Westerly Centaurs - all they're cracked up to be?

[MissFitz]

Westerly Centaurs - all they\'re cracked up to be?

As per previous post, am planning on buying a Centaur, & was hoping some owners/experts could give me some tips on what to look out for. So far has been suggested that they can have some weakness between the keels, & that they're overpriced and overrated - true or false??

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Re: Westerly Centaurs - all they\'re cracked up to be?

Not sure they're overrated.... great boats.... but perhaps overpriced?.... don't know... thats a subjective opinion....

Lots of good boats around in that size/price bracket... but if you can get a good Centaur with the known keel weakness sorted out, then you wouldn't go far wrong IMHO.

 

[sailing86]

Re: Westerly Centaurs - all they\'re cracked up to be?

[ QUOTE ]
So far has been suggested that they can have some weakness between the keels, & that they're overpriced and overrated - true or false??

[/ QUOTE ]
There were early problems with keels however I would not worry about this as it was rectified and nessesary modifications were made early on. Most boats have teathing trubles to begin with and this was nothing more than that.

As for overpriced and over rated, well...not really, they are worth what people are willing to pay. For a 26ft boat the Centaur is actually really good, its strong, safe, easy to sail and good accomadation. To ballance this with a negative, they are not the fastest but if your willing to sacrifice this then go for it.

When buying get a survay done and speak to your surveyor as they know what to look for. Get a test sail and see if you happy with the boat. As for all boats look at the areas where major expences are involved; sails, rigging, engine, upholstery.

On a final note, take your nose! You can smell a well looked after boat! A bad smell can be hard to shift and might indicate further problems.

Hope this helps

 

[jwilson]

Re: Westerly Centaurs - all they\'re cracked up to be?

Most Centaurs were built with a handle fitted to the mast that rotated the boom, rolling up the mainsail. Roller reefing for mains is now deeply unfashionable, but there really is not that much wrong with it for a simple cruising boat.

Agree that Centaurs are solid, generally very sound boats. They have faults, but the common defects are very well known to every surveyor and none of the faults are usually terminal. The later boats are in some respects better, but there's nothing wrong with a well looked after early one. A few years ago they may have been priced a bit highly for their size because they were popular - this effect is fading. There is still not a lot else that combines the size, space, general toughness and reasonable sailing ability as well as a Centaur for the same money, and because there were so many built you can always choose from several available at any time.

 

[LittleShip]

Re: Westerly Centaurs - all they\'re cracked up to be?

"Not sure they're overrated.... great boats.... but perhaps overpriced?.... don't know... thats a subjective opinion...."

I agree with the above. It was the first boat I ever owned and it sailed just like a dingy, great yacht to learn on and will be very forgiving if you have family on board. As always these are now getting old and will need to have been looked after.

Good luck

Tom

 

[wooslehunter]

Re: Westerly Centaurs - all they\'re cracked up to be?

Keels - already covered. You can spot te mods immediately. they have a few extra pieces bonded in around the keel bolts. See a few & you'll spot the ones that have been done.

The boom-roller reefing isn't a problem. Use it as Westerly suggested by rolling a few sail bags or a towel or two in and it takes the bagginess out. But is just as easy to add a track to the end of the boom with some cheek blocks & beckets & you have slab reefing. I did that last year & it works well.

The early models had another flaw that was corrected. The lower shroud plates were sited above a window. The shrouds over the years tended to pull the coach roof resulting in leaky windows. Later models have a slightly shorter window. The fix for the early models is to make up a stainless tie bar inside that fits into the chain plate bolts and then bolts on beloe the windo. A nice wooden grab handle inside the boat then makes it tidy & covers up the ss plate.

Also look for distortions in the deck around the cap shroud chain plates. They are bolted through the deck and over the years can cause the deck to be pulled up. A steel rule will tell you if it's happened. The fix again is easy but a bit fiddley to do. The chain plates are removed. A nice chunkey wooden block is glassed under the deck & new plates with slightly longer bolts are fitted back.

Beware of corroded stanchion mounts. Ali stanchions get stuck in the mounts, swell and split the mounts. The mounts are accessible but it's fiddly. The nuts are glassed over and they are inside the lockers. I replaced mine witha couple of days easy work.

One killer to watch for is the mast foot compressing. Lay a steel rule across the mast stel & you'll see any distortion in the glass. This could be an indication of nasties inside the deck below the mast. Quite a few types of boat suffer from this one.

Headlinings fall down on Westerlies. Watch for this too.

All in all, good strong boats. Not the fastest but if you do race, the handicap's pretty good. Inside they're huge for a 26' boat. You should be able to find one that's sorted for a reasonable amount.

 

[VicS]

Re: Westerly Centaurs - all they\'re cracked up to be?

[ QUOTE ]
There were early problems with keels however I would not worry about this as it was rectified and nessesary modifications were made early on. Most boats have teathing trubles to begin with and this was nothing more than that.


