Surveying a Telstar 28 from 2008 : Want to lower and raise Mast

[splashy_sam]

The current owner of this Telstar has left the mast up the whole time. He's never lowered or raised it according to the broker. They are resistant to my request to watch the mast stepping system work when I go in a couple weeks for Sea trial, haul out and survey.

So, hire an extra rigging survey? Would a standard rigging surveyor know what to do with this nifty mast stepping system? Any TelStar owner's in the San Diego Area on April 14th? I think this is hull number 372. I'm flying in from Texas to preview in San Diego. If someone is not around, could we maybe vid chat?

Thanks!

[Ron]

Sam -

There are videos around. PM made a fairly good one. The manual also shows how to do it. It's a fairly straight-forward process, but you've to be very careful. If you get any lines caught on the way up or down, you could easily bend something. Do it slowly and keep an eye on them. Let the lines drop on the deck, then tie them at that position on the folded mast. There's one point, about 1/3 of the way up, where the force on the raising/lowering line increases. Any other increase shows that something is wrong. Good luck.

[Tri’d n Sail’d]

This is important to do. When I bought mine from the Catamaran Company, I asked them to use the masting system with me present to put the mast down as the last part of our deal. They did it before I arrived, and it turned out that they did not use the system - they disassembled the system, used a gin pole and then reassembled...incorrectly. I then trailered it 800 miles and when I went to put the mast up - the system worked against itself and broke. Expensive repairs. Unfortunately, most surveyors will not know how to use the system either. Finding a local T28 owner is a your best bet. Good luck.

I just used the system yesterday as we put our T28 on the water for the season.

[splashy_sam]

Ron, thanks so much for the take it slow advice.

It's a 14 year old boat and I'm betting the line to hoist it has never been replaced. If that line broke in the middle of raising or lowering.... how bad would that damage the rest of the boat? Also, what's a good line size for this? I might just bring a replacement... it's a 35 foot tall mast so would a 50 foot line of ...I dunno.. 5/16th dacron be appropriate?

Trust me, I have been squinting at the vids trying to make out details.

[splashy_sam]

Thanks Tri’d n Sail’d! I believe I read that post and you are exactly why I told the broker up front he didn't need to mess with the A Frame lowering system.

So thanks so much for taking the time to warn the rest of us!!

Now he's scared of even letting any of us do it... So I'm calling all the rigging people in the area.

But I'm not buying it till I determine I can step the mast myself. Love these boats and that mast is a big reason.

I dream of it being my amphibious assault Winnebago that I can launch on every body of water from Pacific to Atlantic to Gulf to Great Lakes and most any puddle in between.

[Ron]

Sam -

This is not really a trailer based day sailor kind of boat. Considering you have to remove, flake, and store the main and head sails, organize all of the mast lines, remove or hold the boom vertically, remove 2 bolts that keep the mast bottom from going forward, unhook the head stay and carefully hold it to the side as the mast slowly comes down, it's probably a 2-hour job each way (up and down) with help. A few of the boats (mine included, see photo below) have a boom that hinges about 1 foot from the mast that may allow you to fold with the main on (I've never tried it though). Without this extension there is not enough room to hold the sail or the boom as the mast lowers.

I've got a 20 foot Compac Horizon Cat that can be easily launched in about 15 minutes off of the trailer. The mast hinges about 1 foot above the horizontal boom. Nothing has to come off or be put back on.

P2010001.JPG (66.18 KiB) Viewed 1962 times

P5070006.JPG (39.33 KiB) Viewed 1962 times

[Ron]

Sam -

Google "Telstar 28 mast raising". You'll find 2 videos. One must be a very early boat, the other somewhat newer. Neither seems to have the double hinged boom. I can't find a copy of the Performance Cruising video, but it must be out there somewhere.

[Ron]

Sam -

I think I found your boat at Denison Yacht Sales? Picture not that good - but doesn't seem to have the double hinged boom. Main and boom both must come off. $79,995 ??? Kind of high for the boat.

[splashy_sam]

Hi Ron,
2 hours to make camp?! I should have realized I had to stow both sails and there would be no lazy jacks. And this is going to be just me most of the time. So... more hours to make floating camp.

I have reread your descriptions repeatedly and stared at the images you shared. I think I see the A Frame tubes peeking out.

Would it be fine to store it trailered with the mast up at the marina assuming no low limbs in the parking lot? Are the sails such that I could flake the main onto the boom and secure if I left a mast in place? That way I'd just be packing the headsail with each use at a given venue? Just back it onto the boat ramp then?

I don't want to spend all my time in local water. I want to sail to the Dry Tortugas on one side, Catalina and the Channel Islands on the other side, sail a group of friends out to scuba dive the Flower Gardens National Marine Sanctuary down south and maybe explore Puget sound and the Great Lakes up north. And sailing a huge rivers is exciting like one of your posters did all the way down the Missouri and Mississippi rivers! So if I can leave it mostly in place on a trailer and only fully collapse to change venues, I'm still in.

Can you still get into the companion way with the mast lashed down?

How big a risk is it to get the outboard motor and other goodies stolen while running around with it in tow?

[Ron]

You can leave the boat folded up on the trailer with mast up, both sails on, etc. No power lines, bridges, etc. Back it down the ramp, park the truck and trailer, open it up, and sail. Probably take you around 20 minutes to do it. I did that for a few weeks in NJ one summer.

One other item - you've got to move the bow snubber on the trailer forward and back to launch / retrieve the boat. The angle of the bow will not let the hull assume its proper position unless you move the snubber about 1 foot forward when you retrieve it.