International Telstar Owners Association

Hello, I am a new Telstar owner and I have a few questions. I am preparing for a big road trip and I just read all the trailer woes owners have had. My boat was delivered to me from the East coast. The hauler said it pulled just fine. However I later realized that the boat sits about one foot back on the trailer. That is, the bow is not snugged up to the trailer post. Is that normal? Also, can the rudder be removed or raised so that it is not sticking straight out? As of yet, I have not towed the boat. I am having the bearings replaced first.

You've got to move the forward bow post up about a foot to get the boat correctly on the trailer, then move it back. The angle of the floating boat compared to the trailer is the cause. The question is whether the previous owner did that and forgot to move the post back or the boat is too far back because he did not do it. Take a look at the main hull supports at the back of the boat. They are two stainless U shaped supports attached to the main hull on either side of the hull. If these 2 stainless pieces line up with the high bunks at the back of the trailer then you are OK. If they are behind them then you have a problem. With the boat that far back, you are taking weight off of the hitch and moving it to the trailer wheels. A very questionable result. Not enough weight on the hitch and way too much on the axles.

Hi Ron, thank you for responding!
What are the "high bunks.."?

The "high" bunks (for lack of a better term) are the ones about 3 feet above the trailer frame at the back of the trailer. They are there to keep the main hull transom from rotating if the ama's are out. I can't post a picture (no space left on server), but there must be a few posted already in the "trailer" section of the forum. The two stainless "U" shaped pipes on either side of the main hull near the stern will sit on them. I use them as a guide to position the boat on the trailer when hauling.

Thanks, the trailer made the journey without any problems!

That's great. But you should check out the things I mentioned. An out of balance rig (truck and trailer) could cause problems if you had to stop quickly, avoid something on the road, or wind up in a strong crosswind.

One other item... yes. The rudder is easily removed for trailering. It is preferable to me to remove it. I would not trust locking it “up” with just a jammer on the line or any other line tied around it as much as simply removing it.

Thanks,
Andrew

I've used some heavy duty bungees with a 3 inch strap loop around the rudder and the other end of the bungees clipped to the end of the mast.