Classic GRP Yachts; this is mine, where is yours?

[Aardee]

Is a Centaur a classic?

If the Morris Minor is a classic car, the Centaur is a classic yacht I guess...

 

[tomfb630]

My last boat, had her for 21 years. Designed 1978 but this one launched 1990. the Alan F Hill designed Biscay 36.View attachment 84803

Congratulations Goldie. I think you might have the last one made! I am considering buying one albeit the sloop version. Any experiences you would like to share particularly re long distance sailing, wind vane, and singlehanded sailing would be of interest. Thanks. Tom

 

[Koeketiene]

Koeketiene underway.
Standfast 36 - 1977.

Picture taken earlier this Summer off Pointe Barfleur (on my way to Cherbourg).

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

Koeketiene underway.
Standfast 36 - 1977.

Picture taken earlier this Summer off Pointe Barfleur (on my way to Cherbourg).

View attachment 96589

Beautiful looking yacht and very much a classic, I bet it sails very well too

 

[Koeketiene]

Beautiful looking yacht and very much a classic, I bet it sails very well too

Thank you.
Every day she continues to exceed my wildest expectations.
It may not have been love at first sight, but she's turning out to be a very pleasant surprise.
My only regret is that I didn't buy her sooner.

 

[[178529]]

If the Morris Minor is a classic car, the Centaur is a classic yacht I guess...

I think more along the lines of a Marina. In it's heyday the Centaur was seen as a nice, solid, caravan equivelant family sailing boat. Performs reasonably well, safe and something that many, many families had enormous fun in.

But it didn't get the fires buring with desire, or even raise a semi.

I can see a gk24 or gk29 from the same era being classics. I can see a Sonata. A sadler 29 or 32 becoming a future classic. But not really a centaur. As with cars they had to be so, so desirable in their prime.

 

[Easticks28]

Well there is some tree there, but the hull and decks are GRP mouldings.

 

[LittleSister]

View attachment 96592
Well there is some tree there, but the hull and decks are GRP mouldings.

I had the same yellow stripey buoyancy aid. A classic!

 

[LittleSister]

In it's heyday the Centaur was seen as a nice, solid, caravan equivelant family sailing boat.

I think your view may be a little clouded by hindsight. I would have thought that in its heyday it would have been seen as nearer the acme of family cruising, for all those family sailing in Leisure 17s, plywood Silhouettes, Westerly 22s, etc., and contenting themselves with aspiring to a Pageant or whatever.

P.S. And they are said to sail much better than you would have thought, and certainly better than some of the competition.

 

[Laminar Flow]

I think more along the lines of a Marina. In it's heyday the Centaur was seen as a nice, solid, caravan equivelant family sailing boat. Performs reasonably well, safe and something that many, many families had enormous fun in.

But it didn't get the fires buring with desire, or even raise a semi.

I can see a gk24 or gk29 from the same era being classics. I can see a Sonata. A sadler 29 or 32 becoming a future classic. But not really a centaur. As with cars they had to be so, so desirable in their prime.

Give it time. It took more than three quarters of a century for the Ford Model T to be considered a "classic". Sometimes it takes a while for that emotional connection to be found.

Once the current drive for all-out efficiency has burned itself out and created the evolutionaryly inevitable look of sameness, perhaps the boxy style of the Centaur will be considered excitingly "retro".

 

[C08]

Production of boats using fibreglass technology has been around since the 60''s. Nowadays, many of these boats are considered as classic designs with classic appearance. This is my Macwester sloop 31ft built in 1971 and still going strong.View attachment 73989View attachment 73990

When I had a 1970 Macwester 26 in the early 90's I used to lust after a Wight or Malin. I nearly bought a black hulled Wight at Conwy but the vendor spoiled the sale by telling my wife that she could make good money by using it to spread ashes on the waters, as he did. He was not a born salesman. Boats of character and solidly(mostly) built that have survived 50 years very well.

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

When I had a 1970 Macwester 26 in the early 90's I used to lust after a Wight or Malin. I nearly bought a black hulled Wight at Conwy but the vendor spoiled the sale by telling my wife that she could make good money by using it to spread ashes on the waters, as he did. He was not a born salesman. Boats of character and solidly(mostly) built that have survived 50 years very well.

