TomCat sailboats for sale

Buying a used TomCat: one design partnership, two boats, no large-fleet safety net

A used TomCat comes from a small, family-run yard rather than a builder with decades of iterating across dozens of models. Ted Strain drew both hulls in the catalog and his son Tom built and outfitted them, so the same engineering logic runs through everything TomCat has made - but that also means there's no large sister fleet to lean on if a particular hull proves to be a rough example. On a boat like this, the individual example and the builder's reasoning behind it matter more than brand reputation alone.

Which era to target

The lineup splits by size and by build generation. The 6.2 was TomCat's original hull: a trailer-friendly 20-footer with a single kick-up centerboard and enough rocker in the hulls to turn tightly, paired with twin rudders that rotate up alongside it for working into shallow water. The bigger boat is really two builds wearing overlapping names: the original 9.7, first shown under the "970" name at the Annapolis show, and the later 970S, which reuses the same hull and deck molds but moves the helm off its original amidships position and away from the two companionways that used to lead into the saloon, hand-laid in vinylester resin and cored with Corecell in hull and deck alike. Before comparing two 32-footers on anything else, establish which cockpit generation each one is.

What to inspect across the range

On the 9.7, Practical Sailor's review flagged several points worth carrying into a survey or sea trial. The reviewer found the sidedecks perilously skinny. The outboard engines, per that review, didn't generate hot water, which pushed many owners toward aftermarket propane heaters instead. And the review pointed out the tradeoffs inherent to outboard power on a boat this size: gasoline burns more readily than diesel, and the outboards themselves wore out sooner than diesel engines would. None of these rule a boat out, but each is worth raising with a seller directly rather than assuming it was addressed at some point in the boat's life.

Navigating the lineup

The choice between TomCat's two lines comes down to intended use rather than vintage: the 6.2 suits someone after a beachable, shallow-draft boat that tows behind a truck, while the 32-footer suits a buyer after offshore-capable cruising with a say in layout and outfitting extended to the original owner. Inside that 32-foot line, the cockpit change separating the 970S from the earlier 9.7/970 is the detail to orient around before anything else. The full model directory on this page breaks down the rest hull by hull.