I’ve been corresponding with several Telstar owners, as well several people interested in the Telstar 28. Two subjects that seem to come up fairly often are: the head and holding tank design; and the electrical system design and shore power.
The Head and Holding Tank
Performance Cruising has designed the head system on the Telstar to allow flushing the head with either saltwater from a thru-hull, or with fresh water from the head sink. I think this is a thoughtful design touch, as it also makes it very easy to flush the head system with cleaning products or fill it with anti-freeze for winterizing the system.
The head on the Telstar can either vent into the ocean or into a holding tank, as required by the international MARPOL convention. The standard layout on the Telstar allows you to pump out the holding tank, using marine pump out facilities. The one problem I see with this is what happens if the holding tank is near capacity and you’re out at sea, with no pump out facilities nearby.
On the Performance Cruising’s larger Gemini catamaran, the holding tank is higher than the waterline and it can be drained via gravity. This is not possible on the Telstar from what I understand, as the bottom of the tank is below the waterline. I am looking at modifying the system to allow pumping out the tank while at sea.
The most simple approach probably would be to install T-valves in the tank pump out hose and the head drain hose and connect them to a diaphragm pump or macerator pump. To pump out via the deck plate, you would open the move the T-valve in the pump out hose to the upper position. To drain the tank to the sea, you would open the valve on the pump-out hose to the cross connect, open the valve on the outlet hose to the cross connect, and open the waste outlet seacock, allowing the waste to flow through the cross-connected hose and pump out the thru-hull outlet.
The Electrical System and Shore Power
The stock electrical system on the Telstar is fairly simple. Generally, it is a pure 12 volt DC system with a single battery, which charges off the alternator on the outboard. The navigation instruments, the autopilot, cabin lights, running and anchor lights, and VHF radio all run off the 12 volt DC system.
One modification that Performance Cruising offers is a second battery, to allow separate house and starting banks. The stock system comes with a four-position switch, that can support two battery banks. Beyond that, any major modifications to the electrical system are up to the owner.
Two common discussions about the electrical system are having an alternate way to charge the batteries and maintaining the batteries. I am adding two 130 watt solar panels to keep the batteries charged without having to run the outboard. I’m adding two charge controllers—one for the house bank and one for the starting bank—as well as a battery combiner. The charge controllers should allow the batteries to charge more efficiently as well as prevent overcharging damage. The battery combiner makes forgetting to charge one bank far less likely.
The next most common subject regarding the electrical system is shore power. Shore power isn’t usually necessary on a day sailer or a boat used for short weekend cruises. Shore power is generally found on larger boats that are used as liveaboards. I would like to install shore power capability and an inverter/charger on my boat. I’ve written an electrical system designer about what I am looking to do, and am waiting to hear his thoughts on the matter.
I’ll post more on both topics as they develop.