Best ever bargain Centaur? Or is there something wrong?

Well, cheap is what appeals, but cheap in the Solent tends to be for unappealing reasons.

I still think that if this particular Centaur's keels are solidly attached and her laminates aren't a-bubbling, the business of a delivery cruise from Walton back to Waterlooville, or hereabouts, is a much nicer problem to have, than re-engining a closer boat.

I suppose with that new engine, you could effortlessly bring her home under power, against the Westerlies, so to speak.

Not such much faff as to deter anyone serious about Centaurs. I'm not trying to talk myself into the purchase, y'understand. :rolleyes:
 
dancrane said:
Well, cheap is what appeals, but cheap in the Solent tends to be for unappealing reasons.

I still think that if this particular Centaur's keels are solidly attached and her laminates aren't a-bubbling, the business of a delivery cruise from Walton back to Waterlooville, or hereabouts, is a much nicer problem to have, than re-engining a closer boat.

I suppose with that new engine, you could effortlessly bring her home under power, against the Westerlies, so to speak.

Not such much faff as to deter anyone serious about Centaurs. I'm not trying to talk myself into the purchase, y'understand. :rolleyes:
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Or you could just keep turning left!
 
dancrane said:
That's an appalling admission, Mr Lin!

Could it also be why I'd like a re-engined Centaur? :confused:

I must stop thinking like that. Shouldn't be hard, I've always been rather good at not thinking.
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It was a bit of a tongue in cheek comment! However, it reminded me of a day last summer when I took a friend’s family out for the afternoon and we motored downriver against the tide with ease before turning round and putting the sails up!
 
Hmm...well, I was going to say, with great reservations, that at £500, it's certainly a cheaper option...

...but by the time this example is a working yacht, cleaned up, refitted, re-engined, would it really still be cheaper?

Not to mention the time and grind of bringing her back from such neglect.

31979847147_d463fe4d6d_q.jpg


Even the newest Centaur is old enough to be short of perfect. As long as her price matches her condition, that's fair...

...but to my mind it makes a tidy well-equipped £5,000 boat far better value than the chance to save 90% initially, before possibly spending more than you saved, on replacement basics. Apart from the delays and the labour, the boat will cost money to insure and store or berth, as soon as you buy her...much more worthwhile if she can repay that cost by taking you sailing from day one.
 
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dancrane said:
Hmm...well, I was going to say, with great reservations, that at £500, it's certainly a cheaper option...

...but by the time this example is a working yacht, cleaned up, refitted, re-engined, would it really still be cheaper?

Not to mention the time and grind of bringing her back from such neglect.

31979847147_d463fe4d6d_q.jpg


Even the newest Centaur is old enough to be short of perfect. As long as her price matches her condition, that's fair...

...but to my mind it makes a tidy well-equipped £5,000 boat far better value than the chance to save 90% initially, before possibly spending more than you saved, on replacement basics. Apart from the delays and the labour, the boat will cost money to insure and store or berth, as soon as you buy her...much more worthwhile if she can repay that cost by taking you sailing from day one.
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Could not agree with you more. project boats in reality break dreams. But its got great pics. If you find a tidy boat with good sails, a new engine and all in reasonable order £5,000 is a good buy and so would £7,000. why are they for sale and whats the catch. well people move on, they might have bigger aspirations.
Oh and another prospective on why centaurs achieve good prices. They offer good accommodation compared to their competition. Its not all about the sailing, its a recreation activity/lifestyle and good for sailing. and very good for business.

Steveeasy
 
dancrane said:
Hmm...well, I was going to say, with great reservations, that at £500, it's certainly a cheaper option...

...but by the time this example is a working yacht, cleaned up, refitted, re-engined, would it really still be cheaper?

Not to mention the time and grind of bringing her back from such neglect.

31979847147_d463fe4d6d_q.jpg


Even the newest Centaur is old enough to be short of perfect. As long as her price matches her condition, that's fair...

...but to my mind it makes a tidy well-equipped £5,000 boat far better value than the chance to save 90% initially, before possibly spending more than you saved, on replacement basics. Apart from the delays and the labour, the boat will cost money to insure and store or berth, as soon as you buy her...much more worthwhile if she can repay that cost by taking you sailing from day one.
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Some people just like to work on boats, that is their hobby. When one is done they shift them at a good price simply because they want to get on with the next project.
This works not just with boats, motorbikes as an example.

If you think that a Centaur may be for you then go and have a look.Talk to the bloke and find out why he is selling the boat. For all we know he might have bought the boat done the work,then found out he gets seasick.
 
steveeasy said:
This might be a better option!!. plenty of pics and cheap as chips. might need to buy a new Karcher though.

https://www.gumtree.com/p/boats-kay...-centaur-26-project-yacht-£500-ono/1327661361
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I think that may be the same one someone found on preloved at £1,000. Unless there are two cheap Centaurs for sail at the Solway Yacht Club, which is possible.

dancrane said:
Hmm...well, I was going to say, with great reservations, that at £500, it's certainly a cheaper option...

...but by the time this example is a working yacht, cleaned up, refitted, re-engined, would it really still be cheaper?

