tomcat trailers

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octopusgardens

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We are looking at purchasing a Tomcat in the near future. I can't seem to find any info on the combined weight of a typical Tomcat and trailer. Any help?

Thanks
 
I haven't weighed ours but feel that when fully loaded for cruising, it's pushing 11,000lbs. Hope you have a diesel 3/4 ton or larger, you'll need it! :shock: Welcome to the TomCat litter. :thup
 
Getting very close to 10,000 lbs all up and loaded--and that is an aluminum trailer. My trailer tires are rated for about 14,000 lbs.
You need a very good 3/4 ton or one ton truck. I use a Ford Excursion with the 7.3 L diesel. Also getting electric over hyraulic brakes is a wise move if you are boating in any area which has mountains. My preference is for Kodiac Disc brakes. We like the "Float on" trailer, with slicks on the first 8 feet of the bunks.
 
10,000 lbs is the weight I estimate as well with aluminum trailer. An F250 Diesel or something else capable of 10,000 lbs towing is a must for highway speeds/safety.

I pull my Tomcat up and down the ramp with my 6 cyl Tacoma with problem but I could not go more than about 15 mph in low range 4WD, definitely not highway speed!
 
I'll second the suggestion to get electric over hydraulic brakes. I had to retrofit mine.Here's an example
Towing that heavy a load in Canada is illegal unless the brakes are controlled electrically by the truck.
 
matt_unique":3bq37jgq said:
...
I pull my Tomcat up and down the ramp with my 6 cyl Tacoma with problem but I could not go more than about 15 mph in low range 4WD, definitely not highway speed!
Click to expand...

Meant to write "I pull my Tomcat up and down the ramp with my 6 cyl Tacoma with NO problem"....that thing will tow anything in low range but I cannot do any more than move it safely. On the highway you need some beef.
 
I agree on the 10-11,000 loaded weight with mine. The electric over hydraulic brake option was about $2,000 when I bought mine.

And... the whole rig, boat and trailer, is for sale now for about half what it cost new...

It pulls fine with a 2005 Ford 250 Super Duty King Ranch Crew Cab which is also for sale now, since I only got it to tow the boat.

I do have to say that the factory trailer is very well balanced and I am often surprised to look in the rear view mirror and see that huge boat following me down the road.

John
 
I keep saying the "design weight" for our rig is about 10,000. Probably close. We tow ours with a Chevy 2500. Works great. One thing to check is the hitch. We made sure we had a class V hitch ...
 
One further comment--most trucks are speced to use a weight distribution hitch when you get up around 10,000 lbs (actually less in most cases). We found that even with the C Dory 25 (7,000 lbs plus or minus) that a weight distribution hitch made towing better.
 
Thanks for all the quick responses.

I am a slow learner so I still need more help on this one. I believe triton says the boat minus motors weighs 6,000lbs and the the motors another 1,000 lbs -- Trailer 3,000lbs??? Or is there something else that factors into the weight equation to get to 10,000 plus lbs????
 
Everyone has tried to add the listed boat and motor weight and we all have come up short of actual reported weight. Here's a weight breakdown I did for a C-25, comparing actual scale weight and "other things" we add on to cruise. Judy has become the world's best C-Dory packer for cruising and I throw in a few things.

So here's a typical weight, going from less than the 4100 advertised pounds to reality:

Boat_Weight.jpg

A few points to make is that somehow one goes from the 4100# the catalog promises to 5000# for the dry boat to 7400# actual cruising weight. A Tomcat will see the same type of weight increase and the trailer is added right on top. Remember, the above weights are for a 25, you can add similar weights for the tomcat:

6000 (dry boat) + 1100 (motors) +1000 (cruising) +2100 (trailer) = 10, 300 # down the road, 8500 # cruising.

Boris
 
Thanks, Boris, for that detailed workup.

The TomCats have more room and I think that extra room seems to accumulate stuff. Also, 150 gallons of fuel, electronics modules, ditch bag, bbq, gas grill, pot and pan set, canned food, microwave, television, DVD player, extra batteries, emerg. oar, hoses, fenders, poles, tools, spare parts, a/c, genset, extra lines, spare anchor, etc.

Another consideration is that, as long as you don't overdo it and as long as you are not out for speed, the heavier laden boats ride more smoothly and steadily.

It all adds up.

John
 
I suspect that the hulls weight a bit more than factory spec...but not sure. Suzuki engines run about 930 lbs. Fuel: 900 lbs, water 130 lbs, windlass and anchor gear, 50 lbs, and it keeps adding up. We have a freezer/refer, ice chest, extra water, generator, extra gas, inflatable (about 68 lbs) outboard (31 lbs). Bedding, clothing, tools, extra anchors and ground tackle. I don't have the trailer weight handy, but less than 3,000 lbs--probably in the 1800 lb category for the Float on Aluminum

As you can see, most of us come up with about the same weight.
 
I am considering buying a used Float On trailer to replace my Majic Tilt trailer for my 24' TomCat. It will require modifications but is do able. I would be interested in any comments about Float On trailers for my 24TC
 
Well there's several ways to answer this question but the easiest is to say that Bob Austin (Thataway on this site) recommended the Float-On for the TomCat255 (pretty much the same hull as the 24'TC) and that was good enough for me. I have my Tomcat on one. They are well built and about 800lbs lighter than the comparable galvanized trailer. Probably will last a lot longer too.
 
As Roger mentioned I have a float on--so do several other of the Tom Cat owners in the South. It is one of the more popular trailers for cats, and has also been used on World Cats and Glacier Bay. You can get by with a smaller trailer than we have--mine has tires, wheels and axles which will handle over 13,000 lbs. The 24 is definately lighter. A neighbor has a magic tilt on the 24, and it is a much smaller trailer.

Do get the kodiak brakes, with the Stainless rotors. For Florida surge brakes are OK, but if you do much moutain driving, consider electric over hyraulic brakes. Of course in Florida you have to have brakes on both axles.
 
Thats good information I didn't know you had to have brakes on both axles in Florida, thanks. I had a Float On with my last boat, a Sea Cat and loved the trailer. It hauled like it wasn't there. The trailer I'm looking at was for a World Cat and I will have to relocate the bunks, raise them 2" to clear the fenders as the boat is 2" wider than out to out of the fenders, move the brackets to center on the hulls and shorten the center guide, and now add brakes to the rear axle. Nice winter in Florida project.
 
There may also be a different balance point on the trailer, being made for a world cat (which model?). It is possible to move the axles, but this means drilling new holes in the frame, as well as moving the fenders. It is also possible to move the boat back or forward on the trailer, by moving the "stop" at the bow.
 
Chris,

Float-on should have measurements for setting up the trailer for the Tomcat. You might want to contact them as that might make things go more quickly.

Bob,

In deciding what kind of disc brakes to get for my trailer, I settled on the cadmium coated disks. The concern with stainless rotors as I understand it is that they are a bit slippery and don't stop as quickly as the cadmium coated or steel rotors. The cadmium coated ones are not as rust resistant as stainless but they're much better than un-coated rotors. So I thought this was a good trade-off. Obviously, you made the other choice.
 
Bob's was the first Float On measured for a 255 Tomcat . We measured it at Wefings and all the stars lined up and the trailer fit like a glove . We don't have a spec for a 24 but I know an owner that could give the measurements needed for that boat . Tim's [owner at Float On ] trailers are very well built, and we specify #11000 net capacity for the 225 TC.That's 8 lug rims with radials with a load range of "E".
Marc
 
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