A reader recently asked me about what are the real price differences between the Telstar and Corsair F28 and F31.
So I repeated the exercise I did last year, and I’ve just gone to the Lavida Starships website to use the Corsair price calculator and this is what I’ve come up with.
The boats are equipped with the following options, where possible:
- Boat (Aft Cockpit)
- Four-stroke outboard motor
- Dual Axle Galvanized Trailer
- Headsail Roller Furling for both Jib and Screacher sails
- Mainsail
- Jib
- Screacher
- Mainsail Cover
- Self-Tailing Primary Winches
- Speed/Log/Depth/Wind Instruments
- VHF Radio
- Autopilot
- Compass (Bulkhead mounted magnetic)
- Boarding Ladder
- Fresh Water Tank
- Two-Burner Propane Galley Stove with Broiler
- Marine Head with Y-Valve
- Cabin Table
- Main Cabin Double Berth Insert
Given these as a base of comparison, the Corsair F28 comes out at $101,977, but does not have the fresh water tank or the autopilot. The Corsair F31 comes out to $146,943. The Telstar is well below both of these in price, even with the much safer mast raising system, a bimini, a dodger, a larger, more powerful 20 HP outboard. I’ve also added shore power and a small refrigerator to my boat, and still come in quite a bit lower than Corsair F28.
The Telstar also has more head room than either the F31 or F28, and considerably more cabin room than the F28. The head compartment on the Telstar is larger and more functional than that of either Corsair. The centerboard on the Telstar is designed to kick up if it hits an obstruction; the daggerboards on the Corsairs will not, and may damage the daggerboard trunk as I’ve seen on a few that I looked at.
The Corsairs are faster than the Telstar under most conditions. The Corsair F28 is a good deal lighter than the Telstar. The taxes are higher on the two Corsairs, as are the insurance costs. Documentation cost is the same across the board.
There are many more reasons I chose to get my Telstar, which I’ve mentioned in previous posts.
Thanks for all your posts about talking with Tony and Will about the amazing Telstar 28. I have a Hobie 21 and want to up grade to a boat passage making capabiblities. This boat sounds perfect but I don’t have the money at the moment. I wondered if the older Telstars can be retrofitted to raise and lower the mast? And are there many for sail?
Dave
Dave-
Are you talking about the Telstar 26 or the Telstar 28. As far as I know, almost all of the Telstar 28s were sold with the mast raising system.
You could retrofit the older Telstar 26 with a mast raising system like the one on the Telstar 28, but it would take quite a bit of work to do so. Setting up a more traditional A-frame-based mast raising system would be far easier, since you’d only need one A-frame setup.
Not too many Telstar 28s are available for sale used. There have only been about 70 or so of them sold to date.