Both are great boats. You can trailer them 24/7 anywhere in the country without a permit, making 500 miles a day easy, while getting over 11 MPG rather than 2 MPG combined in the case of the TC255 on the water. We’ve been all over the Caribbean, but would never, ever go in a trailer boat, even if James was piloting. You can’t even get insurance if you go over 75 miles from land. Ask your agent.
I’ve never owned a CD26, but we’ve been cruising our TC255 for 10 years now (our 13th trailer boat but first cat in 35 years). Like Phil, we’d never go back to a monohull. We describe it as `an almost perfect non oversize trailerable cruising boat for a couple.”
We always spend six weeks on the boat in the Keys or South FL in winter, but we have never experienced enough forecasted safe weather days to want to cross the Gulf Stream in winter (or even Dry Tortugas) in any trailer boat. One winter we cruised from Key West west to Boca Grande Key with a two day long 1 foot seas prediction.
With a weather window in other seasons, Bimini and nearby islands are accessible but the outer islands are not a realistic goal for the vast majority of trailer boats. We prefer the NOAA marine forecast winds to be well under 15 MPH sustained and seas under 2 feet (which by NOAA definition means every 100th wave will be over 4 feet, which you don’t want to meet at 50 MPH in a TC255 or any other trailer boat). In true SCA conditions, the boat won’t break, but your femur or neck might. And even more importantly, it wouldn’t be much fun.
TC255 Pros:
Rides like it’s on rails in slop up to typical SCA conditions (eg 22 MPH gusts to 25, 3 ft seas) when no trailer boats should be out anyway).
Stable like a barge at rest or at anchor or when one steps aboard.
Largest berth in class due to bridgedeck rather than V shape.
Precise maneuvering w/o thrusters using throttle-only steering (maximally effective only with widely spaced outboards on cats).
TC255 Cons:
More expensive to buy (cats have 65% more fiberglass) and maintain (twin engines). The last buyer posted he spent $200,000 at Twin Rivers Marine (presumably all in).
Less efficient MPG at cruise (but faster).
Low bridgedeck can cause some hull slap at anchor. It doesn’t bother us at all.
Expensive rig: We wasted time and money on two other HD 250 trucks before we got happy with a HD 4WD diesel and a near-custom Float On trailer with EOH brakes (which ran $9,500 way back in 2015).
TC255 requires a deeper/steeper launch ramp because the sponsons ride above the trailer wheels rather than partially between them. The only suitable ramps in the Keys which also have trailer storage and transient slips are Founders Park and Key West City Marina (Garrison Bight).
Either boat would be great for exploring the Keys. Navigation is straightforward, but unforgiving. Esp on the Gulf side, if you pass an ATON on the wrong side you may find calf deep water over coral and face a hefty fine as well as a ruined outdrive. Single handed mooring in wind and current is not easy, take a friend.
The US has tens of thousands of miles of beautiful waterways to explore by boat. You can ‘camp’ on the boat en route. Choose your area and weather window carefully, and on the vast majority of days and places a CD22 may be all a solo cruiser needs (but not on Lake Michigan in January). You’d save big bucks with that choice and a much smaller truck, fuel and maintenance costs with maybe 80% of the capability of the TC255 on most days, esp if you’re retired with more time than money. See some of Colby Smith’s Adventures on their CD22 under Home/Forums/Grand Adventures.
Consider coming to the Hontoon Hoot March 7-9 and seeing a bunch of C-Dorys. No ‘rides’ though because it’s on a manatee river with mostly min wake and 25 MPH max speed zones.
Have fun researching and hope this is helpful,
John
