I am considering (still ) a purhase of Telstar. I have sailed on various boats for several years now, but never owned one. Because of that I really do not have much experience in what it means to maintain a boat. I was wondering what you guys consider a yearly "preventive" maintenance, is there anything specific to Telstar that causes it to be easier or harder to maintain, etc.
Just to be clear - by maintenance I mean all work needed to keep the boat in good shape, but exclude all potential upgrades and enhancements.
Boat maintenance could take up several books, and there are a number of books out there already. I can't list everything but you've got to take care of things that range from the motor to electric / electronics to plumbing to rigging to sails to the hull itself. Add the trailer to that for any boat that has one. Think of it as similar to maintaining both a house (with a lot of canvas to keep clean) and a car at the same time.
A Telstar has all of the above, with a few extras. The ama's fold in and out so you've got to occasionally lubricate the hinge points and trampoline slides. The mast folds using a clever system of unequal length rods (acting as the lower shrouds) and there is a litlle extra work there, including a slghtly more complicated rig tuning procedure. The centerboard and rudder can both be raised so there are other maintainece procedures there, but most trailerable sailboats have similar work as well. Ditto for the motor which can be raised and tilted.
The two biggest jobs would normally be preparing / painting the bottom and cleaning / waxing the hull and cabin. Keeping the sails in good shape and clean would probably be next.
Depending on your skills, you should be able to do most, if not all, of the above by yourself.
The two biggest jobs would normally be preparing / painting the bottom and cleaning / waxing the hull and cabin.
Tony at PCI wasn't a fan of waxing when I asked him, saying he didn't think it made any significant difference in the fiberglass. That seems contrary to everything I've ever read. How do you guys handle the waxing issue? So much of the surface of the Telstar is walked on, do you worry about making it slick with waxing?
Not waxing (or polishing with a similar product) the boat is also contrary to everything I've ever read or done. Are you sure he said that? You'll get UV damage and oxidation if you don't. Just about every boat (or car) I've ever seen where the paint or gel coat was not maintained looks awfull. Maybe he was complaining about the abrasives that are in some of the products.
You can't really wax the non-skid - but clean it with a good stff deck brush and a better soap.
Yes, I was there last weekend picking up the new boat. When I asked about waxing, he acted like he didn't think it did anything--now I think he was referring to the actual health of the fiberglass and not necessarily the looks. I specifically asked whether it would help protect against uv radiation.
I agree with your thinking, that it would keep up the appearance of the gel coat, and likely make cleaning easier too.
I think it's more than just "appearance". Wax or polish or similar products will protect the finish (the gel coat in our case). I've seen too many boats where this wasn't done on a regular basis and it's nearly destroyed the finish. I was looking at a 4 year old Compac Horizon Cat a few months ago and the green factory gel coat had turned into a milky white blotch over most of the hull. Even a mild rubbing compound couldn't get it off. Owner had never waxed the hull during its 4 years in the Florida sun.
Thanks everyone for replies. I have looked at some books at Amazon and may check the library before ordering. If you know a good one, please let me know.
) a purhase of Telstar. I have sailed on various boats for several years now, but never owned one. Because of that I really do not have much experience in what it means to maintain a boat. I was wondering what you guys consider a yearly "preventive" maintenance, is there anything specific to Telstar that causes it to be easier or harder to maintain, etc.