Another cheap Westerly Centaur??

Maybe he just wants to flog it - after all, a £4k cut in the grand scheme of things isn't all that. Lots of great condition ones can be had for £8k and okay ones for £6k. Better than it hanging around for months if not years, on the off chance. Looks quite a nice boat, certainly doesn't suffer from the dreaded 'droop'.

Di
 
mickywillis said:
Whats going on with the price of these boats??
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The effects of the financial meltdown have very long fingers. People of modest means (that is most of us, in reality) are finding that steady monthly outgoings and occasional big bills are just not viable.
Lots of loss-cutting going on.
It's not just Westerlys. See the thread about the Anderson.
They are old boats with a lot of upkeep on the horizon.

It's reality-check time. Rather overdue really.
 
Lakesailor said:
The effects of the financial meltdown have very long fingers. People of modest means (that is most of us, in reality) are finding that steady monthly outgoings and occasional big bills are just not viable.
Lots of loss-cutting going on.
It's not just Westerlys. See the thread about the Anderson.
They are old boats with a lot of upkeep on the horizon.

It's reality-check time. Rather overdue really.
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So what's the occasional big bills and upkeep on the horizon with an A22 then, as long as it's an outboard engine version ?!

Fact is, Ian has already bought another boat, may not be in the best part of the country and didn't supply photo's, at least for the owners association website ad'.
 
I'm not being prickly, just pointing out that saying ' it's an old boat with big spends coming up ' is a bit silly, when the same applies to any boat over a few years old; everyone needs new sails now and again, though some don't realise it !

The Centaur is cheap for a good reason, the old inboard, but this was an exception in Andersons, a few good but basic ones have sold for £4000+ lately.

This is the first time I've seen that one's interior though, must say I was expecting rather more as her spec' was quite good in some ways.
 
Seajet said:
saying ' it's an old boat with big spends coming up ' is a bit silly, when the same applies to any boat over a few years old; everyone needs new sails now and again, though some don't realise it !
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Yes, but the new items for a £2K boat are the same price as the new items for a £15K boat. So those budget sensitive sailors in older boats are looking at proportionately high bills compared to their outlay. They probably bought older boats as they didn't have a lot of distributable income and are already paying the same for a mooring as the bloke who could afford a £15K boat.

Even the bottom end of the boating market for the impecunious sailor is moving out of reach.
 
Hasn't it always been much like that though ?

My dinghies had 15+ yr old sails when I was a teenager, I never owned a new sail I'd ordered myself until I was 22.

If people buy a cheap boat then look surprised that other bits are standard prices they haven't thought it through; the same used to apply to people buying huge hulls to fit out, sure the Colvic etc hull may be 1/3 the price, but the rig, engine & rest won't be !
 
Seajet said:
If people buy a cheap boat then look surprised that other bits are standard prices they haven't thought it through
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Look at ebay. People don't think it through. People often have no knowledge of boating and the hidden costs.

Before the speed limit up here every weekend there'd be quite a few lads turn up to put a speedboat on the lake with absolutely no idea what was required or expected of them.
Read some of the newbie threads on these forums, and that's from people who want to learn. But they haven't any idea of the cost of some of the projects they propose to undertake. Until people point it out.

The cheap end of the market will always be the same. And it will be that end that suffers in hard times.
 
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Around my way it seems to be the opposite; marinas and deep water moorings which used to have waiting lists now have plenty of spaces as people vote with their wallets, while my club with sheltered half tide moorings is as full as ever.

I'd agree dinghy sailing fell off though, which is a bit mystifying considering the lower costs - I think the grot summers up until this last one were a lot to do with it.
 
Seajet said:
The Centaur is cheap for a good reason, the old inboard, but this was an exception in Andersons, a few good but basic ones have sold for £4000+ lately.
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Why should an old engine be a problem?
It may well have been regularly serviced, could have been subject to an overhaul or it may have very low hours?
Just because something is old, doesn't necessarily mean its no good.
For under £4K somebody will be able to go out sailing on a boat that has a great reputation for seaworthiness, reliability and strength.
Not everyone has access to unlimited monetary funds to buy the latest boat/gadget/gizmo, so directing somebody to a boat that can afford shouldn't be a problem on the forum.
After all, we all read PRACTICAL Boat Owner magazine don't we, the emphasis on PRACTICAL being the ability to be resourceful and inventive when coming against problem's or issues and tackling them in a sensible PRACTICAL manner!!
I wouldn't see the age of a boat as a problem, merely a challenge to keep the outfit as original as possible with limited funds.
My Triumph Stag is over 40 years old, has the original engine and still runs sweet as a nut (albeit after my fettling and rebuilding of the V8!!)
My Pageant is 43 years old and still going strong.
Maybe its because I like OLD that I enjoy bringing such good value boats to forum members attention??
 
It is not the cost of buying the boat that is the problem, it is the overall cost of running a boat that is causing the drop in demand which is more keenly felt at the lower end of the market. The annual running costs of such a boat are out of proportion to to the purchase costs.
 
... and it's a trickle down effect - the boat in question is 40 years old - there are 20 and 30 year old boats coming onto the market which are typically bigger and more comfortable at depressed prices - will inevitably drive down the price of the 40 and 50 year old boats. If it's still floating in another 40 years, it may begin to gain some classic status and regain some of its value.
 
Tranona said:
It is not the cost of buying the boat that is the problem, it is the overall cost of running a boat that is causing the drop in demand which is more keenly felt at the lower end of the market. The annual running costs of such a boat are out of proportion to to the purchase costs.
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That depends where you keep it & if you are practical enough to do things yourself.I doubt my annual costs are much above a few hundred quid all told & certainly no more than five hundred quid a year so far touch wood.
 
I'm still amused by some people's idea that if a boat is bigger it has to be better !

I fell into that trap - with a relatively good 30' sailing boat I intended to live aboard part time - years ago, then realised I want to go sailing for my hobby, and the larger the boat the more hassle & less response - so I backtracked and have always been glad of it, which does not mean to say my 22' boat is in 1970's trim.

The problem with the Centaur having the original engine is that unlike grp hulls these things do have a finite life, and it's not just the expense but a major pain changing engines; a friend recently bought a very good late Centaur with a brand new 3 cylinder Nannidiesel for not an awful lot more relatively, and compared to my Dad's Centaur - a great example in the late 1980's - it's turbine smooth !

Of course this doesn't just apply to Centaurs, it's just that there are a lot of them, could equally apply to any boat with an inboard over 20 years old, less for saildrives with the pain of the gaiter etc.
 
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