The Westerly Centaur - plug or English Classic?

JumbleDuck said:
All old blue Westerlies go like that. Polishing helps a bit, at first, but eventually the discolouration/chalking goes too deep.
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Yep, when I started rubbing through the gelcoat to the fibreglass matting underneath it was time to give up and paint!
Thanks for the tutorial, I appreciate the trouble that you have gone to. I will look at it again in the morning as it is past my bedtime!
 
Hi Roger,
Don't know if it is UV damage as I don't know the history of the boat. I suspect that part of it is, part over enthusiastic polishing, part the water dripping from the deck above, part the white stripe above leeching down onto the blue hull. All I know is that I tried everything, including wet and dry paper, to improve it without success. As doug748 says, buy a white one!
 
Tam Lin said:
Hi Roger,
Don't know if it is UV damage as I don't know the history of the boat. I suspect that part of it is, part over enthusiastic polishing, part the water dripping from the deck above, part the white stripe above leeching down onto the blue hull. All I know is that I tried everything, including wet and dry paper, to improve it without success. As doug748 says, buy a white one!
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Think i'm gonna vinyl wrap mine, got some proper batshit-crazy ideas i need to get out of my head, plus i like the idea of changing the colour every few years, your boat looks great btw, Are you glad you kept her?
 
I sailed a Vega for a number of years, sometimes it was in company with a friends centaur, what struck me at the time was that the centaur seemed to have more room inside, I was convinced of this, it did not matter as our vega had enough room for the two of us. We would sail across to the isle of man together, the Vega would always beat the centaur, especially to windward, this would annoy my friend, he always said his next boat would have one keel not two, I think the fact that our vega had a feathering prop helped. I would not turn my nose up at a good centaur, they are still a great boat and can give a great deal of enjoyment as a steady pasagemaker with good accommodation for two.
 
Davy_S said:
I sailed a Vega for a number of years, sometimes it was in company with a friends centaur, what struck me at the time was that the centaur seemed to have more room inside, I was convinced of this, it did not matter as our vega had enough room for the two of us. We would sail across to the isle of man together, the Vega would always beat the centaur, especially to windward, this would annoy my friend, he always said his next boat would have one keel not two, I think the fact that our vega had a feathering prop helped. I would not turn my nose up at a good centaur, they are still a great boat and can give a great deal of enjoyment as a steady pasagemaker with good accommodation for two.
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I wonder how Centaurs with a fin keel would have sailed like ?

I seem to remember that someone tried this but can't remember what the results were.
 
Now that I know how to do it I thought I would post some before and after pictures of Tam Lin
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Plus a couple of things I did, fitted a new cockpit locker for the gas cylinder and made new washboards.

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So far I think I have replaced 48 items on the boat, mended a further 10 and done another 20 things which would come under the heading of servicing. I am making a list of jobs for this winter. Some of the jobs, like painting the boat, have been done twice! I hate to think how much I have spent, I did try and make a total but gave up when I frightened myself!
 
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Nice piks of Tam Lin........ Respect!!
And respect for cracking the uploading piks process, I do it so seldom I think JD's desciption here might get referred back to by many!
 
Someone asked why Centaurs are more popular than ' better on paper ' Griffons...no easy answer, how does one define ' Character ' ?

Maybe it's years of familiarity, but I have that with Griffons too; simple fact is the Centaur works, and when one knows it it's actually a good looker - maybe not a Contessa 32 but a Centaur is a good chum to get one through anything.

I'm afraid the Griffon & Konsort don't do the same for me, unboaty shaped functional lumps - while somehow the Centaur has CHARACTER - if you could refine and bottle it Richard Branson would be your butler ! :)
 
dylanwinter said:
don't encourage him

I want to sail his boat before I die

D
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You will and sooner than you think, still at the ideas stage for the outside, leopard skin might not be that far off and seeing the myriad finishes available in vinyl; velvet, sparkles, iridescent, metallic, lumenous, crazy-bright - the worlds my lobster really.

Tam Lin said:
It would be nice to see it, perhaps he will hold in "Open Day"
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May well do TamLin, just finalising the sail plan design, one of the questions from the designer was; "how long d'you want the boom, we can go another three foot if you want?" Would've been tempted had i left the sheeting position in its original place but now its in the front of the cockpit well might present a few problems, we've binned the idea of a square-head main and are now going with an elliptical design i think similar to my sketch so most of saturday was spent measuring various bits of the old stick, also went fishing for Centaurs yesterday in Christchurch - got a bite and another one (quite literally) today.

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Today was a little more exciting having got traction on the slipway momentum took over at the top, it was the stuff of Peyton's cartoons really, couldn't make out what all the shouting was about but after it had died down and had applied the handbrake i saw one of the guys running towards the van rather quickly, i still didn't know what all the fuss was about until i heard an almighty loud 'bang' and the van jolted forward.

That'll be the boat & trailer then, luckily only superficial damage, to the rear step, just crumpled it up vertical - didn't take long to straighten out, courtesy of a 20lb sledge hammer and a bit of sweat.

FWIW totally agree with Seajet, lot to be said for character:

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