What to look for on a Telstar 28

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Cruissser
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What to look for on a Telstar 28

Post by Cruissser »

I am interested in finding a Telstar 28. Trouble is I am not familiar with them at all, but I do like the idea of a trailerable tri that is easy to set up. I am land locked up here in South Dakota and being able to take a boat home with you and being able to travel to different bodies of water is a freedom I would like to have!

What should one be looking for to see if its in good shape? What wears out?

What are the options most important to you?

How dependable is the older Honda motors?

Thanks to all posters on this site. Lots of good info there for a green horn like me!

Randy
Mangodoc
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Re: What to look for on a Telstar 28

Post by Mangodoc »

I just bought mine this summer and love it. But there are some things you need to know before making a purchase. First, for me, is that the original trailer is entirely unacceptable for moving this boat over long distances at decent speeds. Please see my posts in the trailer section, but briefly, the boat and trailer together weigh well over three tons and exceed the recommended weight for the four 13" C rated tires on the stock trailer. I intend to replace my trailer with one boasting AT LEAST 14" D rated tires and disc brakes. If you intend to put this boat on the road, I would not settle for less.

These boats are not as fast as the manufacturer boasts, especially under power. Don't expect 15 knots. Mine caps at 8.8 with two 25hp engines running all out, but I confess I haven't tweaked my props. Having said that, they sail wonderfully, much better than a monohull of similar size and price. They aren't as fast as other tri's, but the others are dedicated racers I wouldn't want to spend more than a night on. And the ama retraction and mast raising systems on this boat are superb.

When you are looking at a Telstar, I would recommend looking at the function of the major moving parts- the amas, centerboard and rudder, and the mast raising system. The amas should deploy and retract smoothly (mine are a little sticky). The centerboard and rudder should raise and lower easily (my rudder lines were frozen and had to be worked out by force. Replacing the lines looks tough to me). The mast raising system should be tensioned appropriately, and if any of the stainless frames are bent that's a sign they weren't.

Above all, I would read through the various sections of this site. If you pay attention, you'll figure out what to look for. Good luck, and happy hunting.
Mangodoc
s.v. Trinity
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Cruissser
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Re: What to look for on a Telstar 28

Post by Cruissser »

Thanks Mangodoc, I will check this out. Currently looking at one close to your number.....341 possibly....I will have to check it out this weekend when I look at it again.

This one seems a bit neglected, but something one can work with. Looks like most if not all sheets need replacing as well as the halyards. The Genoa has some cuts or wear spots on the leech, can these be repaired? Some spider cracking, but nothing excessive.

Are parts still readily available? This one has no dodger or bimini. I would like to have both, but I am interested on how these really work out as the low boom doesn't appear go give you much head room if you have them installed.

This site has given us a lot of info on the ins and outs of repairs and maintenance. I am still reading, but they do appear to be well designed boats with at times poor quality construction.....what are your thoughts on this?

Yes I am very concerned about the trailer. If I purchase the boat I will be trailering it around 2000 miles to get it to Florida....it has to work well and allow us to travel at high speeds. We are used to heading down there with our 5th wheel camper, but obviously the trailer won't be near as streamlined! I have read your issues with the trailer and hoping there is a way to correct this. Balance and proper wheel alignment is everything on a bumper hitch trailer, hopefully any issues that arise can be addressed.

Randy
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Re: What to look for on a Telstar 28

Post by Mangodoc »

Randy,

I would suggest you just count on spending the money for a new trailer if the one that comes with it is the original. In theory you could move the axles back, raise the fenders and the boat cradle, add disc brakes and 14" D rated tires, replace the bearings and light kits (assuming they're needed since you describe a boat in need of some repair) and have a trailer that would safely move this boat on the interstate. But by the time you've spent all that money you might as well replace it. That's my plan, because I am absolutely enamored of the boat and want to feel confident moving her wherever I want to sail.

If, in your travels, you are coming to the Florida panhandle (about all that Irma left us), let me know. I sail the AL/FL line and nearby areas and would love to show off Trinity.

