Cheap Centaur

[pvb]

At £800 I think she is overpriced by approximately £1,800. Sorry.

Have to agree. Having seen the video of inside, the boat is a wreck. For what it would cost you to put it right, you could go out and buy a decent example in full working order.

 

[Graham376]

Having had a Centaur, I would run away from that one. It's an early boat (shrouds, hatch and lack of skeg are the clues) and scrap, costing as others have said a lot more to renovate than buying a "sail away" one for not much money.

 

[Baggywrinkle]

Run Forrest, Run!!!! ? ? ?

 

[raven]

THAT is not a cheap Centaur. THIS is a cheap Centaur.....relatively speaking!

Westerly Centaur for sale UK, Westerly boats for sale, Westerly used boat sales, Westerly Sailing Yachts For Sale WESTERLY CENTAUR - Apollo Duck

 

[Wansworth]

But is that rudder orca proof?

 

[TC Tuckton]

The photo shows a lot of surface rust on the engine but this may not be terminal. Someone has cared enough to put a ? Vetus water trap on the exhaust and they may have serviced the engine in the recent past. What colour is the oil? Clean is best, black is OK but oil mixed with water is a no-no. Another quick check would be to test the compression. If you can turn it over easily by hand that's not a good sign. If the compression is good and it starts willingly you may have a keeper.
How much would it cost to keep the boat where it is while you sort it out? Is there lekkie and water?
How did the water get into the cabin? Can you fix that? It may not be up to the bulkhead base but if it came in through the windows that is a major challenge.
How much will a mooring cost?

If you go for it you're welcome to my old mainsail. (1978-2012)

 

[Zagato]

But is that rudder orca proof?

Should never have free,d Willie, there is a whole generation of Orcas out for revenge now

 

[FlyingGoose]

keep orcas out of it never did you any harm
Give then 100 pounds do the work yourself get second hand stuff, keep it in a cheap yard , get a nice boat afterwards .
Time is your enemy it will take a lot of time and energy , but if you have it go for it.
sewing machines , power tools, and your onto a good one,

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I second what people have said about the bulkheads. It's difficult to see, but in the first video, the bottom of the forward bulkhead looks seriously discoloured at the bottom. If that's rot or delamination or anything else that affects the strength of the wood, it will be a MAJOR job to make her seaworthy. Bulkheads provide essential strengthening and maintain the shape of the hull.

Is the water inside fresh or salt? If the former, don't walk, run away - fresh water is death to woodwork.

 

[Mark-1]

Agree with the run away comments. Even if you *want* a project buy a good one and do the jobs you enjoy doing at your own chosen pace, there will be enough, I promise!

 

[Brentwales]

Not worth £800. I wouldn't pay anything for that. What a state, they must be chancing it asking £800 for that.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

A new engine is £4500, two new sails perhaps £2000, new radio instrument and electrics maybe £500. And then theres the fitting costs and general refurb. Turn and Flee.

The hull is worth nothing, just a disposal liability

 

[Baggywrinkle]

I think this is a bit of a bargain .... not a centaur but a great price and doesn't look too shabby ....

Sadler Yachts 26

 

[pvb]

I think this is a bit of a bargain .... not a centaur but a great price and doesn't look too shabby ....

Sadler Yachts 26

Very droll! The real asking price is £12999, and there are lots of Sadler 26s on the market at lower prices.

 

[Romeo]

I think this is a bit of a bargain .... not a centaur but a great price and doesn't look too shabby ....

Sadler Yachts 26

Correct, and has the inspiring line "Night Jar' had her engine re-placed with a 24hp new Beta in 2014." I would always be keen to let someone else have the expense of replacing an engine. It is slightly depressing though that we are such a throw away society that it is better to scrap a soundish hull mast and spars than to do some work to get a boat back sailing again.

I have just completed a totally uneconomic refurb of an old boat. Would have been much cheaper to buy a good quality second hand modern boat but could not just burn a boat that had been in my family for decades. Difficult to love a boat from the 70s/80s in that way though.

 

[V1701]

All boats, especially those of a certain age, are effectively projects anyway in that a significant amount of time and money must be spent on maintenance and upkeep every year. Most of us do most of this work ourselves, many of us enjoy doing some maintenance and improvement work, those with deeper pockets pay other people to do some or all of it for them. All boat jobs take way more time and often significantly more money than we imagine. Unless you're not bothered about going sailing at least for next year, if the engine is viable and if you're definitely the sort of person who likes a big project to get their teeth into then maybe do the current owner a favour and take it off their hands for nothing. I certainly don't think it's worth £800. Otherwise look for a viable boat which you can get nowadays for less than £5k, they take some hunting out but they are out there...

 

[pvb]

I certainly don't think it's worth £800. Otherwise look for a viable boat which you can get nowadays for less than £5k, they take some hunting out but they are out there...

Half-decent Centaurs go for around £2-3K.

 

[WoodyP]

If only I had asked the forum in 2004 before I bought my yacht. One other forumite described her as mint, and was really disappointed to have lost out on her. By the time the engine gearbox and running gear had been replaced, it seemed like a good idea to get new sails, and a spray hood, radio, chart plotter and other electrics, oh, and the anchor could do with an upgrade, and the stove and gas isn't safe, and so it went on and on. I still have her and am happy with her, but economic? NO No NO!

 

[jamie N]

Ask yourself, "Do I want to go sailing, or to go fixing?"
If it's the former, then buy a different boat.
If it's the latter, then buy a different boat AND an old Land Rover to do-up.

 

[chrishscorp]

I looked at a Centaur in worse condition than that 5 years ago, make an offer they said, £500 was what they took for it, but not from me.

This one, 2 things
1. is that bulkhead rotted and the one going into the forecabin ? they are veneered ply the formica veneer sometimes comes off but is the ply sound ?
2. does that engine run ? What engine is it ? you need to be able to run it if you wish to purchase, even at that money.

IF the bulkheads are sound AND the engine runs and it is ideally not the original volvo, it could be worth a look. If they are duff WALK away
The mast needs to be straight look up the sail track, should be straight. (badly adjusted rigging can skew it off)
Standing and running rigging will cost you £1100
If the sails are servicable great, the genoa could just be very badly rolled after coming loose, unroll it and find out. New they will cost you £1800
The keel bolts are not a weakness, the keel stubbs are the issue. you need to have strengthening webs glassed in there.
Where the main stays come down to the deck, is the deck flat or is it distorting ? an easy fix.
Mast base on the coachroof is it flat ? a metal straightedge will tell you, again fixable

somebody has spent money on it in the past there are 3 non standard winches and fittings there.

Boats are starting to come out of the water in the next several months there will be a few more come up local to you im sure. When i looked i only looked at them which had had a new engine fitted. I got mine with a new Beta 20 with 320 hrs on the clock for £4k i put on new rigging and did a hundred and one jobs to her, she was a project and she will happily take me cross channel and we have had her out in gusting 38Kts she will take more than we will.

You can always PM me if you want