Centaur prices

Twister_Ken said:
Just looked at the pix for the latest revelation…

1335789900_366038936_4-Westerly-CENTAUR-26-Vehicles.jpg


Strikes me that the lump of green metal as well as being a means of propulsion (or not) may also form a substantial part of the ballast, helping keep the beastie on its feet.

If removed, should some compensating weight be added low down?
Click to expand...

ballast is cheap

for starters I am planning on carrying a spare outboard - three domestic batteries - the space will make a handy dog kennel - the vented stern locker will be full of fuel cans, I thought I might put a nice park bench across the stern

if the boat does not come back on her lines then I can always do what the old Humber Yawl blub sailors used to do and that is to put a few bags of beach gravel in the bilges.

Heck the boat might go even better without the 250kg lump.

There are a few quotes here from an American who ran Centaur with the an outboard on the stern

http://www.keepturningleft.co.uk/scuttlebutt/moving-a-centaur/



"I purchased my Centaur used without the original Volvo inboard, so my only experience with it, is with the outboard motor. I think the outboard is a compromise to an original inboard for a few reasons I have used a 9.9hp outboard motor, which is adequate, but I think minimal for my particular inland coastal sailing area. It is hung off the stern with a typical store-bought outboard motor bracket.



The prop will also be out of the water when healing if you’re power-sailing. On the positive side, the boat can be maneuvered quite well in tight areas, like docking, by swiveling the outboard and rudder at the same time, both forward and reverse. This same method works well in helping to wiggle out of shallow water.



The biggest problem I’ve encountered is in rough seas, when the boat is pitching violently fore and aft, that the prop is sometimes out of the water and then the motor is totally submerged. This is an extreme case, but not fun when you need the thrust of the motor most. The other negative is having to reach over the stern to operate the controls. Also, I can only assume that the boat would handle differently (better) with the ballast of the original engine in the bilge, where it belongs, "


D
 
dylanwinter said:
Madharry put his Centaur up for sale on ebay at the end of last month

the auction ended dec 5 with the highest offer being £4,700

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281214821368?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649


the yacht did not fetch the unknown reserve price

it was re-offered over christmas and ended tonight

the top offer was £4,000

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281230658027?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649


where to next I wonder?

D
Click to expand...

I don't expect he will have much trouble getting £6/7000 for it in a few weeks time when spring arrives & people actually want to go sailing.

It's hard not to see you as just generating publicity Dylan because even if you got an old wreck for peanuts now it would take nothing much short of a miracle to get it ready to do what you say you want to do with it this year.
 
Nicholas123 said:
I don't expect he will have much trouble getting £6/7000 for it in a few weeks time when spring arrives & people actually want to go sailing.

It's hard not to see you as just generating publicity Dylan because even if you got an old wreck for peanuts now it would take nothing much short of a miracle to get it ready to do what you say you want to do with it this year.
Click to expand...

failure is always around the corner

time will tell

but for the time being I am with the fat spekkie yank

http://www.keepturningleft.co.uk/scuttlebutt/theodore-roosevelt/

D
 
Last edited:
ronmarson said:
I looked at the Centaur but thought they were generally over priced, so I got the best Macwester 27 that I could find.
Same idea, built like a brick outhouse, bilge keels, old Volvo and it sails quite well. Don't be put off the Macwester 27 by the reputation of the earlier 26 which was a drifter.
RoN
Click to expand...

Nice looking boat as well, made prettier by the price :encouragement: Sailed well over to Poole Ron.

Can't believe you still havn't found one yet Dylan, there seem to be so many about, you'd think there would be quite a few this time of year unless people are asking too much for them. It takes a while but eventually people realise they need to drop a few grand to sell!
 
Last edited:
dylanwinter said:
sorry

I am new to all this sailing and fettling malarky and have very little actual experience of either

dreaming is good surely

Dylan
Click to expand...

I suspect you actually don't have much experience of the 'fettling malarky' or you would'nt be expecting to get a boat for what you are prepared to pay & have it up & running in order to do what you intend to do with it this summer.You completely underestimate the amount of work involved Dylan!
Spend a few more bob & stop faffing about Dylan! Either that or dream of winning the pools ;)

Sorry to be so blunt but it is agony listening to you with all the speculation.
 
