Westerly Centaur

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tarik

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Evening all,


I have been offered - at a reasonable price, a Westerly Centaur. In need of some loving attention. Am seriously considering it - any advice from the Team?


As always many thanks for all replies.




David
 
Consider the cost of rectifying any osmosis (if present) and check that the hull has been reinforced at the keel roots (if bilge keel).
 
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Prices can vary from £7K for a very poor example to £14k for a "perfect" example with all necessary work already completed.

Tarik, which end of the price range are you?
 
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How much is reasonable? I have a Centaur and she is in lovely nick and paid nowhere near £14k...

They are very well built boats and well worth renovating (if you get it at the right price) but only as a keeper! There are lots of good Centaurs out there and some of them are just not selling, so spending lots would only be worth it if you were keeping her & she will go on for years!!

Give us some more details and perhaps we could come up with a better answer.

Di
 
Asking price £5,000 no osmosis but will need a complete renovation to the inside - the last owner stripped everything down and then lost interest/money.

D
 
The answer is it depends:
(note all the costs are round figure estimates)
How well has he stripped the inside?
How much has he stripped?
If you need to re vinyl it will cost you around £1500 DIY and is not difficult if the inside is prepped well
If he has ripped out the heads and the galley then you will have some costs there, say £1k each
New foam and upholstery will cost you about £1000 if you look around, dont go near a marine upholsterer.
Is the boat on the hard at the moment? Will tou have to move it nearer to home? what cost to store and move?
Whats the engine like? say 5K to replace DIY
Sails say £3k for new front and back
Are there any leaks in the windows or elsewhere - they would need to be fixed well before you refurb the interior
Does the cooker work?
Replace all the gas lines properly say £500
Then you have instruments and vhf etc which is up to you how far you go
New halyards and sheets probably £300
List goes on, its difficult without more detail.
It also depends on what you are prepared to put up with, you could put an oil lamp a bucket for washing, a bucket for heads, a blow up mattress and a sleeping bag in and be quite happy... (I wouldn't expect swmbo to come sailing with you though)

If the hull is sound with no osmosis, the mast and boom are good, there are no leaks, no softspots in the deck, the winches work and the engine is good then make an offer at 3k it has to be worth a punt.

Cheers
Nick
 
tarik said:
Asking price £5,000 no osmosis but will need a complete renovation to the inside - the last owner stripped everything down and then lost interest/money.

D
Click to expand...

Yes - too much money. Insides are really hard work to get right. Headlining alone can cost £2k to do properly. Only worth having at all if it has a newish engine and everything else serviceable.
 
Three or four years ago you wouldn't that often see a Centaur for much less than asking price around £10k. Now you see many asking significantly less than that. I reckon you should be able to get a reengined boat mid to late 20's feet with decent sails and at least basic electronics for less than £10k, as you can with, e.g. a Vega. For your £5k you should be able to do better than that Centaur...
 
lot of work

it sounds like a good way of spending £5,000 and not be able to go sailing

and then keep spending loads more money to still not go sailing

why do people do that - buy a half decent boat and then tear the insides out before giving up

crazy dudes

D
 
If the engine is good, then offer him £4,000 (but that is toppy) start at £3k. He knows the costs, that is why he has abandoned her. Also, how old is she? In my opinion, the later ones with the optional extra square window look better than the earlier model with the single round window. So if she is a late one that would be good.

Do a google search for the Westerly Owners Association as they have lots of information on the model and a wiki. When they are well-cared for they look amazing for their age - but when they are abandoned, it is tragic really.

There is one berthed next to me at Chi. It is a wreck. Trashed. I said to my better half I would buy her and do her up. How much would I offer? £500.

jg734h.jpg
[/IMG]

Boat next door :(

Di
 
Tarik,

if you like the boat and the format - twin keel go anywhere, big engine as Plan B - suits you, I would say she's a steal at £5,000.

Headlining is no barrier to someone handy with DIY, the normal method is foam backed vinyl over ply pads screwed up with self tappers; not rocket science !

HOWEVER, this is assuming a reasonably recent engine; the original Volvo's will probably be sh***ed by now, by contact with salt water if not use.

The Centaur gained an unfair reputation as a motor sailor, but they sail quite well in the right hands; one snag to the reputation was that in those hard to imagine days a lot of novices bought Centaurs, so it became quite normal to see them sailing badly, the thing is the boat was fine, but sailed badly !

When my father - a trained dingy sailor - got hold of a Centaur a lot of people were surprised by her speed and abilities !

The other reason the Centaur was unkindly thought a motor sailer was the large 23hp Volvo engine; in fact this was only fitted as Westerlys were offered a special deal by Volvo !

Nowadays not such an outlandish engine size anyway.

The keels can weep with the flexing of going up & down in mud, most boats are reinforced there by now but it's a simple crude grp fix, the Westerly owners association will guide on this I'm sure.

If you are handy at DIY and she has a decent engine you've got a bargain; but the engine is the make or break item for the deal, I'd suggest.

Good luck !
 
Our old Centaur is I'm told going up for sale, one of the last built. Re-engined, new prop and fuel tank and good sails, West epoxied some years ago. In need of a lot of TLC. Most likely around £9,000.
 
Sophie19 said:
Fin keel Centaur is a Tiger. Pembroke much bigger.
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Not according to this ad: http://www.western-horizon.co.uk/boat_details.php?boat_id=268

Or the WOA who say the Pembroke replaced the tiger in the range http://www.western-horizon.co.uk/boat_details.php?boat_id=268

But I am no westerly expert

Yachtsnet say the tiger was a stretched version of the cirrus and that it was replaced by the Pembroke as a 'fin keeled centaur'

http://www.yachtsnet.co.uk/archives/westerly-tiger/westerly-tiger.htm
 
GrahamM376 said:
Our old Centaur is I'm told going up for sale, one of the last built. Re-engined, new prop and fuel tank and good sails, West epoxied some years ago. In need of a lot of TLC. Most likely around £9,000.
Click to expand...

Well good luck with that :eek: I paid less for a 1977 model, two square windows, in virtual mint condition, no osmosis, recent engine, full suit of sails, auto-pilot, SH VHF with AIS & extra handset, Bluetooth CD player, Garmin plotter, depth sounder, compass, lazy jacks, furling jib, dodgers, spray hood, re-upholstered interior (Sunbrella fabric) new sea loo, inflatable (mint) new 4stroke outboard, replaced/strengthed keel bolts, fenders, safety equipment, davits, self-launching anchor, manual windlass, cruising shute with snuffer, two anchors, balls, flags & pennants and lined John Lewis curtains! I bought her this year and she is fabulous. And I only had to sail her home 150 miles.....

The Westerly Owners classified has a couple of real sweeties at under 5k - ready to sail (but they aren't Centaurs).

I think you really need the full history to make a decision, but I think £5k from your basic description, is toppy - unless you are happy to spend a lot and keep her for a few happy years. Sometimes it is nice to get everything just the way you want it, but it will cost you a premium.

Di
 
bitbaltic said:
Not according to this ad: http://www.western-horizon.co.uk/boat_details.php?boat_id=268

Or the WOA who say the Pembroke replaced the tiger in the range http://www.western-horizon.co.uk/boat_details.php?boat_id=268

But I am no westerly expert

Yachtsnet say the tiger was a stretched version of the cirrus and that it was replaced by the Pembroke as a 'fin keeled centaur'

http://www.yachtsnet.co.uk/archives/westerly-tiger/westerly-tiger.htm
Click to expand...

Sorry chaps. Must put brain in gear, check facts before posting. Stand corrected
 
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