Where to see a Tomcat near Tampa, FL...

J

jbdba01

New member
Hello all...quick intro John B here. I reside in Tampa FL and have been researching several vessels and have been lurking on the forum reading posts about c-dories and tomcats.

Having done a partial ICW cruise from Jax, FL to Vero 6 years ago I can say I have the bug to do the loop pretty badly.

Bad enough that I did a partial cruise on my 17' CC - here's the Captain's Quarters.

capt_qtr_zps0d4a9eed.jpg

You'll notice that the tent was tied down - that was because it was blowing about 15-20 knots that night. Regardless the Amanda Buff is a fine CC that I go Tarpon/Grouper fishing in, but she does not make a good cruiser.

So...I went and looked around at what I thought my wife would enjoy, and looked at a 25 and 27' Ranger Tug. Nice boats but pricey. Plus I'm not sure I'm a inboard, screw, diesel guy yet.

I also looked at the Cutwater 28'

Then I I started looking at the CDories and think that they might foot the bill, but the Tomcat really has my attention. The dualies lend themselves to offshore runs with some fault tolerance, but she could still double as a cruiser.

All that said I'm hoping to look at a Tomcat 255 and possibly a larger CDory, but I'm not seeing a bunch over here in Tampa. Wefing's seems to be the place to go, but that's a haul from TPA, and I don't find myself in that neck of the woods often.

Any thoughts on where I might be able to get inside one? Not necessarily sea trial it, but just see if I fit. I'm 6'2" and figure if I'm going to be in a boat a long time, I want to be comfortable.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
Welcome to your first post. Having perused the site you should have a pretty good idea of what CDory's are all about. I too looked at some Ranger Tugs among others. In the end the affordability of these boats, which is what drew me to them in the first place, is the reason we have owned these boats since 2000. You sure have to be willing to travel to see one and you can't go wrong dealing with Welfings. Back in the day it was extremely rare to see or find these boats. I made many, many trips to Crystal River from south Florida as they had the only dealer in Florida at the time. Welfings does numerous boat shows around the state, one I believe in Tampa. That said, there are a few 255 owners who live in state and others that travel here from out of state. Cat O Mine was just in Sarasota. There maybe one coming to the gathering we are having in February on the St. John's River but I'll have to double check that. Good luck with your search.
 
Just so happens I thought of you Tom but didn't want to volunteer you arbitrarily.

By the way, will you be leading the Saturday Night Before Christmas Parade again this year? I should be finishing up my decorations not playing on this site :)
 
TomCat will be leading the Punta Gorda Isles Christmas Boat Parade for the sixth year. This is the largest lighted boat parade on the Gulf Coast.
 
John , John on Cat o' Mine has offered to show his boat any time .He is in Mississippi but has a nice boat . We just got him a new Float On Trailer .
Marc
 
I bought a tomcat in October. I had never seen one in person until mine arrived. This site has so much information I felt confident in my decision...I'm so glad I took the plunge. It's the perfect boat for me.
 
jbd,
I'm 6'1" and if I don't duck just a little bit I will scrape my scalp on the solid well made Sea Glaze door frame.
We lusted for the Ranger Tug 27 and to this day could have loved it. Your Blonde will be swayed by the Ranger finishes, but My Blonde was more impressed by the utilitarian access to every system after dealing for 9 years with a luxury Regal Cruiser 2665 that took all day and dangerous contortions to change out the batteries. Price was not the deciding factor for us, but it helps.
But we love the Tom Cat better...get the outboards 100% out of the water and engine bracket can nudge up to the beach in 6" of water. Stable like a barge at dock and rides like on rails at 20-30MPH cruise.
As you found out, the best way to do the Loop is with a trailer boat where you can skip the boring/industrial sections and trailer at 60MPH through a thunderstorm to get to the next interesting portion.
You're welcome to crawl around on mine under the shed if your southern buddy doesn't work out.
Bob Austin (Thataway) is taller (and much smarter) than me, and he managed not to scalp himself on his 255. Probably because he learns faster than me. I could wear a helmet, but my dockmates would talk.
Enjoy your search, that's half the fun!
Check out Bill's 255 for sale in the lower right half of the Home page. With my trailer at Marc's you'd have a great combo. Or see when and how much Marc can get you a new 255 (gulp).
Go for it!
Cheers!
John
 
Not sure I agree with all that Gulf Coast John says….But I am about 6' 2" and inside the boat there is plenty of room. All of the doors--including all C Dory, and I am quite sure the Rangers are at a level that you will scalp your forehead. John is wrong--I have done that, and I am not a fast learner.