Last edited:
sorry

Nicholas123 said:
I suspect you actually don't have much experience of the 'fettling malarky' or you would'nt be expecting to get a boat for what you are prepared to pay & have it up & running in order to do what you intend to do with it this summer.You completely underestimate the amount of work involved Dylan!
Spend a few more bob & stop faffing about Dylan! Either that or dream of winning the pools ;)

Sorry to be so blunt but it is agony listening to you with all the speculation.
Click to expand...

deepest apologies for causing you such agony

D
 
Buy the best you can afford, saves time and money in the long run. I don't suppose there is much price difference between a good and knackered Centaur 3-4K maybe. It's worth taking on extra work doing anything rather than go through the cost/hassle of doing up a near lemon.

A guy behind me in the yard bought a long keel 28' something for 3K sounded a bargain but he had to completely rebuild the cabin, do ALL the electrics and finally what he left to last was the old engine. Realising his worst fears it was knackered. He bought another but it was shagged also. He forked out 5k for a new engine in the end. Hats off to the guy he had a nightmare doing it all and it took him a year most weekends to do it BUT he saw it though. Would he do it again NO chance and whats the boat worth about? 4-5K. It's the same with classic cars, buy one already done that someone has had the grief and expense of doing up.

If that guy had spent the man hours he did on extra work instead of on the boat he could have got himself a real beauty instead he's left with working to pay off his engine!!

Good luck with whatever you get though Dylan, many of us have been their, dreams/passion takes over sometimes. I've restored a car from the ground up before - thank god you don't know what's in front of you when you start these things - never again...
 
Last edited:
thanks

thanks for your best wishes - Zagato

any Centaur at 4K will have a shagged engine or one that is very likely to shag itself in the very near future

At 7K you start to get ones that have been -re-engined

not sure

http://chichester.boatshed.com/westerly_centaur-boat-165040.html

but are a bit tired inside

buy it and sail it

If I go down the well route and bought some of the boats I have been looking at

Electrics can all be replaced with a single 12 volt socket and AA batteries - so no work there


cooking will be Origo - no work there

Plumbing - bucket and chuck it and water containers - no work there

upholstery Jill will make it acceptable

Headlining - batten if poss - if not rip it out - 1 day

pressure wash and antifoul - 1 day

lower mast and replace standing rigging where needed - 1 day

remove old engine - 1 day

cut well and make and dry assemble well - 1 day

Wessex resins man sticks it together 1 day

start sea trials




call me optimistic if you will

but it is probably better to be optimistic than pessimistic

No money will be spent on putting lipstick on a pig

Dylan.winter@virgin.net
 
Last edited:
dylanwinter said:
http://chichester.boatshed.com/westerly_centaur-boat-165040.html

but are a bit tired inside

buy it and sail it
Click to expand...

Yep, what's not to like? Modern reliable engine, rope cutter, simple systems, meths cooker, paraffin heater ...

Ok so the sails will be tired but that's a given and they'll be no worse than the sails on anything cheaper

And at the end of the year you'll get most if not all of your money back

Honestly? You know it makes sense!

Bru
Devils Advocate Services
Somewhere in the Midlands
All crazy projects considered and trashed, no idea too big, no concept too small

PS. I assume you blew out matey boy in Tollesbury sight unseen?
 
Well that one looks OK, especially with a 2006 engine, offer him 5.5k with all the faults you find and settle on 6-7K - job done :encouragement: It's a lot of boat for your money. I have just sold my scruffy old Drascombe Drifter for the same amount. Somebodies half done project I couldn't be bothered to finish!
 
Zagato said:
It's the same with classic cars, buy one already done that someone has had the grief and expense of doing up.
Click to expand...

Many of us actually enjoy working on boats and classic cars. It took me a year just to put together my immaculate Triumph Herald convertible, and cost quite a lot more than a good one would have, but that's not the point. Rebuilding it was enormous fun.

That's not to knock those who prefer to buy new or with the work done, but theirs is not the only way.
 
Nicholas123 said:
I suspect you actually don't have much experience of the 'fettling malarky' or you would'nt be expecting to get a boat for what you are prepared to pay & have it up & running in order to do what you intend to do with it this summer.You completely underestimate the amount of work involved Dylan!
Spend a few more bob & stop faffing about Dylan! Either that or dream of winning the pools ;)

Sorry to be so blunt but it is agony listening to you with all the speculation.
Click to expand...