Mango

P.S. If anybody wants to argue my point about the trailer, just do the math- 4 tires x 1480lb/tire= 5920lbs. None of these boat/trailer combos weigh less than that. I can hear Alexander Shunarra now, asking if you knew your load exceeded the GWVR for your tires when you killed his client.
Mangodoc
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Re: What to look for on a Telstar 28

Post by escape »

I don’t want to argue… just want to say that my tires are 4 x 1710lbs@65psi = 6840lbs. I weighted the boat at a government scale and it was 6768lbs, loaded for vacation. Another owner made Ottawa to Florida and back to Ottawa a few years ago. No problem reported on his blog.
Michel
Chenoa, #377
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Re: What to look for on a Telstar 28

Post by Cruissser »

Just got home with my newly purchased Telstar 28!! Very excited about the boat. We did our "sea trial" on Saturday and were very happy with the way these boats handle. It is #241 Mango, so they weren't build to far apart! Got the books and a lot of info with the boat, so I will be busy tonight trying to learn something....

Trailering it the 500 miles home

I inspected the trailer closely after your comments Mango, and I am glad I did!! It was obvious someone had asked to much of the old girl cause the spring on one of the axles was broken clean off. Not to hard to see that problem!! The previous owner was very determined to sell and helped me fix the axle spring as well as several other issues that cropped up. Both him and his wife were great people to deal with and we became good friends before it was all over.

The trailer as a whole was very well constructed. The galvanizing made it look tougher than it really was, but it was still a well built trailer. He had put new tires on it and yes they were 13 inch group D. I checked the rating on the side and they were rated for 1480 lbs if ran as duals (one tire beside another as on a heavy truck trailer) and 1610 lbs as a single tire. Max pressure was 65 PSI. I state this because this can vary according to manufacturer. I don't know what the boat and trailer weigh, but once I get it all set up the way I want it I will have it weighed and let you know.

I have owned a trucking company for around 15 years and guess what one of the biggest expenses are? Yup..... tires..... so I have spent a lot of time learning how to make them last longer. Load of course plays a big role in how they perform, but not as big a role as tire pressure, speed, and road conditions. Next time you stop after driving for an hour or so, quick jump out and put your palm on the face of your tire. How warm is it? The warmer the harder the tire is working. I was surprised to find the Telstar trailer tires much cooler than I expected given they were only 13 inch tires. Also remember outside temps play a big role in this.

Another thing to do is check the hub. Keep in mind I am talking about the actual hub on the axle, not the cover. If you have a hub cap on you can reach behind and feel the axle as close as you can to the tire, but its not as accurate as touching the actual hub. If the hub is warm enough to be uncomfortable to touch you need to address this. You can try driving slower and see if it makes a difference, but usually you need to get your bearing adjusted and repacked.

If its so warm you cant touch it you need to stop driving immediately and have someone look at it! You got problems. Good chance you have a bearing going out or worse.

Another thing to do is look at your hubs and see if they have any sticky greasy fluid on the outside. If so this indicates the bearing has gotten hot enough where the grease has melted down and ran out of the bearing. If so get them repacked and start keeping an eye on their temp....you got issues! Bearings that are not tightened properly can cause a lot of this as well. If you suspect this take your trailer to a different mechanic for inspection, yours may not be doing his job properly.

The Telstar trailer bearing ran cool.....just enough warmth to know they were warmer than the outside temp. I would not be scared to drive this trailer if I was closer to the water. An hour trip or even longer if you are not seeing high speeds shouldn't hurt a thing. But my problem is I live 2000 miles from where I want to sail and want to drive highway speeds!

With that said once I know the weight I may end up putting on a 3rd axle. This would give you a lot of benefits, less tire wear, less pressure on the bearings and springs, better ride, less problems if you do lose a tire.

Another option would be dualing up the trailer. This adds a lot of safety to your trailer. If one tire blows you got one right beside it to carry the load till you get somewhere and have it fixed. That's the reason the trucks on the highways have 2 tires on each side of the axle. It also allows you to carry more load, like in my case an axle dualed out can carry 5720 lbs versus 3220lbs with only 2 tires on the axle given my tire specs.

