Westerly Centaur 26 Buyer's Guide
The Westerly Centaur 26 is a Laurent Giles-designed twin-keel cruiser built by Westerly Marine Construction from 1969 over a 15-year run, with around 2,500 examples completed. On the used market she presents as a forgiving step-up boat for former dinghy sailors, a shallow-draught coastal cruiser whose bilge keels let her take the ground — but buyers should understand the layout variants and the structural watch-points before committing.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both are available; ex-charter examples are common. The A, B, and C interior arrangements evolved through the 1970s, and the C plan in particular trades a quarter berth for a large cockpit locker by moving the galley aft. Most boats sleep up to five adults in reasonable comfort, though many Centaurs have no dedicated chart table, and the port-side heads door hinges round to make the forecabin en suite if desired.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
A chartplotter is commonly fitted to boats on the market, while a spinnaker and a short-handed setup are often seen. Less common owner upgrades include cabin heating, a furling main, a cockpit shower, and an autopilot. For a buyer, the chartplotter is the one piece of kit that materially changes passage planning; the spinnaker and simplified sheet handling speak to how often these boats are sailed short-handed rather than fully crewed.
What to Inspect
The keel roots need careful inspection by a surveyor, because the limited structural engineering tools available at the time underestimated loads on the splayed keels, especially when the tide lifts the boat out anchor. Early boats had a fairly rudimentary spade rudder with less structure than would be specified today, so check which rudder type a given hull carries anchor. On boats with the original cockpit slats, Yachting Monthly found sheets tend to catch around the exposed ends anchor.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These yachts typically appear in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, United States, Germany, and Ireland. For a shopper, the short checklist is: confirm the keel-root condition with a surveyor, identify whether the rudder is spade or skeg-supported, and decide which of the A/B/C layouts suits your crew. A re-engined Beta unit is a common and successful upgrade if the original Volvo has been replaced.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Westerly Centaur 26. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 3 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 10 | $7,103 | — |
| Apr 26 | 6 | $6,790 | -4.4% |
| Jul 26 | 4 | $6,464 | -4.8% |
Where they're listed
Westerly Centaur 26 listings appear across 5 countries. United Kingdom has the most listings with 14 (70.0%), followed by Netherlands and United States.
Country view
20 listings · 5 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | $6,760 | 14 | 3 | 70.0% |
| Netherlands | $14,857 | 2 | 0 | 10.0% |
| United States | $14,750 | 2 | 0 | 10.0% |
| Germany | $5,791 | 1 | 1 | 5.0% |
| Ireland | $5,438 | 1 | 0 | 5.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
6 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sadler 26 | 25.75' | $ 12,138 | 28 | 8 |
| Jeremy Rogers 26 | 25.5' | $ 10,128 | 21 | 4 |
| Westerly Centaur 26You are here | — | $ 6,790 | 20 | 4 |
| Colvic Sailor 26 | 26.92' | $ 5,438 | 11 | 3 |
| Pearson 26 | 26.12' | $ 6,000 | 9 | 5 |
| MacWester 26 | 26' | $ 4,758 | 6 | 1 |