Questions about Westerly Centaur 26 and others

[JayBee74]

Hi all, looking for my first sailboat. My wife and I looked at a Westerly Centaur 26 the other day (on the wrong side of the pond in Florida) and we both liked the layout of the interior and how sturdy it seems to be built.

Concerns I do have if my research is correct is that it has bolt on keels? Something else I didn't realize is that the Volvo MD7A doesn't use a heat exchanger but just used raw water to cool the engine - how big of a corrosion issue is this to worry about?

Simlarly we looked at a Hunter 27 and the Yanmar 1GM was cooled the same way.

We also were eyballing an O'Day 272 which from the photos has a Westerbeke and it appears to have a traditional heat exchanger set up - so again how big of a worry is a raw water cooling system ? (I've heard anywhere from no worries to if it's corroded the whole engine is trash)

Being a first boat we feel comfortable on max of 27' and would prefer an inboard diesel and head. Also, shallow or shoal draft is preferred for the local waters if anyone has any other suggestions on boat models to look at.

[Pete7]

For some odd reason your countrymen don't really like bolt on keels. Meanwhile the rest of the world are quite happy with them. We have two and they are superb for drying out in shallow water when the tide goes out.

There was a problem with early Centaur 26s with the keels splaying if they are dried out frequently. The good news is many have now been reinforced by glassing in supports inside the hull. If this yacht is a strong contender then do have a good read of the Westerly Owners Association's website which is very active. This certainly wouldn't put me off buying a Centaur.

In terms of maintenance of cast iron keels, we patch paint any rust spots each year. Clean off the rust, add a rust converter and then 5 or 6 layers of Primocon paint and finally antifoul paint. Lets be honest those two lumps of cast iron are going to be around long after we have departed the planet.

We also have a 34yr old Volvo Penta that is raw water cooled. The engine has an anode that needs replacing every couple of years and we pump fresh water with anti-freeze into the block. This winter we ran a diluted mix of brick cleaner through the block to clean out the system. Seems to have worked.

Back to the Centaur, a good first yacht, tough and will look after you in a blow. Not the fastest on the water but equally won't frighten a novice crew. they made 3000 of them over the years so lots of knowledge about these yachts.

Good luck.

Pete

[JayBee74]

Thanks Pete, anode on the engine that makes sense. I'm learning every day ! Definitely really liked the Centaur just wasn't sure about a few things ��

Where would I look to see if the keels have been reinforced, I didn't notice any access panels on the floor of the boat.

[Notfast]

Jay Bee:
I have owned a Centaur here in Canada. Overall I think they can be good boats but I think I should point out that the build quality and consistency is apparently a bit poor. I removed the conventional sea toilet through hull fittings and in doing so found there to be a lot of filler over an inconsistent thickness of fibreglass. I reinforced the layup with more fibreglass but it made me paranoid wondering what other shoddy workmanship might see me taking an unplanned swim.

Centaurs also don't heave-to especially well. I'm sure if you give it more effort than I did and maybe employ a sea anchor you could be okay in a storm but it's definitely something to consider if you plan to go offshore.

It's also not a great boat for couples as the only place you can sleep together is the forepeak which limits access to the head.

The raw water cooled engine might be an issue. It depends on how the previous owners treated it. Mine had holes in the cooling passages due to being stored for years with salt water in them. If I were you, I'd insist on sending the engine oil in for analysis and just walk away if there's evidence of salt water. Volvo engines have a lot of parts that are no longer produced or they have been changed in such a way that complicates the issue to the point that you'll spend days or weeks trying to solve the problem (eg: lift pump replacement). You could put a gasoline powered outboard on the boat but then you'll have a volatile gas aboard and storing extra fuel becomes a safety hazard.

That said, they are relatively seakindly which I like and pretty easy to sail.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by JayBee74

Thanks Pete, anode on the engine that makes sense. I'm learning every day ! Definitely really liked the Centaur just wasn't sure about a few things ��

Where would I look to see if the keels have been reinforced, I didn't notice any access panels on the floor of the boat.

Your taxing my memory now, but under the seats or bunks depending on which model you are looking at A, B or C type, you will see the were the keels bolts. The reinforcing involved glassing in plywood supports across the GRP hull in each compartment. I think 3 or 4 supports each side to stiffen up the hull. The Owners Association will have more details. If it hasn't been done, its not difficult or expensive, just messy. If you don't dry out or there is any sign of problem now, you may not need to do it. After all they are all at least 4 decades old now.

https://wiki.westerly-owners.co.uk/i..._bedding_Keels

Pete

[davenrino]

I gave up on my MD7A. I had water leaks in the exhaust manifold that we couldn't stop. It was still available for over $3K unlike the thermostat housing. The water passages in the head and block were shrunk to less than half the original size. The old tired engine used to put out 12hp and really wasn't adequate for my 30' boat.