To anyone interested in getting a trimaran, this might be of interest to you.
Performance Cruising, the builders of the Telstar 28 are selling five prototypes. From what I understand, the hull numbers are: 300, 301, 302, 303 and 305. None have the mast raising but 3 do have a mast and are currently in the water, which means they float.
The prices range from $3000 to $10,000. I'm guessing the ones for $3000 don't have a mast.
http://annapolis.craigslist.org/boa/1259794257.html
Wow,
That is a pretty small fraction of the price of new is it not? Like 10%?
They must have started their hull numbers at 300, I wonder why they did that?
Dan, can you spot any differences in the pictures (pretty small, I know) from your finished boat?
The prices range from about 3% to about 10% of a new Telstar 28, since the "deluxe" package is about $95,000. The reason they started the hull numbers at 300 is there were about 300 of the two previous Telstar models built. The Telstar 26 or 8M was a folding sport trimaran with an in-board engine. The Telstar 35 was a fixed ama model designed for cruising and could sleep seven fairly comfortably.
Some of the differences you'll see between the prototypes and the current boats are that the ama intermediate box and folding system design has changed a bit—but the changes are mostly cosmetic. The new Telstar 28s have a board down draft of 5', rather than the 4' 3" that these prototypes and the earlier Telstar 28s, like mine, have. One of the prototypes is wheel steered IIRC, and was featured in a couple of the early brochure photos.
Also, the latest Telstar 28s do not have the stanchion sockets on the amas, which were a big cause of leaking, and do not feature the stanchions and ama-mounted lifelines that were featured on the older boats. The ama design eliminated the lifeline stanchions about the time the new longer centerboard was introduced.