Beaching a Tom Cat 255??

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Gene Morris

New member
We're ready to head north for the summer. We will launch @ Blaine Wa. on the 13th or 14th and head to S.E. Ak for a summer of cruising and fishing. Cruising partners are encouraged to hook up with us. We plan to be in Ketchikan on the 24th. Dawson, our 100lb golden retriever, will be with us and we are considering beaching Reef Madness to allow him to run, play and do his business. Have any TC255 owners had experience putting the bow or transom on the beach?

Thanks
Gene Morris
 
We plan to be in Ketchikan on the 24th. Dawson, our 100lb golden retriever, will be with us and we are considering beaching Reef Madness to allow him to run, play and do his business. Have any TC255 owners had experience putting the bow or transom on the beach?
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Once you get north of the Gulf Islands "beaches" become pretty scarce. Its mainly barnacle or oyster covered rocks and or mudflats. I can't say how well a Tomcat can be beached but I know for sure that on our cruise up the inside there wasn't a heck of a lot of places that I would have been OK putting my 25 on the beach. Dinghies are essential for this cruise IMHO. We cruise with our two dogs, a wheaton and an airedale all the time and the dinghy in used 90% of the time to allow them shore leave.
Ron
 
Do you ask this question because you don't have a dink? I think you will find that a dinghy is an absolute requirement for the San Juans and North unless you plan to only stop at marinae.

Warren
 
Beaching a relatively heavy boat is also risky with the kind of tidal swings you will experience. Every day in the summer here in NE there are people who beach, came back a bit too late, and the boat is unmovable. They of course have to wait about 6 hours before they can move again. The real danger here (in addition to being stranded for 6 hours) is what rocks or such may be under water when you beach. It would be bad news for the tide to set you onto a sharp rock. Also, if there is any sort of wave motion you will be essentially sanding your bottom paint. I love the idea of beaching but I don't risk damage or being stranded with our 8-11' tidal swing.

I have a great tale of tides and beaching from a few summers ago. I was on the hook at Block Island for the weekend. My former boat was a small Bayliner and most people assume the size/value of your boat dictates the experience of the Captain. Anyway this 28', twin engine center console comes rolling in with 4 New Yorkers at high tide. They made chuckling comments about how far I was anchored from the beach with my little boat. I just smiled, told them I had done this once or twice before, and suggested they anchor parallel to my boat to avoid being dry at low tide. They decided they knew better and anchored closer to the beach stern-to. 5 hours later we returned to my boat, walked to knee deep water, and boarded the boat. The other boaters had 5 guys trying to push the boat back into the water. They asked if I could help. I just laughed and told them 10 guys will not move that boat. I mean it was completely dry for all but the last 5' of the bow.

Anyway I too would suggest a dinghy for any sort of long voyage. I have a small 6' Mercury dinghy that fits perfectly between the back of my GPS pole and the stern light pole. I have to let some air out but it fits perfectly. (This perfect fit was by accident). I mounted my GPS and light bar GPS platform as far forward on the roof as possible (before it begins to angle down toward the bow) and it happened to work well with my dinghy.

Sounds like a great trip!
 
Gene,
Pull up the tide table for Ketchikan Alaska . You will see tidal differences of 12 to 20 feet. You will experience stronger currents as channels narrow. These are to be respected! We have run our Tom Cat to Alaska from Anacortes Wa. last year and 2006 covering most all of South East Ak.
Keep aware of the tide each day, if you can plan to run with the tide, you will really increase MPG.
I've done a lot of float plane flying in South Central Alaska, Prince William Sound, Cook inlet and Kachemak Bay. You don't see many planes setting dry in to-days world but in the 50s 60s and 70s It was common to land two hours before low tide, go Duck hunting, clamming or fishing, come back three hours later and wait for the tide to float the plane.
As has been stated, South East DOES NOT have many good sand bars or beaches but having said that we have seen great sand bar at low tide that had no rocks just nice flat sand.
Keep in mind, it is just about impossible to get aboard the TomCat with out using the stern ladder and I think difficult getting a 100 lb dog back on board if the boat is setting dry.
I agree that a dinghy is a great safety tool as well as a way of getting on shore while on the hook.
Good luck with your trip, it's a great adventure. You have a perfect boat for comfort and the ability to go into all the little hide away places.
Spend some time around Shearwater BC ( Bella Bella) there is a lot of great exploring, fishing, crabbing shrimp and wildlife. Lots of inside water if there is wind. Wonderful out side exploring in good weather.

Gary King
 
We are heading out next Tues--probably be in the San Juans for 5 to 6 days, and then working our way North. With the current weather patterns, 10 days may be ambitious for even the Tom Cat (there have been gale warnings many days in the Straits of Georgia).

We beach the Tom Cat in Florida routinely--on sand, in areas of very low tidal range. You might consider putting out an anchor, with an "endless line" and pulling the boat back out, if you feel that you must beach the boat. We spent 3 years cruising SE AK and found very few beaches where I would consider beaching a boat like the Tom Cat...but there are a number of docks and even floats which are available. We used an RIB, and each year would put more glass on the bottom where it had been scraped on the rocks/barnicles. Definately you need a dinghy for this cruising. (We had two labs during those 3 years--and so it required at least 3 trips ashore a day--usually 5). I would say that an outboard for the dinghy is also almost an essential--again for this trip....If you leave the dinghy--be sure it is one you can carry, or have wheels on it to get it back down to the water. Don't forget the boots for landing also.

As for getting the dogs on a higher freeboard boat: get a "Pet step" or equivilant. These are about 18", fold in half (about 7 feet long extended) and have a semi soft plastic tread on the ramp. We used simlar devices to board dogs onto boats with up to 5 foot freeboard. Also dogs can be taught to climb ladders...

Give a shout--look for "Frequent Sea"--we will probably be in the Gulf Islands on the 16th --but maybe we can hook up. Cell phone is 850 529 5063.
 
We do have a dinghy however, the puppy has an adversion to it. I'm sure if it becomes an issue I can lift him out of the water with his life jacket.

Dr. Bob; I'll give you a call on your cell when we get to Washington. I hope the weather improves but, if we're a day or two late it's OK. But, not preferred.


Gene
 
Gene,

Beaching up here requires local knowledge that would be hard to find if you are just passing through. There is only one beach that I would trust in the Sitka area as it is pure sand. Although there are a few areas that are covered in different types of sea grass that may be a soft enough spot, these still have rocks and are quite alive with critters that don't appreciate being parked on.

The inside passage does not have a great deal of "surf" so bringing in a dink is not the hassle that it is many exposed areas. As said earlier, tides are a big thing.

The one thing I could suggest is to drape a large beach towel/blanket or some other thick material in the dink where your dog will sit/stand. For some dogs, the slippery surface of a dink makes it hard for them to get traction and they don't enjoy the slip and slide motion. A towel or blanket can be more comfortable and it protects the dink from their claws.

Dinks also allow you to be picky as to where you come ashore or use to explore the mirriad number of creeks you'll find along the way.

Good luck however you proceed, it is indeed a beautiful place to boat and a TomCat is a great boat for the trip!
 
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