Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

The dominant arrangement is a V-berth forward, a full-beam heads, a saloon with convertible dinette, and quarter berths aft, giving five berths with at least 6ft headroom throughout. The B layout from 1971 swapped the dinette for an L-shaped settee to port, while the C layout of the mid-1970s moved the galley aft and replaced one quarter berth with a large cockpit locker. A few early boats carried a ketch rig with wheel steering and short bowsprit, but these are oddities. Most sloops lack halyards and reefing lines led aft, and many have no dedicated chart table — a real consideration if you plan to navigate below in weather.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Among the Centaur fleet, a chartplotter is commonly fitted, while autopilot, heating, and solar are often seen. A dodger, AIS, furling main, spinnaker, or short-handed setup appear less frequently as owner upgrades. For power and energy, the original Volvo Penta diesels — early 7–15hp MD1/MD2 or later 25hp MD2B — have frequently been supplemented by solar, and many hulls have been re-engined with a 14hp Beta. Navigation typically centers on the chartplotter, with AIS where fitted. Canvas and sail handling vary: a dodger and furling main are owner-level additions rather than standard, and the rare spinnaker speaks to a previous owner's ambitions.

What to Inspect

The splayed bilge keels carried loads underestimated by the engineering tools of the day, so the keel roots need careful surveyor inspection even where strengthening may have occurred. Early spade rudders had far less structure than a modern appendage would specify, and later skeg rudders are the better-surviving type. Check the bilge keel attachments, the forward bulkhead attachment, and the rigging shroud chain plates over cabin windows on older boats anchor. Bilges are practically nonexistent, so trace any drainage path carefully, and note that sheets can catch around the exposed ends of the cockpit slats.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

The Centaur is typically found in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands, and United States. For a buyer, the practical checklist is brief: confirm keel-root and bulkhead integrity with a surveyor, verify which interior layout suits your berth needs, and assess whether the original Volvo or a Beta re-power meets your expectations. Inspect the rudder type and chain-plate attachment, and treat a missing chart table or un-led halyards as normal rather than defect. A solid, forgiving coastal cruiser rewards the careful shopper.