The Westerly Centaur Sailboat
Specs & Key Performance Indicators

The Westerly Centaur was designed by Laurent Giles and built in the UK by Westerly Marine Ltd.

A Westerly Centaur 26 sailing in light airs on the River Tamar in the UK

A Westerly Centaur 26 sailing on River Tamar in the UK

Published Specification for the Westerly Centaur

Underwater Configuration: Bilge keels and spade rudder

Hull Material: GRP (fibreglass)

Length Overall: 26' 0" / 7.92m

Waterline Length: 21' 4" / 6.5m

Beam: 8' 5" / 2.57m

Draft: 3' 0" / 0.91m

Rig Type: Masthead Sloop

Displacement: 6,700lb / 3,039kg

Designer: Laurent Giles

Builder: Westerly Marine Ltd (UK)

Year First Built: 1969

Year Last Built: 198

Number Built: 2,444

Owners Association: Westerly Owners Association

Published Design Ratios for the Westerly Centaur

1. Sail Area/Displacement Ratio: 14.6

Less than 16 would be considered under-powered;
16 to 20 would indicate reasonably good performance;
Over 20 suggests relatively high performance.

2. Ballast/Displacement Ratio: 41.8

Under 40: less stiff, less powerful
Over 40: stiffer, more powerful

3. Displacement/Length Ratio: 308

Under 100: Ultralight
100 to 200: Light
200 to 275: Moderate
275 to 350: Heavy
Over 350: Ultraheavy

4. Comfort Ratio: 26.7

Under 20 indicates a lightweight racing boat
20 to 30 indicates a coastal cruiser
30 to 40 indicates a moderate offshore cruising boat
40 to 50 indicates a heavy offshore boat
Over 50 indicates an extremely heavy offshore boat

5. Capsize Screening Formula: 1.8

Under 2.0 (the lower the better): Better suited for ocean passages
Over 2.0: Less suited for ocean passages

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Summary Analysis of Published Design Ratios for the Westerly Centaur

1. A Sail Area/Displacement Ratio of just 14.6 suggests that she'll need a stiff breeze to get her going. In any other conditions, unless you've got plenty of time on your hands, motor-sailing will be the way to go.

2. A Ballast/Displacement Ratio of 41.8 means that she'll stand up well to her canvas in a blow, enabling her to power through the waves.

3. A Displacement/Length Ratio of 308, tells us she's clearly a heavy displacement cruising boat. You can load her down with all your cruising gear and equipment and it will hardly affect her waterline. Not an ideal choice for coastal sailing, but will come into her own on an offshore passage in testing conditions.

4. Ted Brewer's Comfort Ratio of 26.7 suggests that crew comfort in a seaway is similar to what you would associate with the motion of a coastal cruiser, which is not encouraging news for anyone prone to seasickness.

5. Her Capsize Screening Formula of 1.8 tells us that she would be a better choice of sailboat for ocean passage-making than one with a CS rating of more than 2.0.