Westerly Centaur 26 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Three interior arrangements appear across the production span. The original A layout held a 5–6 berth plan with two quarter berths and a saloon dinette that converted to a slim double; the B layout from 1971 replaced the dinette with an L-shaped settee to port, and the mid-1970s C layout moved the galley aft near the companionway while deleting one quarter berth for a large starboard cockpit locker. Regardless of letter, the boat gives at least 6ft standing headroom, a forward double with V-shaped infill, a full-width heads between saloon and forecabin (with a port door that hinges to make the forecabin en suite), and a hanging locker for five sets of oilskins. Most sleep up to five adults; many lack a dedicated chart table. The cockpit runs aft to the transom and is large, deep and safe with raised teak slats for seating.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Very early boats left the factory with a 7hp Volvo Penta MD1 or 15hp MD2 diesel, shifting by 1971 to a recommended MD2B 25hp with 10hp MD1B alternative, and many survivors now carry a 14hp Beta re-power. On the used market, heating, autopilot, chartplotter, and short-handed setups are often seen as fitted equipment rather than rare additions. A bathing ladder on the stern is usable afloat or dried out, and a ketch-rig option with wheel steering and short bowsprit exists from the 1974 brochure but was seldom taken up. Most Centaurs do not have halyards and reefing lines led back to the cockpit, so a short-handed setup often reflects owner rigging rather than factory standard.

What to Inspect

The structural engineering tools of the era underestimated loads on the splayed keels, especially when the tide lifts the boat out, so keel roots need careful inspection by a surveyor even where prior strengthening may have occurred. Early boats carried a fairly rudimentary spade rudder with much less structure than a modern equivalent would specify, while later boats adopted a more substantial skeg-supported rudder; both types warrant close examination, and spade-rudder versions are noted as difficult to reverse in a marina. Sheets on these boats tend to catch around the exposed ends of the cockpit slats, a minor but telling sign of wear or modification at the coaming. Quality control was not always perfect in the original build, reinforcing the value of a full survey focused on hull-to-keel structure.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

Used Westerly Centaur 26s typically appear on the used market in the United Kingdom, United States, Netherlands, Germany, and Ireland. For a shopper, the short checklist is: confirm which interior layout (A, B, or C) suits your berth count; verify keel-root integrity and rudder type with a surveyor; check for often-seen heating, autopilot, chartplotter, and short-handed setup; and accept that most boats will need forward sail-handling rather than cockpit-led lines. Bought with those points cleared, the Centaur remains a forgiving coastal cruiser with a deep enthusiast network.