International Telstar Owners Association

Just wondering who owns the molds on the Telstar? performance cruising? I wonder what a new Telstar 28 would cost to manufacture today. It's a great boat. Are there any other newer folding trimaran's out there other than Telstar and Corsair?

My guess is that Performance Crusing still has the molds. In addition to the Corsair and Telstar, there is the Dragonfly series. They make a 25 and 28 as well as larger boats.

Lou

Performance Cruising is gone. The Gemini line was sold years ago to a multihull company, along with most of the buildings and land. Last I heard was that the new Gemini's are now being built by Catalina in Largo, Florida. Tony probably still has the Telstar molds hidden somewhere in the 1 or 2 buildings that were not sold. Haven't heard from him in a while.

What I am seeing in my trailerable trimaran searches are Corsair, Dragonfly, and Farrier. It appears that all three are improving on their systems to improve performance and comforts. None of them spend much time discussing ease of folding, masting, and trailering. I really like the Corsair and Farrier models.

The Telstar 28 was probably the only trailer-able "cruising tri" at a reasonable price. Pretty hard to get one to flip. I've been out in 25 knots of wind under full sail. Got up to around 21 knots of boat speed. All 3 hulls were in the water most of the time. Can't say that for any Corsair - they physically can't have all 3 hulls in the water at the same time. Two Corsair 28's have flipped around here (Charlotte Harbor) in the last 10 years. The Farrier is a Corsair (or maybe the opposite). And you need tools and some friends to fold them. They can't be in the water folded - they will roll over. The Telstar can be motored with the ama's in. As far as comfort - there is no comparison. Standing headroom, real head and sink, better motion in the water, easier to fold and launch, etc.

I like the Dragonfly though - but it's folding is a minor problem - they get much longer. Probably hard to store or trailer. Decent boat though.

I've raced a number of Corsairs (27,'s 28's) for many years (stopped racing about 4 years ago). With decent wind (15 +) I can stay with or ever beat them. We have more weight but more sail. In light air their weight and less hull in the water makes the difference.

21 knots... awesome! Appreciate your feedback on the comparisons. Looks like the Corsair Cruze 970 has made some nice mods though... bigger cabin, partially closed/open amas that increase stability. and great performance specs. I think I'm sticking with my T-28 though.

Hello Ron
Your comment above from July 2021 is very interesting, comparing the Telstar to other trimarans. I currently sail a Catalina 22 and believe my family might better appreciate the cabin space and stability of the T28.
Regards
Jim Beagle
Placida, FL