Any Tomcat 255's near Portland?

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EgliVincent

New member
Hi All, I had planned to take a look at the Tomcat that Sportcraft Marina has had for sale only to find that it has been sold and taken from the lot. Are there any other Tomcats in the area that I might be able to bother someone to show me. I'm looking to buy a boat for the family next Spring and the Tomcat keeps moving up my list. As I posted in another topic, my original considerations were a Ranger R-25 or -27 , a Tomcat , glacier bay, or build a custom alloy cat. Aesthetically the Rangers are beautiful, but I went for a cruise on Lake Washington (not on a ranger) last weekend at about 15 knots and to be honest I need to move faster than that. I've also eliminated the Glacier bays, so that leaves me with a Tomcat or alloy build. If not I'll just have to see them up at the Seattle show next year. Thanks!
 
Doryman, Thanks for that hyperlink, sorry I'm a total newbie on the site. Dreamer thanks for the offer, I was just up on Bainbridge last weekend. I'll keep you posted we usually run up to Port Townsend before Christmas I'd like to check out your boat, that camper back looks like a must have!
 
BTW, no guarantees that any specific model will be on the SBS show floor. There have been several threads recently where this was mentioned, including this one.

Warren
 
Vincent,

Our Tomcat is in Tacoma on the trailer and I could show it to you any time during the week from 9:30-3:30 daily. Pretty easy access from the freeway if you are on I5. Not a floating demo but what you might see at the boat show where we saw this one at SBS 2010.

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Very interesting information. If I can give the C-dory dealers a tidbit of wisdom that I have gained from my years of being in business its this: When times get tough you gotta be conservative yet you still gotta deliver the the whole package. The stakes are higher in a weak economy, but if you're gonna show you better go big with the full line. A lack of confidence by the manufacturers and dealers leads to prospective buyers loosing confidence in the product. Once that happens man, its a slippery slope. Its interesting, I recently spoke with two dealers, one in WA and one in OR about what they are going to be stocking and it sounds like the new business model is place an order sight unseen and they'll get you the boat but it won't be on their showroom floor to touch and feel before that happens. Its at this point one has to ask what value added is there. I know for me if I drive up to the Seattle show and C-dory doesn't have their full lineup to show-off then I'll be calling the aluminum supply company and contracting some nc cutting files for an alloy cat. The C-dory are terrific boats, I hope the dealers will be able to give the line the support it deserves to keep moving forward. Sorry for the ramble and I hope I didn't offend anyone, its just that certain actions can perpetuate a downward spiral and I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.
 
Hey Brian, Thanks for the offer, I would like to come up and see your boat, that would be great. It will probably be a couple of weeks as I'm in knee deep in some things right now but should have a more open schedule in a couple. I'll keep you posted and thanks so much for the offer. Its this C-Dory community that really has me excited to get a Tomcat.
 
I know I sure like to touch, see and inspect items before purchasing, never was keen on mail order, and nothing is more depressing than walking into a store with bare shelves. I just don't don't see where a custom aluminum boat bypasses your concerns about inventory unless one plans to build it themself. A person should durn sure buy what they like and what fits their needs but I'm having a hard time following the logic
 
Hey B-C , My thought was that if I built in alloy I could have it built to my specs. Like most production boats, there are compromises made to fit demographic and manufacturing work-flow. For me the bridge clearance and sponson depth is a compromise as well as the cabin layout. Having a family I'm wanting to haul around 4 to 5 people most of the time. The Tomcat is really optimal for 2-3 people. I can make it work for more my purpose and be sufficiently happy I'm sure, but its a compromise none the less. The upside of that compromise is being able to buy 'off the floor'. Being able to feel and touch and smell the product, see some different colors schemes, knowing precisely what your are getting before you get it is huge. I've built in alloy in the past and it was a lot of work, so much in fact that it remains my very last option at this point anyway. Thanks again for all the input everyone, c-brats and its community of people are really great.
 
One has to understand the economics of boat dealerships. The dealer has to essentially buy the boat on the showroom floor ( flooring cost= dealer has to borrow the money = more cost for the boat). In good times there is enough volume & profit -- now not so. Some dealers have Old stock or used boats on the floor. Most builders are only building to order. I have been following one cat builder who seems to have "disappeared" this week. Hopefully no one lost deposits.
 
Bob's correct about the process- and right now, there is no flooring available on C-Dory's. In these times we can't afford to put up a couple hundred thousand dollars to inventory the entire line up. If we had that kind of money sitting around we'd be using it to be sure we keep our techs employed over the winter.

