Test ride on 2006 Telstar 28

[JeffK]

I finally got a ride on a T2 that is for sale. The wind was out of the east blowing 15 to 17 kts. The highest speed the boat reached was 6.7 knots. Is that normal? The hulls looked clean; the owner said he cleaned them the day before. The seller explained the lack of speed was because we were towing his inflatable dingy. Also, I noticed the dingy engine was left in the down position. I noticed the main sail was not pulled tight to the top of the mast or to the end of the boom. (I'm not an expert sailor, so that may have been the correct position. It's just that the main sail didn't seem to be preforming anywhere near what the head said was doing.) There were 6 full six gallon plastic fuel cans secured on the starboard ama. The port ama had about 4 inches of salt water in it; the starboard ama had about 2 inches of water. The owner is living on the boat, but I didn't notice an inordinate amount of personal stuff. I was disappointed with the lack of speed. With the good wind we had, I expected much more. An earlier test ride I took on a Corsair F-27 blew me away with its 15 knot speed in similar wind conditions. The T2 owner said the drag of the dink and excess weight probably cost us 1 to 2 knots of speed. It that correct? I read that a T2 could do 10 to 12 knots in brisk wind conditions. I'm confused. Any comments from knowledgeable Telstar 28 sailors would be greatly appreciated. I like so much about the Telstar 28. I want to buy one, but I expect more that mono hull speed.

[wooden]

Drag certainly can have a negative impact on any boat. I would expect substantially more speed with those winds. With the boat and sails properly configured plus drag reduced, I would get 10 to 12 knots out of 15 to 17-knot wind speeds. This is a fast and fun boat. If it is the pure speed you want, then perhaps look at a tri built for racing. The T2 is a hybrid cruiser, sailing, fun boat that reaches reasonable speeds.