The Macwesters are solid construction and definitely a classic. I sold my Macwester but the person I sold it to sank it on the rocks on the way to Ireland.

 

[Stemar]

deleted

 

[Goldie]

Congratulations Goldie. I think you might have the last one made! I am considering buying one albeit the sloop version. Any experiences you would like to share particularly re long distance sailing, wind vane, and singlehanded sailing would be of interest. Thanks. Tom

Tom,

Firstly, welcome aboard and feel free to send me a Private Message if you have any specific queries on the Biscay 36. As for the questions you’ve posed here, they’re a great boat for long distance sailing and at least one has circumnavigated whilst many more have completed transatlantics including my own boat, albeit with the subsequent owner (sadly!). The long keel aids directional stability, the tanks are low down in the keel keeping C of G low and freeing up all the under bunk space for storage - all exactly as it should be IMHO. The winches are forward of the wheel and not practical to use from the helm so a good autopilot or wind vane is essential. We had a Monitor vane year (excellent), others have had Hydrovanes (excellent on my current boat) and still others have had Aries. 2 of the 3 Biscays in the GGR retired with self steering failures but that was another make entirely. The vane is usually higher than the mizzen boom so remember to tilt it back before tacking or gybing although on the occasions I forgot, there was no harm done. On the ketch, the mizzen staysail is worth it’s weight in gold, but obviously not an option on the sloop. Technically, I haven’t single-handed the Biscay, but with 40,000 nm two-up, the on watch is effectively single-handing and I don’t recall ever having to call the off watch on deck to help. The biggest negative I can think of is close quarters manoeuvring, especially in astern but this is a trait of most long keeled boats and not an issue if you don’t frequent marinas too much.

Ours was the last one launched for many years but a new build sloop was launched a couple of years ago and is lying unused due to a sad change of circumstances. Is this the one you’re interested in?

Fair winds,

Ian

 

[tomfb630]

Hi Ian, many thanks for your reply and my apologies for this late one, I have only just realised yours was there. I'm pleased to hear your positive views on the Biscay. I'm familiar with the vagaries of long Keeler's going astern with my current boat an Elizabethan 33 so that will not come as a shock! I've seen one already which was a bit disappointing but am seeing another next week which sounds great, so fingers crossed. I wasn't aware of the unused one you mention but suspect she will be outside my price range.

 

[Goldie]

Hi Ian, many thanks for your reply and my apologies for this late one, I have only just realised yours was there. I'm pleased to hear your positive views on the Biscay. I'm familiar with the vagaries of long Keeler's going astern with my current boat an Elizabethan 33 so that will not come as a shock! I've seen one already which was a bit disappointing but am seeing another next week which sounds great, so fingers crossed. I wasn't aware of the unused one you mention but suspect she will be outside my price range.

well worth hanging out for a good one I think, because the cost of getting a ‘project’ up to scratch could easily exceed the purchase price. Good luck.

 

[Mei Mac]

My Carter 35. Built in 1976. This was Dick Carter’s own boat which inspired the ‘Ragtime’ series of Carter cruiser/racers.

 

[cherod]

Fundamental question that everybody has chosen to ignore so far.
It can’t just be a question of age, there must be more to it.
Let me try to suggest a few aspects:
- typical of its era, a good example of what was considered a good, seaworthy vessel, well built using the materials and techniques available at the time
- belonging to a period in the past, otherwise it is not possible to judge what is typical of that period
- to many, Classic will have overtones of elegance, beauty and desirability, hence the distinction betwee typical and classic

Of course, this is opening a can of worms, for who is going to judge that boat A is just typical, whereas boat B is a ‘true classic’?

As far as I am concerned, a Rival 34 is a true plastic classic

beautiful

 

[cherod]

Lots of nice GRP 'classics' in this thread. This is mine, a Peter Brett Rival 41C built by Southern Boat Building at Woolston in 1973.

DSCF2656 by Rival Sailor, on Flickr

lovely

 

[cherod]

Outremer 40 lite ?? good fast boats .