Sadler 26 v Westerly Centaur

GrahamM376 said:
Then have a look at Berwicks - 31ft Centaurs. We've had both and the Berwick is much roomier and better boat.
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Yer but a Berwick will be £15K where a Centaur will be £5K. ish.

Will the red jib fit the Sadler?

If you are wanting a bigger boat for the functionality/comfort, go for the one that does that best.

I like the look of the Sadlers though.
 
The red genoa is a factor

Now that the project is so far from home I do need a yacht we can both live on for a few weeks at a time. Last summer we proved to ourselves that we can live on a Centaur and this summer has proved to us that we can't live on Katie L.

The red genoa is a factor.

The Centaur I will have to buy - the Sadler is a long term loaner becauser it is resting at the moment but it is at completely the wrong end of the UK - no probs with that as I would really enjoy a delivery trip.

One thing that bothers me about borrowing such a good boat is that if the engine went pop I would have to fork out 5K to replace it. If the engine goes pop on an old centaur then it is out with the chainsaw and on with plan B.

I can also shove an outboard bracket on the back of an old Centaur and the Tohatsu can spend another summer slumbering in the quarter berth should I encounter a lobster pot of engine failure. I am not sure that the current owner of the Sadler would be all that happy if I started drilling holes in that elegant transom.

I am not at decision time yet - but the free use of a great boat is very tempting.

Is there really that much difference in the accommodation and storage between a shed and a sadler?

My lovely red sail

 
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dylanwinter said:
Is there really that much difference in the accommodation and storage between a shed and a sadler?
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Yes. but still lots more space than your current boat. Go and have a look at one. Not sure why you should be worried about the engine - if it is in good condition there is no reason why it should give you any trouble.
 
Like someone said, a Macwester 27 or 28 - not the 26 - £4k for one with a recent engine and good sails. Loads of room, almost as quick as a Centaur, nicer looks.

macwester27-capella001.jpg
 
dylanwinter said:
I think that while one has the blocky sturdiness of an old Landy the other is more like an Audi

In the short term I will be sailing Katie L in the Moray Firth - but as soon as the weather goes cruddie I have to park the boat up, get in the car and drive home.

The plan is to get a boat with more room in it for the following two seasons on the West Coast
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Stop dithering man and say yes to the Sadler. They're lovely boats, just different from the Centaur - no one has said anything bad about them on this thread which I think is a clear message. If the motor goes pop then how's about agreeing you won't be liable for anything more than the proportion you have used it compared to it's lifespan unless it went pop as a direct result of your negligence. Bearing in mind how clean you keep your heads I am sure you will be equally as diligent in your care for the donk.
 
Aardee said:
"Almost as quick as a Centaur" - Damned by faint praise indeed :)
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that is quite a condemnation

However, on the journey up to scotland - 500 miles from Chich to Anstruther - she averaged 4.1 knots

She was very comfortable - I guess because of her weight - and were able to keep going when other boats might have required more steering and maybe more time in port.

At the end of the trip Roger said that she "shouldered her way through the waves"

I used to race Sonatas and E boats so I know about slippery hulls and I used to mock Centaurs for their caravan like sailing qualities. However, if you can be bothered to trip the sales occasionally and avoid sailing her on her ear then she acquits herself with considerable dignity.

I have been watching other Centaur sailors and many of them can't be shagged to drive their boats properly.

Roger, the son of a Centaur sailor, accused me of being hyperactive because I moved the genoa cars a few times a day - to see the set of some Centaur genoas one would be forgiven for thinking that the cars had rusted up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04AQmZbdx-c

However, I know nothing of larger boats - Harmony is the biggest boat I have ever owned or even sailed apart from a week on a Westerly 33 captained by a very timorous old bloke.
 
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Assuming I've looked at the right boat(s) at yachtsnet.co.uk then the Sadler is a foot wider than the Centaur. As long as that's not 6" per side of foam for the buoyancy then the cabin space in the Sadler will be bigger than the Centaur? Makes a big difference for multi-occupancy. My mates Countess 28 always seems bigger than my Westerly Longbow despite being three feet shorter.

Have you sampled the Sadler?

I'd second the Westerly 31 recommendation btw, "like a Centaur only more so"
 
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Swanrad2 said:
There was a bloke next to us on the yard (I must declare an interest, I own a Centaur) who had the Sadler his take was that it was too light. The Sadler would be more fun until you sailed into a lively sea when it didn't have enough weight to muscle through the waves, whereas the Centaur did.

Of course that could be utter tosh as I never sailed the Sadler and he sold it a week later.
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My 1800kg Ecume de Mer will show a clean pair of heels to a Centaur beating into anything and I'll be sipping GandT at the yacht club bar while they are still battling away. I'm sure the Sadler would do the same.
 
I disagree with the poster who says that the Centaur will be better in heavy weather. Both the Sadler 25 and 26 are regarded as good sea boats.
I'm pretty confident that both would outsail the Centaur no matter what the condition, personally I think the Centaur looks and sails like a caravan. (sorry!)

