Immaculate Westerly

[Daydream believer]

Horses for courses. The Centaur was the perfect boat for many owners and a lot here would have grown up shooed down their quarter berths.

It is what was available at the time.
Lots of people loved their Anglia, but the Tesla had not been invented then.
Not that I would want a Tesla now & if you gave me my Morgan back I would take it

 

[Daydream believer]

what a weird response. Trying to figure the motivation.
My motivation to post originally was that seeing such a lovely boat made me smile. So I thought I’d share.

It is not unusual to see old boats refurbished to high standards. I have seen stellas that look better than the new ones. The surveyor who examined my Stella after I spent 3 years working on it was very complimentary. There was a Centaur in our club that looked immaculate. But the owner rarely went anywhere. He said that on the mooring he could hear the bilge keel rattling as it rocked from side to side.
He solved it, of course because he was very handy at boat building having taken a 40ft hull fitted it out & sailed round the world.
The only reason I can see for you praising something that is fairly common, is that perhaps you are jealous because your own boat does not square up to decent standards. Stop looking & get a paint brush out.

 

[johnalison]

what a weird response. Trying to figure the motivation.

My motivation to post originally was that seeing such a lovely boat made me smile. So I thought I’d share.

Your analogy is ridiculous. Many people would be proud of a concours ford anglia and many others would enjoy looking at it. Which is why they can sell for a price over 5000% higher than their original purchase price. Which is lots more than inflation.

But it’s not a concours boat that can only go to shows, someone is enjoying it. I’m delighted about.

So what was your motivation just to have a moan? Jealousy maybe.

And sorry to call it out because yours wasn’t the only rediculous reply. Some suggested the boat was too nice to sail! Why can you be proud of your boat?

it seems scuttlbutt is populated by a majority of miserable old barstewards that are content to bob round in shit heaps.

I was only spreading the joy. Wish I hadn’t bothered. You lot can go back to enjoying your Blake’s toilets and hair shirts.

They aren’t necessarily miserable sods but more likely just a set of scruffs with no sense of pride, in the good sense. Your post gave me pleasure, as do all the owners of funny old boats who actually care about them. We should never be patronising about those with modest bats and modest aims. Anglias were pretty awful cars though.

 

[bitbaltic]

what a weird response. Trying to figure the motivation.

My motivation to post originally was that seeing such a lovely boat made me smile. So I thought I’d share.

Your analogy is ridiculous. Many people would be proud of a concours ford anglia and many others would enjoy looking at it. Which is why they can sell for a price over 5000% higher than their original purchase price. Which is lots more than inflation.

But it’s not a concours boat that can only go to shows, someone is enjoying it. I’m delighted about.

So what was your motivation just to have a moan? Jealousy maybe.

And sorry to call it out because yours wasn’t the only rediculous reply. Some suggested the boat was too nice to sail! Why can you be proud of your boat?

it seems scuttlbutt is populated by a majority of miserable old barstewards that are content to bob round in shit heaps.

I was only spreading the joy. Wish I hadn’t bothered. You lot can go back to enjoying your Blake’s toilets and hair shirts.

Agreed. Fourteen years with a blasting, small cruiser-racer, a wife who can never quite get up to speed (port is not starboard even after 14 years of trying to make it so) and two kids 10 years apart which means you always have a small child onboard, can change a man’s perspective.

I wouldn’t swap for a Centaur but if I’d started with one I think I wouldn’t now miss the boat I have…

Oh and yeah, it’s always- always- immaculate.

 

[Cerebus]

Some people like to bob around serenely rather than blast across the waves.

I liked the Anglia; cute window winding handles and ash trays that pivoted into a recess.

I liked the shape too.

I would like a good conditioned one to drive for a bit sedately.

 

[Elessar]

It is not unusual to see old boats refurbished to high standards. I have seen stellas that look better than the new ones. The surveyor who examined my Stella after I spent 3 years working on it was very complimentary. There was a Centaur in our club that looked immaculate. But the owner rarely went anywhere. He said that on the mooring he could hear the bilge keel rattling as it rocked from side to side.
He solved it, of course because he was very handy at boat building having taken a 40ft hull fitted it out & sailed round the world.
The only reason I can see for you praising something that is fairly common, is that perhaps you are jealous because your own boat does not square up to decent standards. Stop looking & get a paint brush out.

I told you why I shared it so I don’t welcome being called a liar by your contrary assumptions.
I shared because it made me smile. A 40 year old boat looking that good isn’t “fairly common” either.
Go back to your hair shirt.

 

[Daydream believer]

I told you why I shared it so I don’t welcome being called a liar by your contrary assumptions.
I shared because it made me smile. A 40 year old boat looking that good isn’t “fairly common” either.
Go back to your hair shirt.

You need to get out a bit & look around you.

 

[Stemar]

Different horse for different courses. I'm glad we don't all like the same things. C's S doesn't like Centaurs, and I'm sure he isn't alone. I wouldn't want his Tri, and I'm sure I'm not alone. They're different boats designed to meet different needs.

Like Elessar, I can admire something that's old, but in exceptional condition, whether it's a boat - of any kind, a car - likewise, or anything else, for that matter. AIUI, it wasn't the make of boat that caught his eye, but the condition, but a boat doesn't have to have a load of money spent on her to look good, just a load of time and effort. It's called pride of ownership. Why would that be a good thing on a new boat, but a bad thing on an old one?