A single axle trailer, no matter what size the tire is extremely dangerous. If the tire on one side goes flat, especially under a big load, will dig in and the driver can lose control. A 2 axle trailer isn't as bad as you still have one tire trying to carry some (not all) of the load. A triple axle is even more safe, but not much. A dualed out trailer, even a single axle is the best.

Well I have rambled enough!! I hope some of this helps you with your decision making. This is just my beliefs based on my experience, and I am not a professional on the topic by any means.

Now to the books!!

Randy
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Re: What to look for on a Telstar 28

Post by Ron »

The Venture trailer that came with most of the boats is not really a bad trailer, although it probably should have been maybe 2 feet longer because of the total length of the boat. Real problem is how it was ordered/equipped.

You need good brakes on both axles (by law in most states), and it came with drums on only one. Discs (on both) would have been the much better choice. The axles are too far forward to balance the load to get 10 to 12 percent of it on the tongue. I moved both of mine back around 6 inches, would have been more if the boat had the 50hp Honda, or two motors back there. Increasing the tongue load will also get some of the weight off of the tires. 14 inch wheels with D rated tires would also improve it as well, but this could be a tricky install. You will probably have to raise ALL of the supports on the boat, and the boat, about 1 inch to get the ama's over the raised or larger fenders.
Ron Marcuse
Telstar 28 #359 "Tri-Power"
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escape
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Re: What to look for on a Telstar 28

Post by escape »

I forgot to say that after reading some post here I also moved back my axels about 6 inches back and I installed disk brakes. I measured the tongue weight and it was about 600lbs. For safety to continue driving longer distances I am considering adding a 3rd axes. Now also considering a dualed.
Michel
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Re: What to look for on a Telstar 28

Post by Cruissser »

escape wrote:I forgot to say that after reading some post here I also moved back my axels about 6 inches back and I installed disk brakes. I measured the tongue weight and it was about 600lbs. For safety to continue driving longer distances I am considering adding a 3rd axes. Now also considering a dualed.
It appears that for some reason most trailers were not set up properly for tongue weight including mine.....seems strange as I would think this would have been addressed at the factory.

I just want to say that everyone's needs concerning the trailer are not the same. My personal belief is that the trailer with 2 axles and good brakes works fine for most applications. The reason I am thinking of modifying mine is because I will be driving it 2000 miles to get to Florida. This means I will could be driving through heavy winds and snow and ice storms as well as all sorts of adverse conditions most Telstar owners won't ever see. Most people will only be driving their trailers when the sun is shining and the weather is good enough for sailing!! One has to consider how much is will really improve the risk/safety factor.

Also (I am new to Telstars), has anyone ever heard of an accident involving a Telstar on a trailer? They have been around for many years now, so if there has been no incidents its a good chance they designed it properly and its a safe setup.

Randy
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Re: What to look for on a Telstar 28

Post by Ron »

As far as tongue weight, Tony had told Venture that the boat weighed around 3500 pounds, and also neglected to tell them that he was adding maybe 800 pounds of galvanized steel (bunks, supports, brackets, etc.) to the stock trailer. That's about 2,000 pounds more than Venture was expecting, with much of that weight behind the axles, especially factoring in the length of the boat. The trailer should have been two feet longer with the axles pushed back around a foot or so. But I'm not praising Venture here - they're the ones who installed brakes on only one axle. That's totally illegal in most states, and really dangerous considering the 2,000 pounds of extra weight. And shouldn't they have worked with Tony on all of these specs ???

I called Venture about 9 years ago to question them about the above. Didn't give any real answers other than it's what Performance Cruising ordered. They weren't aware that brakes are required on both axles in virtually every state, including Maryland where it was built?

By the way, my boat was moved back and forth from NJ and Florida for 4 or 5 years, about 1500 miles per trip. Mucho problems until I replaced the 2 wheel drum brakes with 4 wheel discs and moved the axles back. Salt water does a job on drum brakes. I had the brake wheel hubs over 500 degrees with several heat caused blowouts at speed. Wound up stopping every 45 minutes or so to spray water on the 2 wheels. I carry one of those infrared laser thermometers in the truck to check it. I've got 5 trailers (3 boat, 2 car haulers) and have been doing this for years.
Ron Marcuse
Telstar 28 #359 "Tri-Power"
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