Telstar 26 Trimarans

'Tryfly 111' for sale at Burnham-on-Crouch

Life is full of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ that could momentously change personal situations. I met my wife to be at a blind date meant for a friend who could not go on the date because he had caught the flu. He asked me to take his place. This I did unwillingly because I had a girlfriend at the time. By taking my friend’s place I was introduced to a beautiful young lady with whom I fell in love, and later she became my wife.


Perhaps not on the same momentous scale of life-changing moments I agreed with my nephew that we should together buy a Telstar 26 Trimaran. She was for auction on Ebay. To cut a long story short, although we won the bid we never bought the trimaran because she did not match the description and ownership could not be proved by a bill of sale. Had we gone ahead with the purchase, I can only imagine what adventures or misfortunes may have followed.


Nevertheless, I’ve maintained an interest in Telstar 26 trimarans. The vessel we nearly acquired was a Mark 1. She had had a hard life. Previous owners had patched her up around the seams between her deck and hull. Windows leaked and metal struts bracing the floats were badly corroded. Lockers had water in them and there was much condensation within the cabin causing bunk cushions to mildew.


Despite this picture of neglect, there are Mk 1 Telstar trimarans in good condition to be had for very reasonable prices. What you get is a boat that can average 7 knots, and with the right conditions she can sail at 14 knots. She has better accommodation than most 26’ monohulls of her time, i.e., the early 1970s. Tony Smith designed the boat and successfully established a business in Sandwich, Kent producing and marketing them. A.J.S. Sandwich Yacht Construction altogether manufactured more than 300, Mk 1 Telstar trimarans.


Between 1976 and 1978, eighty-eight Mk 2s were manufactured. The main difference between the Mk 1 and the Mk 2 was increased headroom to 6’.


A Mk 3 version produced between 1978 and 1979 was markedly different from previous models by having a beamier main hull and a wider overall beam.


Statistics for Mk 1

LOA 26 ft 3 in
LWL 24 ft 6 in
Beam: 15 ft (4.6 m)
Draft minimum: 1 ft 6 in
Draft maximum: 4 ft 7 in
Sail area: 340 sq ft (32 m2)
Displacement 3500 lb



Links



For Sale: Telstar 26 Tri Rare Classic £11,950


http://yachts.apolloduck.com/display.phtml?aid=217709


Telstar Owners Association

http://www.multihull-maven.com/Associations/Telstar_Owners_Association


Telstar Trimaran - A Biased Overview by Joe Siudzinski


http://home.earthlink.net/~smercc/joesintro.htm


Telstar Trimaran 26

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telstar_trimaran


Telstar 26 Mk 11 Sold – good photos

http://kent.boatshed.com/telstar_trimaran_mkii_8mtr-boat-37047.html


Sailing a Telstar Trimaran

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFSeW2lzwAg