Not to mention the time and grind of bringing her back from such neglect.
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Centaurs is plastic. An hour or two with a pressure washer and the outside will be clean, another hour or two with some polish and it will be perfectly respectable. The seized engine is the biggie, but if you want a cheap solution, plenty of people are pulling the old Volvos from these in perfect working order because they are worried about future spares availability. A couple of hundred quid should get one and a day or two's hard work will fit it. If/when it goes wrong, repeat.
 
Much wisdom here. :encouragement:

Certainly, I've spent longer beside my boat than on board, afloat. That wasn't because my boat needed work but because the two-hander is more often than not too much effort for me.

I definitely don't want a fixer-upper, aside from eccentric customisations which appeal to me. I can see why some chaps want to work on a boat more than sailing her, but I've done that for too long, so the yacht needs to be ready to go.

Funny thing is, I find myself split between the Centaur, which won't be really cheap unless there's a reason; and the mk2 Corribee, which often are really cheap, ready to go.

Whether I'm ready to pay twice/thrice as much for the Westerly's headroom and bathroom, is a question I can't yet answer. :)
 
dancrane said:
Much wisdom here. :encouragement:

Certainly, I've spent longer beside my boat than on board, afloat. That wasn't because my boat needed work but because the two-hander is more often than not too much effort for me.

I definitely don't want a fixer-upper, aside from eccentric customisations which appeal to me. I can see why some chaps want to work on a boat more than sailing her, but I've done that for too long, so the yacht needs to be ready to go.

Funny thing is, I find myself split between the Centaur, which won't be really cheap unless there's a reason; and the mk2 Corribee, which often are really cheap, ready to go.

Whether I'm ready to pay twice/thrice as much for the Westerly's headroom and bathroom, is a question I can't yet answer. :)
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The corribee is undoubtedly a good boat, but for spending weekends or perhaps a week on; the centaur wins hands down!
 
obmij said:
The concept of 'worth' when it comes to sailing boats is an interesting one... ...There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to maintain a yacht, other than the pleasure of doing so. When it comes to older boats, the capital cost is pretty much a joining fee, the real cost is the mooring, upkeep and so on...
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Did we only begin adding emojis to other people's posts since January 2019? There's so much wisdom across the original pages of this thread, I regret that no posts show my thumbs-up or other approval. Obmij's reply is especially acute, even if I didn't see it six years ago.

He summed up my purchase with the line 'the capital cost is pretty much a joining fee, the real cost is the mooring, upkeep and so on.' Unfortunately, I didn't agree that 'all [costs] are worth it because this is what we like to do'. Personally, I concluded that Solent berthing - paying as much as my Achilles 24's purchase price again each year, really wasn't worth it.

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I recognise mine may be a localised objection because inexpensive swinging and drying harbour moorings are not within easy range.

Since selling, the nearest I've come to buying again is in trailable territory. If I could haul out and store at home, I'd only pay to berth in summer months. The rest of the year she'd sit on the trailer, available for maintenance, not hosting barnacles and not bleeding me dry.

I've occasionally sailed a Centaur since 2019 and am not tempted now, largely for the reasons of cost which apply to so many yachts this size. I might more easily justify a much more comfortable boat whose berthing fee would be in reasonable proportion to the reward of ownership (and modest, relative to the scale of the purchase).

But I wonder about the mindset of he who buys a 'cheap' boat then pays £5 to £10 per day, every day forever, to berth her. There were and still are dozens where I berthed. Obmij must be right about simply liking it enough. I wouldn't have guessed till I tried, that I wasn't so keen.
 
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Greenheart said:
Did we only begin adding emojis to other people's posts since January 2019? There's so much wisdom across the original pages of this thread, I regret that no posts show my thumbs-up or other approval. Obmij's reply is especially acute, even if I didn't see it six years ago.

He summed up my purchase with the line 'the capital cost is pretty much a joining fee, the real cost is the mooring, upkeep and so on.' Unfortunately, I didn't agree that 'all [costs] are worth it because this is what we like to do'. Personally, I concluded that Solent berthing - paying as much as my Achilles 24's purchase price again each year, really wasn't worth it.

49062050507_4072f697e0_z.jpg


I recognise mine may be a localised objection because inexpensive swinging and drying harbour moorings are not within easy range.

Since selling, the nearest I've come to buying again is in trailable territory. If I could haul out and store at home, I'd only pay to berth in summer months. The rest of the year she'd sit on the trailer, available for maintenance, not hosting barnacles and not bleeding me dry.

I've occasionally sailed a Centaur since 2019 and am not tempted now, largely for the reasons of cost which apply to so many yachts this size. I might more easily justify a much more comfortable boat whose berthing fee would be in reasonable proportion to the reward of ownership (and modest, relative to the scale of the purchase).

But I wonder about the mindset of he who buys a 'cheap' boat then pays £5 to £10 per day, every day forever, to berth her. There were and still are dozens where I berthed. Obmij must be right about simply liking it enough. I wouldn't have guessed till I tried, that I wasn't so keen.
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Agree or disagree, that's a great post. 👍
 
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