[/ QUOTE ]
This is not something to be ignored. If the keels of a potential purchase have been strengthened OK fair enough but if not it can become a major problem especially if kept on a muddy drying mooring. I personally know of one that developed such a serious leak that it had to be lifted earlier than planned as it was in danger of sinking. I know of another which did sink on its mooring.

There is a lot of info on the Yahoo discussion group

Yahoo group but you'll need to have a yahoo ID
Look at the 2nd page of the photos

 

[MissFitz]

Re: Westerly Centaurs - all they\'re cracked up to be?

Thanks very much to everyone - lots of very useful stuff to think about. Will let you know how I get on......

 

[graham]

Re: Westerly Centaurs - all they\'re cracked up to be?

The Centaur wasnt the best selling cruising boat in the UK for nothing.Very roomy for their size and dont sail bad for a cruising bilgekeeler.

If you get one with the boom roller reefing dont rush into slab reefing until you have tried it. My boat is a similar size,I did have a problem with thne main setting badly when reefed and tried an old remedy of putting bits of foam pipe lagging in the after 6 foot of the sail as it rolls onto the boom. The results were really good,boat now goes to windward reefed down.

 

[CPD]

Re: Westerly Centaurs - all they\'re cracked up to be?

I agree with everything already said. Pipedream is my first boat and I dont have the experience of others, but it does what it says on the tin, and I haven't been disappointed.

 

[Rob_Webb]

Re: Westerly Centaurs - all they\'re cracked up to be?

Owned a centaur many years ago and loved it (also had Pageant and Berwick) so I clearly have as strong affinity for Westerlies as a good honest family boat.

But after a few years away from sailing I came back into it with a 26-28ft budget and after considering another Centaur I just found them a little too dated and felt the need to move on a touch. Depends on your budget of course but I was very happy with my final decision which was a fin keel Leisure 27. Slightly better sailing performance and slightly more up-to-date interior layout. But as I say it's personal preferences and budget that will drive you.

http://www.leisureowners.org.uk/site/contents/home.shtml

 

[Searush]

Re: Westerly Centaurs - all they\'re cracked up to be?

The prices are high because demand is high. Yet westerly made hundreds of them. So there would be no lack of supply if people wanted to sell! That pretty well says it all for me. I went looking for one but ended up with a Pentland (it's bigger sister Ketch) and had it for about 15 years or so now.

The keel problem is mainly if kept on a soft mud drying mooring. My Pentland has always been on a hard ground drying mooring since I've had it - never a problem at all. When the keels sink into soft mud they get splayed, and when they lift out they are forced inwards. That flexing is what does in the GRP hull between the keels if it is not reinforced.

Very strong comfortable boats, not built for speed, but check the PY number, as they are not as slow as people think - if you sail it well.

 

[VicS]

Re: Westerly Centaurs - all they\'re cracked up to be?

[ QUOTE ]
westerly made hundreds

[/ QUOTE ] Thousands in fact. 2444 to be precise plus a few Cheiftains and Pembrokes.

The keel thing does not seem to have been a problem at all with the Pentlands and Berwicks.

 

[Rob_Webb]

Re: Westerly Centaurs - all they\'re cracked up to be?

I used to have Centaur number 2343, one of the last. Lovely boat altho it had a soft spot on the foredeck near the main cleat, a sign of mould QA issues perhaps?

 

[Bajansailor]

Re: Westerly Centaurs - all they\'re cracked up to be?

Fifteen years ago, Centaurs were generally being offered for sale for an asking price of around GBP 10 - 12,000 for one in reasonable condition - ie pretty much the same sort of ball park as what they seem to be asking these days.
(I was very keen on buying one then, but couldnt afford it).

In contrast, Contessa 26s were being offered for sale back then with asking prices usually around GBP 4 - 6,000 - while today it is more like GBP 10 - 12,000 (or more!).
And the new cost of a Contessa 26 in 1975 was GBP 5,650 ex vat and ex sails, but including a Vire inboard petrol engine.

Both the Contessa and the Centaur (and just about every other class of yacht) conclusively prove that investing money in a boat is a very sensible move when compared to eg putting that money into a new car.

 

[MissFitz]

Re: Westerly Centaurs - all they\'re cracked up to be?

That is a very reassuring thought - we were going to save all our money for our dream boat (a Vancouver 28) three or four years down the line, but decided we really ought to learn to sail/maintain first.... Nice to think that - hopefully - we won't lose out on it.....

 

[alant]

Re: Westerly Centaurs - all they\'re cracked up to be?

they are not the fastest but if your willing to sacrifice this then go for it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not so slow!

I can remember the skipper of a Sigma 33, with tweaked rig for racing, spitting blood on the way down to St Vaast.

Just offshore of us, a Centaur with very scruffy sails, was slowly overhauling us. Probably a tide effect, but impressive at the time.

Looks like a caravan, with full headroom for most, but not a bad sail.

 

[farquart]

Re: Westerly Centaurs - all they\'re cracked up to be?

If you are looking for performance then this is not your boat. Think of it more as a floating caravan.