons--I figure 140 usable--if I fill up.. I have run 220 miles and still had plenty of fuel.
 
Back
Top