Re-engined Centaur

[dylanwinter]

I have been looking at Centaur adverts and noticed that they have been re-engined with an astonsihing range of units

I wondered if anyone has any advice about which ones to see out and which ones to avoid

I notice that the price of second hand Centaurs appears to be falling

It looks as though I have a three month filming job in New Zealand on cattle stations coming up.... not complaining at all but I have started taunting myself by looking at adverts as a way of mentally rewarding myself for having to live in the back of a van on the other side of the planet for 90 nights

Most of the adverts appear to show pictures of the keel bolts

how can I tell the difference between a good picture of a keel bolt and a bad one

and what happens if a keel falls off - how fast dooes a centaur sink or is it a survivable incident

a few have the pox - is that a very, very, very bad thing

any other obvious reason why one Centaur costs £6,000 and another costs £10,000

the ones I have been looking at are on Boatshed -

If I did buy one I would replace the genoa with a red one in homage to the slug

Dylan

 

[NUTMEG]

Don't rule out...

The Westerly Warwick or the W21 (it's posher cousin). Standing headroom, comfy cabin, sail well, very well built, no keelbolt issue, safe and trustworthy in a bit of a blow and about £4000 gets a nice one. The Paegents are better sailors, look like a centaur but only 23'.

 

[dylanwinter]

westerly forum

perhaps I should post this on a westerly forum

which one?


D

 

[shatnersbassoon]

http://www.westerly-owners.co.uk/

We looked at a centaur before buying our Pageant.
£6000 would have bought us a ropey Centaur, but we ended up with a nicely sorted Pageant for that money.

 

[sailor211]

The price will depend on the condition, as you should expect.

I have seen some that were near delerict, new engine, new floor boards, new trim, new sails so a old hull andd mast everything else less than 5 years old. Must be worth more than a well loved in origional xcondition or a poorley maintained exaple.

Keel joints have been a problem on Westerlys hulls reinforced etc.

Worth looking st WOA site

 

[JimC]

http://www.westerly-owners.co.uk/

We looked at a centaur before buying our Pageant.
£6000 would have bought us a ropey Centaur, but we ended up with a nicely sorted Pageant for that money.

I've been told by people who know their Westerlies that the Pageant is the better sailer too.

 

[dylanwinter]

there is another reason

There are an awful lot of Centaurs around

If I could sell a KTL dvd to every centaur owner

or even half of them.....

although on that basis I should be buying a MacGregor

Dylan

 

[JimC]

Dylan, won't you miss being able to run your boat straight onto the beach or bank and jump ashore dry-shod. You'll be into tenders and all the hassle that goes with them.

 

[Farrelley]

There are an awful lot of Centaurs around

If I could sell a KTL dvd to every centaur owner

or even half of them.....

although on that basis I should be buying a MacGregor

Dylan

Stop faffing and press the big blue button called 'buy it now' and then I will buy a DVD

Neil

 

[dylanwinter]

got to earn

Stop faffing and press the big blue button called 'buy it now' and then I will buy a DVD

Neil

got to earn the money first

d

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

perhaps I should post this on a westerly forum

which one?


D

Why Centaur? have you considered anything else such as Macwester 26, 27 or 28; very good value for money, bilge keels and low draft.

 

[davidej]

Two/ three cylinder Betas seem a popular choice for re-engining. The original VP's (md2? ) were unnecissarily powerful.

As to keel bolts -look if there is any sign of rust/ seepage.

 

[dylanwinter]

yes

Why Centaur? have you considered anything else such as Macwester 26, 27 or 28; very good value for money, bilge keels and low draft.

right size, right headroom, lots of second hand gear, like the look of them, like the layout,

thousands of satisfied current and former owners

mind you.... still in fantasy land here

I am one sick bloke who spends his time aspiring to floating caravans

when I had an eboat I used to laugh at Centaurs...

time changes your priorities


Dylan

 

[Searush]

Dylan, won't you miss being able to run your boat straight onto the beach or bank and jump ashore dry-shod. You'll be into tenders and all the hassle that goes with them.

Why? pick a reasonably steep-to shore & you can still step ashore dryshod. Even on the flattest beach, it's no trouble to wade ashore in shorts with sandals in your hand. Anyway. what's the hassle with a rolled up rubberduck? plenty of room to store one on a Centaur. Pageant or Warwick/ 21.


If you want real cheap, reasonable headroom & interior space check out the W22, 25, Nomad & Windrush models. They are of the same age as the slug, but much bigger all round. The W25 sails quite well too. All pre-Laurent giles designs, but they made Westerly profitable enough to be able to afford L-G.

Osmosis is no big deal if you don't mind digging out & filling a bit - then maybe paint the hull to hide the measles effect. Very few Centaurs acually lost their keels, miost people deal with the problem as soon as it becomes clear hat here is a bit of a wobble or a leak. Only an issue if kept on a soft mud drying berth, they will dry out forever on a hard bottom. It's sinking into & sucking out of deep mud that causes sideways flexing of the keels & affects the fastenings. Not that hard to reinforce or even refasten if necessary.

Almost any engine will do, 5-6hp will get you around, but most will have up to 25HP for use against strong winds & tides, over 25 HP is just a waste of money & fuel.