Doubtless, money's been spent on that boat too, to keep her equipment up to scratch, but we're all doing that, like it or not, so we're safe out there.

 

[benjenbav]

In almost all cases a sailing boat is the worst way to get from A to B. Slow, uncomfortable and expensive.

But the absolute joy of sailing, the sea always different and the serendipity - I don’t have a boat these days for excellent reasons but, in another universe…

Whatever floats and sails has some magic built in.

Seeing an example that has also been well-loved makes me smile too.

 

[Graham376]

Horses, you say. It was only ever half of a horse. The arse end, in fact.

2,400+ built so plenty of folks liked them, including myself.

 

[lustyd]

Some suggested the boat was too nice to sail!

If you’re referring to my post that wasn’t my point at all. Boats that are sailed will sustain damage. Constantly. My point was that if it was sailed it wouldn’t look immaculate without considerable effort. So much so that I think it’s a choice of one or the other. If you sail a boat it will wear out.

For the record mine was like new when I bought it (at 20 years old) and I’ve ruined it by using it heavily

 

[Chiara’s slave]

2,400+ built so plenty of folks liked them, including myself.

That was meant as a joke btw, a centaur being a mythical creature with the head, shoulders and arms of a human, and body and arse of a horse.

 

[Graham376]

That was meant as a joke btw, a centaur being a mythical creature with the head, shoulders and arms of a human, and body and arse of a horse.

Reminds me of an ex girlfriend when she grew older, lucky escape.

 

[doug748]

Isn’t it a bit like having an immaculate Ford Anglia though? That was never a brilliant boat, just an affordable also ran. Historical interest perhaps, but I can’t see the point. Like Lusty says, you could spend all your time fettling instead of sailing. There’s a balance.

Very odd. I doubt many people feel a Dragonfly is the touchstone of desirability either but are generally too polite to say so.

.

 

[Supertramp]

2,400+ built so plenty of folks liked them, including myself.

It's a Westerly Pageant, the Centaur has a step in the coachroof. Only 500 of them made so they add rarity value to the mix.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Very odd. I doubt many people feel a Dragonfly is the touchstone of desirability either but are generally too polite to say so.

.

Oddly, away from this place, they do. The reason there are only 600 odd Dragonflys in our size, current and previoys 30 footers, is that a new one costs 250k, all in. Lots of people want one, not so many are prepared to pay that for a ‘small’ 30 ft boat. Good second hand ones are still quite pricy. My dislike of centuars has nothing to do with money though, they’re just pretty rubbish sailers. And there are heaps of used 26 footers anyone could buy instead, that do almost everything better, for the same sort of money.

 

[SaltyC]

Oddly, away from this place, they do. The reason there are only 600 odd Dragonflys in our size, current and previoys 30 footers, is that a new one costs 250k, all in. Lots of people want one, not so many are prepared to pay that for a ‘small’ 30 ft boat. Good second hand ones are still quite pricy. My dislike of centuars has nothing to do with money though, they’re just pretty rubbish sailers. And there are heaps of used 26 footers anyone could buy instead, that do almost everything better, for the same sort of money.

From memory, in its day, the Centsur sailed well for a production cruiser and had good accommodation. It certainly sailed better than tge Westerly 23 I sailed in the late 60's - it went as fast sideways as forwards!

I have never sailed a performance yacht only cruising boats, some quite sprightly, I like my comfort and reasonable performance.

Would I buy a Centaur, probably not, I do however have a soft spot for a boat that broke tge mould and introduced many families to sailing.

I also appreciate an old boat / car that has been cherished and cared for.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

From memory, in its day, the Centsur sailed well for a production cruiser and had good accommodation. It certainly sailed better than tge Westerly 23 I sailed in the late 60's - it went as fast sideways as forwards!

I have never sailed a performance yacht only cruising boats, some quite sprightly, I like my comfort and reasonable performance.

Would I buy a Centaur, probably not, I do however have a soft spot for a boat that broke tge mould and introduced many families to sailing.

I also appreciate an old boat / car that has been cherished and cared for.

Fair enough. And tbh, many other boats from that era have dated just as badly. Maybe it’s just that for me the Centuar was the poster child for the genre of built down to a price family cruisers. I guess they deserve a little respect for getting more people afloat, though I recall my father looking at them, and their ilk, and deciding he’d rather buy a serious dinghy.

 

[johnalison]

From memory, in its day, the Centsur sailed well for a production cruiser and had good accommodation. It certainly sailed better than tge Westerly 23 I sailed in the late 60's - it went as fast sideways as forwards!

I have never sailed a performance yacht only cruising boats, some quite sprightly, I like my comfort and reasonable performance.

Would I buy a Centaur, probably not, I do however have a soft spot for a boat that broke tge mould and introduced many families to sailing.

I also appreciate an old boat / car that has been cherished and cared for.

The Centaur has quite an impressive Portsmouth handicap. I think the factory had spruced up one boat to racing trim with posh sails and campaigned it with a crack team to get it down because it was quite unrealistic in terms of our fleet. The Centaur followed Westerly policy of having a long waterline, which gave it a reasonable cruising performance for its size. I only once sailed one for a few hours and found it very stodgy on the helm, but perhaps no more so than my friend’s bilge-keel Trapper 501.

 

[Bouba]

Spotted this getting into my car. How old is it? Knocking on the door of 40? Puts my boat to shame! Credit to the owner.
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I always think to myself when I see one of these meticulous people polishing their boat....you couldn’t do that if you had my shoulders