I thing the best of the Ranger Tugs is the 27. Every time I see one, it reminds me of how easy it is with an outboard. No taking the boat apart to get to the water pump impeller in beam seas. The stiffing box maintenance is a pain. Then there is all of that varnish below to keep clean. Just hose a C Dory out! Absolutey best to back the boat up to the beach and step off--no ladder or hanging off the bow! The Tom Cat runs much better at 20 knots than at 5 knots, especially if there is any chop. It would be a great boat to do the Loop in. We could run 200 miles in 8 hours, and be just as relaxed (maybe more so) than driving the car. Of course there is a limit to the size of seas.
 
Wow...thanks for the offers and prompt replies. I may take you up on seeing the boats. Let me check my schedule and either PM you or reply to this thread.

What a great forum.

When my wife said she didn't see being on it for a long time (weeks at a time) I switched to more functional than "luxury". More of a "what would I want"... I do a ton of fishing over here and could easily see taking the Tomcat offshore, to the Keys, or possibly the Bahamas.

I think the knock on the boat would be what makes her a good crusier. The closed in cabin. I suspect it's bloody hot in there in the FL summers. A/C would almost have to mandatory - assuming it keeps it cool enough.
 
Having had two Tc255's , one with A/C, I can assure you that it will cool the boat well in the hottest of weather. We used a Honda EU2000 on the Armstyong bracket to run it underway. Happy hunting!

Charlie
 
All the places you mention going we have been and will again. As to the cabin, you may be surprised to learn that during the day cruising or fishing it's actually cooler in the cabin than out under the bimini. With all the windows open the hard top has an insulating affect that protects better from the beating sun. Though we cruised for years without air, I now consider it mandatory if we are sleeping on the boat (getting older and enjoy the luxury). The added benefit of having the air running all night is that is sucks out all the moisture out of the inside of the boat. With 2 dogs and wet towels/clothes it's a welcome byproduct of running it.

Enjoy the search....
 
m2cw Drive south to Charlotte Harbor and see a TC We have a place in Pt Charlotte and the PG boat parade is awell done event and fun. We plan to attend to this year. The Tom Cat is boat #1
 
Great advise folks...lots of good info here.

So I already have a decent feel for the pros and we all know that all boats are a compromise in some capacity, what are the cons (in your opinion) of the Tomcat?

Perhaps I should start a different thread on that, but this seems to be a Tomcat thread.
 
The TC and trailer are heavy and requires beefy tow vehicle, along with the higher total cost of ownership, and m2cw the TC performs better at faster speeds and will use more gas.

alas I dont have one
 
Some have complained of the noise from waves lapping under the flat hull below the berth when overnighting. Noisier than the traditional hull in that situation. Earplugs can help and I use them sometimes on our boat.

We nearly went for a Tomcat for our first C-dory but decided on the layout of the 25 cruiser instead because of differences in the aisle, table, galley, and head positioning plus we liked the cozy feel of the 25 berth when compared to the more open, transverse berth on the tomcat. The overall more traditional look of the 25 also had more general appeal. We kept that boat in the water all the time so trailering was not a factor for us but is a big consideration for most.


Greg
 
Thanks for all the replies. I've been distracted over the past couple weeks with some unexpected personal items that came up.

It'll be several weeks before I might be able to take up the offers to see the boats in Sarasota... I'll PM the appropriate parties.

Thanks again - a great bunch of folks for sure.
 
I have a 2003 24TC which is an older model of the current 25' Tom Cat. I am up in the cold north right now but will be back to FL on Jan 7th. I keep it at Ft Myers Beach and would be glad to show it to you after the 7th or be glad to talk to you about my findings including prices. I keep it in a wet slip and I am always looking for any excuse to go for a boat ride!
 
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