For the forseeable future I expect C-Dory's to be special order only. The upside is that you get the exact boat you want- color, options, etc., not what the dealer happens to have. The factory has also made noises about willing to do some customization on boats they build right now.

Which is another reason we don't want to stock a boat for people to "look at", and then order something different. The cost of having a boat in stock these days is incredibly high. Buyers are expecting low prices and above average value- so we can offer best pricing on boats built to order that have no overhead costs.

Expect the customization flexibility to change when things pick up. I don't think the factory could do customization and still product the number of boats they really need (or want) to. So while some customization is possible right now, expect to pay a premium for it, as the factory is really trying to get back to a full production scedule, and that will mean streamlining and building the stock boats.

Anyway, that's the perspective of this dealer. Your mileage may vary and not valid where prohibited by law.
 
EgliVincent":mhj6zet7 said:
Hey B-C , My thought was that if I built in alloy I could have it built to my specs.
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My SWAG is that a custom alloy cat would cost considerably more -- maybe twice the price of a Tom Cat. But OTOH you would be getting exactly what you want.

Warren
 
Just a a passing thought:

Aside from the cost differential, aren't aluminum alloy cats very noisy hulls as compared to fiberglass, or does the size of the boat and its internal components reduce the differential as compared to smaller aluminum boats?

Also, aren't the aluminum hulls "cold" as compared to fiberglass?

Can the hull be spray foam insulated from inside, or does the "no-stick" nature of aluminum prohibit that?

Joe.
 
Good points on the position of the dealers.. Just not enough margin unfortunately. I guess, my main concern was that it sounded like the complete C-dory line may not be on show at the Seattle expo, and i would hope between the manufacturer and dealers in the NW they could put together enough inventory to show what they expect to sell.
Regarding aluminum boats, an alloy cat would certainly end up costing more but I would get what I want. Inherently aluminum hulls are a bit louder than glass or other composites, What I have found is sound deadening helps tremendously and building out with different materials helps too so the sound frequencies don't ring freely throughout the hull. Aluminum boats can be made to look aesthetically pleasing with some effort. For me its just not wanting to spend the time to bother with a custom build, it might be ok to make some compromises in design so that I could be enjoying a boat that much quicker. I really want something for next summer. I appreciate you all being so accommodating through my process of distilling a path to boat ownership!
 
Doryman":1ld8fi70 said:
EgliVincent":1ld8fi70 said:
Hey B-C , My thought was that if I built in alloy I could have it built to my specs.
Click to expand...
My SWAG is that a custom alloy cat would cost considerably more -- maybe twice the price of a Tom Cat. But OTOH you would be getting exactly what you want.

Warren
Click to expand...

I live pretty close to some builders (if they are still in business) of custom aluminum boats, including highly regarded aluminum cats. These boats are not what I would call cheap, nor are they what I would call maintenance free. When I walk around the port at Garibaldi, I am always surprised to see how many of these boats have surface and exfoliate corrosion. I have even seen that on boats that live on trailers.

Still, they are nice boats.

Steve
 
Hey Boris, I used to have a Vincent, it had a rapide motor that I restores and had an Egli Frame built by a guy named Colin Taylor out of the UK. He makes some nice frams and has also castings for crankcases. It was a fun project, the geometry was a bit strange. I'd like to do another sometime, I designed a very functional girder fork system that looks like a Vincent Girdraulic but performs in a very contemporary fashion via an Olins dampened single shock/
 
If I were going to go with a tin can boat, I would go the route taken by former C-25 owner John Schuler and buy a Coastal Craft. John wanted a tank after hitting a rock with his Selene, and boy did he get one! :shock:

Warren
 
Warren said a mouthful:

If I were going to go with a tin can boat, I would go the route taken by former C-25 owner John Schuler and buy a Coastal Craft. John wanted a tank after hitting a rock with his Selene, and boy did he get one!
Click to expand...

Or might look at Armstrong marine, Port Angeles, they build Aluminum cats, several sizes. In fact there is a 30ish foot one for sale in john Wayne marina right now. If you want info on it I can get it for you. Bigger than a TomCat, and not probably trailerable but room and GO like a scared cat. Armstrongs are tough cats.

But there is still that Tom Cat in Port Townsend that Roger, Dreamer, linked you too. It was still there yesterday.

Hard to beat a TomCat, but you get what you want, or you live with the other decision.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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