stevem's boat search

[stevem]

I don't know anything about this stuff but stumbled on you while looking for a boat. I've been interested in buying a Telstar 28 for a while now. the concept seems so good. with the amas that fold in and the mast raiser that is built in to the boat. We trailer sail a Catalina 27 fin keel inboard  with wheel steering. Yes the trailer is modified so that the tongue extends 12 ft and it's a 2 to 3 hr job to pull or put in but we have been a lot of places with her. We've been wanting to get something easier to move. It's nice to know that there are other crazies out there that want to do the same kind of thing.

[John Bailey]

Welcome Stevem,

You'll get good advice here.  Sounds like you have a pretty good set up now.  Can you explain how you handle raising and lowering your mast?

John

[stevem]

John  I have a jin pole that I made out of 1 1/2 square tube. I fasten it to the mast at the bottom use 1/8 cable for stays for it and then use the lazyjack lines for stays for the mast and a 4 to 1 block that is fastened to the cockpit soul and winched with the winches for the jenny. We use snap shackles and quick clevises every where we can because it takes so long to set it up. I don't have any pictures of it now but could take some in the spring. I just made it as I went. I actually works pretty well but I'm getting older and won't be able to do it for ever so thought the system on a Telstar looked better also like the idea of being able to beach the boat and pulling 3500lb instead of 10,000lb on the highway.

[Captain Smollett]

We trailer sail a Catalina 27 fin keel inboard  with wheel steering. Yes the trailer is modified so that the tongue extends 12 ft and it's a 2 to 3 hr job to pull or put in

:o  That's not TRAILER sailing!   ;) ;D

Anything more than about 30 minutes and I'd lose interest pretty quick. 

but we have been a lot of places with her.

That's the rub, though.  If you've been "going," who am I to judge? 

In all seriousness, though, I guess I'd ask at this point "how often are you doing this?"

Trailer sailing means different things to different people...having the boat on a trailer or launching from a trailer is not really what most of us would consider "trailer sailing."  The line that separates true trailer sailing and using a trailer to move your boat around is different for each sailor.

As I said, MY line is...about a 30 minute prep time...maybe 45.  Your mileage may vary, as the saying goes.

We've been wanting to get something easier to move. It's nice to know that there are other crazies out there that want to do the same kind of thing.

What to look for is going to have a LOT of "it depends" type answers.  Some starter questions:

(1) How big of a boat do you WANT (notice I did not say "need," as most of us confuse want and need in this regard)?

Anything over about 24-ish feet is going to bring some downsides for 'true' trailer sailing, with those down sides increasing quite strongly with size.  That's not to say it can't be done.  Mac 26's are popular for a reason.  There are 30 ft trailer sailers.

(2) How often do you sail? 

If you go a lot, or WANT to go a lot, a quick setup is going to be a BIG plus.  On the other hand, sailing once per month or less might mean you can live with more, longer work at the ramp.

(3) How long are your trips?  Ie, how long are you "out" when you sail?

If you do a lot of day sailing, reducing work and time at the ramp is  HUGE plus. If you launch on Saturday and come back the following Saturday each time (or most of the time) you sail, ramp time/work is more acceptable.

For trailer sailing, smaller is generally better for a WHOLE LOT of reasons.  The Compac catboats have set up times in the 10-15 minute range, and that's not hurrying.  My boat, 18 ft LOA, takes about 30 to rig now, but I can do it faster and I'm adding additional improvements to speed it up...that's alone, with no help.

There are a TON of tips throughout this site regarding how to "enjoy" sailing/cruising on a smaller boat...things you don't need, room you don't need to waste, etc.  If you are thinking about improving your trailer sailing experience, I suggest you start by looking at "Can we go smaller, easier, simpler?"

Don't mean to sound preachy (I often unintentionally come across that way)...just trying to open the door to some discussion/ideas.

On the Telstar 28...we used to have a regular here (AdriftAtSea) who sailed one, but he has not posted here in quite a while.  You might look back for some of his old posts to see if there is any information / discussion on the boat you find relevant.

I would say, though, that depending on your use profile, cruising grounds (and targets), I can think of other boats that might well suit your "need to check it out" list.  One thing we have noticed here over the years with folks doing boat searches (and I include myself in this!) is that often a search is started with a particular model / type in mind, but something else is, a lot of times, found more suitable.  Hope that makes sense...

[John Bailey]

John  I have a jin pole that I made out of 1 1/2 square tube. I fasten it to the mast at the bottom use 1/8 cable for stays for it and then use the lazyjack lines for stays for the mast and a 4 to 1 block that is fastened to the cockpit soul and winched with the winches for the jenny. We use snap shackles and quick clevises every where we can because it takes so long to set it up. I don't have any pictures of it now but could take some in the spring. I just made it as I went. I actually works pretty well but I'm getting older and won't be able to do it for ever so thought the system on a Telstar looked better also like the idea of being able to beach the boat and pulling 3500lb instead of 10,000lb on the highway.

Thanks Steve!