Westerly Centaur

I had a trip out to Loddon on the South Broads yesterday to survey this Westerly Centaur. She was designed in 1968 by Jack Laurent Giles as a more modern and roomier replacement for the existing Westerly 25. She was probably the first mass-production yacht to have had the design tank-tested before a prototype was built, and this, plus Laurent Giles's earlier experience with bilge keel designs, was probably the reason for the Centaur's good performance under sail. Looking at a roomy boat with good headroom and a powerful diesel makes many people regard Centaurs as motor-sailers. They are not - they actually sail very well, although as bilge-keelers they are always going to be slower to windward than similar sized fin-keelers.

The sailing performance is helped by carefully designed bilge keels which are handed port and starboard with a two degree toe-in, so that once the boat heels under sail the more vertical leeward keel is developing lift to windward. Most Centaurs had 25 bhp Volvo diesels like this example, though a few were built with different engines, usually the smaller 13 hp Volvo, though some had 25 or even 30 hp Watermota diesels.

As with all other Westerly Marine yachts the Centaur was massively built. This was partly a result of previous building experience within the company and also a reflection of the state of GRP technology at that time. All Centaurs were built to Lloyds specifications which meant that the building processes were rigorously monitored and all materials had to be approved by Lloyds in order that a certificate could be issued. Although no longer in production they still represent excellent value for money. I should state that as they were 'over built' and the hull was thick they are vulnerable to osmosis, and most of this age have been peeled and treated with an epoxy barrier coat, so don't be surprised to find some blistering on the underbody.