But that said there's no disputing the extra room and comfort of the Centaur, and the fact you can dry it out. (Unless you get a twin keel Sadler)
 
Ceirwan said:
I disagree with the poster who says that the Centaur will be better in heavy weather. Both the Sadler 25 and 26 are regarded as good sea boats.
I'm pretty confident that both would outsail the Centaur no matter what the condition, personally I think the Centaur looks and sails like a caravan. (sorry!)

But that said there's no disputing the extra room and comfort of the Centaur, and the fact you can dry it out. (Unless you get a twin keel Sadler)
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It is a twin keel saddler under consideration. I apologise for not making that clear at the outset.

I think that for Scotland, during one it's occasional three day rain showers, that the space is probably more important than the performance when it comes to speed back to the club-house for a drink.

Easy sea keeping qualities are fairly important. I do know that some boats need more steering under difficult conditions than others. The Old Centaur would just chomp her way through the waves.
 
Not sure about the mcwesters, nice roomy boats, but don't they go sideways?:rolleyes: For me it has to be a centaur, I have sailed on both ( sadler 26 bilge keel) .The centaur sailed very well and felt strong and surefooted. I felt the Sadler was a bit less forgiving and needed a bit more concentration to keep her going at best speed, I had about a weeks sail on both about 3 weeks apart. Getting back on the centaur felt like putting a comfy pair of slippers on. But I do think the Sadler has the edge on looks. My own boat at that time was a Moody 27 fin keel.
 
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chrishelen said:
Not sure about the mcwesters, nice roomy boats, but don't they go sideways?:rolleyes: For me it has to be a centaur, I have sailed on both ( sadler 26 bilge keel) .The centaur sailed very well and felt strong and surefooted. I felt the Sadler was a bit less forgiving and needed a bit more concentration to keep her going at best speed, I had about a weeks sail on both about 3 weeks apart. Getting back on the centaur felt like putting a comfy pair of slippers on. But I do think the Sadler has the edge on looks.
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Good one - testimonial from a man who has first hand experience - you have clearly swung both ways..... thanks for that.

D

D
 
Just to confuse matters further.
The Sadler 25 and 26 have a full length skeg on the rudder. So they hold their course very well, I would say to well in some Marinas!

However a cup of a tea as simple as easing the main a touch and letting the boat sail herself when close hauled.
 
I suspect you have contracted twofutitis. Made more severe by having taken the misses sailing on a bigger boat. Unfortunately there is no known cure. Particularly if the misses caught the bug.
I had the problem myself a couple of years ago. We had been perfectly happy on our 24ft boat. Family of 5 plus a large black hairy dog.
Now she has experienced a boat with a head which works and has a door. A fitted stove and a sink. Bunks which are long enough and she can stand up.
There is simply no going back. The 24 is now deemed unlivable.
My case was bad went up 10ft. yours fortunately is not so severe if a 26 will suffice.
Obviously you should have kept the Centaur but to late now. Never sailed either kind. Sadlers have a great rep rare to hear a negative comment about one.
The Sadler has 2 really distinct advantages.
One its free.
You get to sail all the way up to the west coast of Scotland again.
A free Sadler or Centaur which would cost you a big chunk of your sailing budget. Can’t see why it would be a hard choice.
If you need help sailing it up. I would would be happy to help. Fair warning my bigger boat has a door between my bunk and my wife’s. Snoring and flatulence apparently contribute to twofutitis
 
I've sailed many miles in a centaur which are not as slow as they look. I've owed several sadlers from the 25 to the current 34.
The Sadler 26 will out perform the centaur by a long stretch if sailed properly.
The centaur is roomier and a good boat if not to some tastes.

If you own the centaur my advice is don't sail the Sadler as it will spoil you, you will soon become dissatisfied with the centaur even though a better boat for your needs.
 
johnphilip said:
Well it isn't such a shed, compared to the slug, but compared to Katie L?
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that is true -

the time up the Forth and the Tay reminded me that I would really like to hang onto Katie L if I can -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdP4Ri-PLG8

she will be great for the Irish sea rivers when I will be sailing just three hours by polo from home so when the weather goes horrible I can run back to a nice warm house. She will also be good for the Shannon

However, ten days aboard Katie L in Port Edgar for eight hours sailing reminded me that we need more space if we are to survive Scottish weather. I really want to spend some months exploring the outer Hebs and would like to go around the outside of Ireland

I am suffering from an even worse affliction that two foot it is

it is two yachtitis

Jill and I lived on 26 feet for three months without a break and it was absolutely fine

Centaurs are easy to buy and sell - however, a newer sadler is an attractive proposition. I used to race Sonatas and I would love sailing her

my main worry on such a nice borrowed boat is lobster pots, inboards and aggressive Scottish harbour walls.

D
 
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