How seaworthy is a telstar

[wooden]

Yes. I actually think the Telstar will be perfect for the great loop. I recall that one of our members started to do the loop, but lost his keel somewhere along the trip and gave up. He made some modifications that I will use to make the boat more usable for such a trip.

I would like to post pictures, but the forum has stopped accepting photo downloads. If I get a chance to provide a link to a photo site, I will. The work is coming along very well. I have the damaged ama completely fixed and it is working better than new. I did find some damage to the other ama from when we pulled the boat from the water with only one ama attached. The tailer crushed two spots on the bottom, so I am having to put a couple of access hatches over the damaged areas so I can get to the damage and repair it from the inside out. The honeycomb structure of the ama is pretty thin and I am surprised they hold up as well as they do.

[wooden]

I figured out how to post some pictures. Here are a few.

[BoarX]

Hi Steve,

Congratulations on your repair progress! When you said that with the new hardware the new ama swings "better than new" you got my attention. We are in a third year of out T28 ownership and progressing well, but I still need to figure out how to make amas swing better. Did you use any resource to figure out the mechanism? Our problem is that due to the design of our trailer I am unable to swing amas out only while on the water which doesn't help figuring the intricacies of the mechanism out. Also, did you apply gelcoat onto a restored portion of the ama yourself? Sorry for too many questions

Best,
Alex, Lucy

[Ron]

Alex -

When the boat was newer (maybe 10 years ago), I was able to swing the ama's out a number of times while it was on the trailer. No problems at all. You've got to make sure the rear main hull supports at the transom are up against the hull. I wouldn't walk on the ama's though, unless you put a good support under both (like a saw horse). I probably have some photos of this somewhere.

Ron

[wooden]

I am able to swing the ama out while on the trailer without any problem. There are so many binding points that have to be looked for and make sure you are not hung up on a trailer part, a cable, or excess pressure from the overhanging catwalk. I did nothing special on the damaged ama other than replacing the hardware with new stainless. It works better than the other ama, but I can swing the non-damaged ama out as well.

Once you have made sure you don't have any of the above issues obstructing the ability to open the ama, you might want to check the tailer supports to make sure they are not obstructing the opening (they are adjustable), and then use the winch to assist in pulling the rope that swings the ama out.

As far as gelcoat is concerned, my pictures are pre-gelcoat. I have taped the areas off for sanding and gelcoating. I used TotalBoat gelcoat that I got on Amazon and it is amazing. Easy to use and with a little light sanding after application, it looks like new. I tried both brushing it on and rolling it on, both left enough imperfections that they had to be sanded. That really was not a problem.

I am about two weeks away from launching the boat. I will let you know how it goes. It is all weather-dependent. I may have a good weather window then, or it could turn cold. It is winter after all.

[wooden]

BTW, If you look at my above pictures, the one that shows the entire boat is post gelcoat. The starboard ama is the one that was damaged and the entire bow front edge was torn off during removal from the water. That is repaired and glecoated in the picture and if you look closely you can see it looks slightly whiter than the other ama. Other than that, you really cant tell a difference.

[wooden]

I wanted to update everyone on my repairs since the ama damage coming home from Cuba.

I have completely repaired the ama, and the boat had been floating wonderfully at a marina slip here in Galveston. I have been out many times, and the hardware is working well. I have begun to outfit the boat to begin the Great Loop in February. I am comfortable that the repairs are very successful and that she will support me well on my trip.

The Telstar 28 is an incredible boat. It is flexible, easy to work on, and comfortable to sail.