Here's a typical W22

 

[JimC]

Why? pick a reasonably steep-to shore & you can still step ashore dryshod. Even on the flattest beach, it's no trouble to wade ashore in shorts with sandals in your hand.

He won't want to be doing that when he gets round to my part of the world.

 

[dylanwinter]

I agree

Dylan, won't you miss being able to run your boat straight onto the beach or bank and jump ashore dry-shod. You'll be into tenders and all the hassle that goes with them.

one of the best things about the slug has been the shallow draft and no dinghy

however, when I get up to the steep and rocky places.....

it has also dawned on me that if I am going to go around the top and up to Orkney then I will not be able to commute to and from the boat the way I have up until now

that will mean spending more time sitting on the boat waiting for weather windows - which will have to be much bigger and better for an 18 footer with a dodgy engine than a well found 26 footer.

I have no plans to dump the slug before getting to Scotland as there is lots more mud to explore on the humber and the Tyne - and I might decide to duck through the canal through Scotland anyway.

The alternative is to throw a lot of money at the slug - which wuld require re-engining, fitting decent scuppers, better electrics....

and then there is all that money I would have to spend on petrol for the car

at this stage of the game I am just thinking through the options - as a freelance cash flow/time available are astonisngly variable too. As one goes up the other goes down

Dylan

 

[onesea]

Dylan, won't you miss being able to run your boat straight onto the beach or bank and jump ashore dry-shod. You'll be into tenders and all the hassle that goes with them.

Could almost do that with Trident 24, they are shallower drafted and sail better..


PS: Mine is under offer so not really vested just IMHO a nicer boat if you do not mind lack of headroom.

 

[VicS]

perhaps I should post this on a westerly forum

which one?


D

The Owners Association website is full of info and glowing accounts of how good the various models are

http://westerly-owners.co.uk/

The WOA forum is available for members and non members alike

http://www.westerly-owners.co.uk/woaforum/


You will find a lot of information about Centaur keels and the hull strengthening required on the Yahoo discussion group

Follow the links from http://westerly-owners.co.uk/ab_discuss.php


The trouble with the keels is that if they moor and dry in deep mud it pulls the keels out of the bottom of the boat!

I personally know one that had to be fixed ... had to be taken out of the water in a bit of a hurry before it sank!

If you buy one of these old Westerlies be it a Warwick/W21, a Pageant or a Centaur be sure you get one with a decent modern engine. Not one with an old Volvo ( Or a Vire ) or you'll be spending shed loads of cash on it before you are done.
I know someone who has been rebuilding an old MD11C from his Westerly. I think he realises it was a mistake not to dump it and fit a new Beta or something

The Warwick/ W21 is a just a bit bigger than your Mirror but its even uglier!

The Pageant is quite capable of long passages and a decent bit bigger . Looks a lot nicer than the W21 .. as good as the Centaur anyway.

The Centaur ... you wont be satisfied with less now you have set your heart on one.
Choose wisely and you'll be happy but they are so popular they are probably still overpriced ... at one time you could be gazumped when trying to buy one.


Personally I was at one time thinking of a Konsort or even a Fulmar. Wont happen now though.

 

[dylanwinter]

engines

The Owners Association website is full of info and glowing accounts of how good the various models are

http://westerly-owners.co.uk/

The WOA forum is available for members and non members alike

http://www.westerly-owners.co.uk/woaforum/


You will find a lot of information about Centaur keels and the hull strengthening required on the Yahoo discussion group

Follow the links from http://westerly-owners.co.uk/ab_discuss.php


The trouble with the keels is that if they moor and dry in deep mud it pulls the keels out of the bottom of the boat!

I personally know one that had to be fixed ... had to be taken out of the water in a bit of a hurry before it sank!

If you buy one of these old Westerlies be it a Warwick/W21, a Pageant or a Centaur be sure you get one with a decent modern engine. Not one with an old Volvo ( Or a Vire ) or you'll be spending shed loads of cash on it before you are done.
I know someone who has been rebuilding an old MD11C from his Westerly. I think he realises it was a mistake not to dump it and fit a new Beta or something

The Warwick/ W21 is a just a bit bigger than your Mirror but its even uglier!

The Pageant is quite capable of long passages and a decent bit bigger . Looks a lot nicer than the W21 .. as good as the Centaur anyway.

The Centaur ... you wont be satisfied with less now you have set your heart on one.
Choose wisely and you'll be happy but they are so popular they are probably still overpriced ... at one time you could be gazumped when trying to buy one.


Personally I was at one time thinking of a Konsort or even a Fulmar. Wont happen now though.

that was really why I was asking about the engines

the sluggomatic is a wonderful thing to have when it is running faultlessly...

but the engine has absorbed a lot of cash, worry and potential sailing days

the slug is a tiny boat for a vessel with an inboard and most sensible mechanics take one look at it and go off to find an easier boat to work on

it cost me the best weeks of the summer in 2010 and 2011 and I see no reason why it should not do it to me again so I would definately be after a re-engined one

but they do seem to come with a wide range of replacements.

Dylan

 

[VicS]

that was really why I was asking about the engines

but they do seem to come with a wide range of replacements.

Dylan

Which I guess reflects the wide range of suitable replacement engines which have been available over the years.

I would prefer to find one fitted with a fresh water cooled engine rather than another salt water one but I would not dismiss an otherwise good boat just because it had a salt water cooled engine.