Instant cure for your agony - stop reading the thread. I'm enjoying the chase, this may be a problem you personally would throw money at but there is a tradition of blokes sorting stuff out without the big cheque book. Instant gratification of an idea one day and buying it the next isn't everyone's cup of tea.
 
We need a notice pinned to the top of the thread:

"Warning. Not a usual boat purchase thread. Temporary summer sailing and spartan camping accommodation only. Boat: Centaur only. Budget £2k max. Please read the thread before naysaying to see if your particular point has been raised and answered already. Centaur hunting encouraged."

:)
 
they come up all the time

Zagato said:
Well that one looks OK, especially with a 2006 engine, offer him 5.5k with all the faults you find and settle on 6K - job done :encouragement: It's a lot of boat for your money. I have just sold my scruffy old Drascombe Drifter for the same amount. Somebodies half done project I couldn't be bothered to finish!
Click to expand...

boats like that come up all the time

this one is bang in the middle

there are around 25 Centaurs on the market at the moment - prices ranging from 3K to 13K

I can always buy one of those at any time

there is no advantage to be had from buying it early because it requires no work so I can buy it in April and sail it straight away

right now I do not have the 7K but I can get it by ebaying some camera gear

Right now I do have the 2K though, I have the time and the inclination and I have an engine on offer if I can make it work.

as for the length of these threads...


It is great that people question my logic and my sanity - they highlight the pitfalls of Plan A

- and there are many in Plan A and people point them out to me

the main strength of |Plan A it has is that it is currently the cheapest option

however, we all have different amounts of money available and resources that we can throw at sailing

right now I have time - but not oodles of ready cash


besides.... I think that Plan A might be more interesting than just chucking 10K at the project

there are quite a few people curious about the project

buying an old Centaur is soemthing that happens 300 times a year


Dylan
 
Last edited:
dylanwinter said:
as for the length of these threads...

right now I have time - but not oodles of ready cash


Dylan
Click to expand...

Could you not use all this time to earn some extra dosh. Looks like 4K would do it. No better motivator to do some evening or jobs on the side to save up the shortfall for a new toy :encouragement: 3-4 months graft would do it... just in time for the season to begin.
 
Zagato said:
Could you not use all this time to earn some extra dosh. Looks like 4K would do it. No better motivator to do some evening or jobs on the side to save up the shortfall for a new toy :encouragement: 3-4 months graft would do it... just in time for the season to begin.
Click to expand...

Oh, C'mon, Chris, this is Dylan, he's Medja, don't mention the W**k word, and as for the G-word, and common sense, it would interfere with the Saga/current tale of woe write up/ video/dvd. :biggrin-new:
Saw and d/w enough of them in my last posting before retirement, just let him get on with it, not worth powder and shot-:devilish:

How are things?
Dick
 
dylanwinter said:
boats like that come up all the time

this one is bang in the middle

there are around 25 Centaurs on the market at the moment - prices ranging from 3K to 13K

I can always buy one of those at any time

there is no advantage to be had from buying it early because it requires no work so I can buy it in April and sail it straight away

right now I do not have the 7K but I can get it by ebaying some camera gear

Right now I do have the 2K though, I have the time and the inclination and I have an engine on offer if I can make it work.

as for the length of these threads...


It is great that people question my logic and my sanity - they highlight the pitfalls of Plan A

- and there are many in Plan A and people point them out to me

the main strength of |Plan A it has is that it is currently the cheapest option

however, we all have different amounts of money available and resources that we can throw at sailing

right now I have time - but not oodles of ready cash


besides.... I think that Plan A might be more interesting than just chucking 10K at the project

there are quite a few people curious about the project

buying an old Centaur is soemthing that happens 300 times a year


Dylan
Click to expand...

My advice would be with Zagato's.
All forms of common dog would suggest it is much wiser.
Except the real truth is buying a boat of any type is just plain daft.

If I was wise I would not have bought a boat.

I'm still hoping you give plan A go.
It will be interesting to see if it works.

If you can't find the right tub in time go with plan B you will still enjoy your summer and make a good film.
You can always resurrect plan A at a later date
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top