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Westerly (Boatbuilder)

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Westerly Marine Construction was a British yacht manufacturing company which existed from 1963 to 2000. It is known for its inexpensive but well constructed GRP boat designs, and became Britain's biggest boatbuilder during the 1970s. It was founded by former Royal Navy officer Denys Rayner.

Early years and success[edit]

The early Westerly designs clearly developed from Rayner's earlier yacht designs. As the material GRP was pretty new to the boatbuilding market and nobody really had experience in working with it, Rayner opted to adapt designs which where originally inteded to be build of plywood, which proofed successful. These early designs were build of much heavier GRP than the later ones as GRP was thought to be weaker than the common boatbuilding materials.

After this initial success Westerly paired with renowned yacht designer Laurent Giles who constructed the following series of Westerly models. These models differ from the earlier ones in appearance and GRP thickness as well as in the keel design. Giles designed the most famous Westerly yachts Warwick 21", Pageant 23" and Centaur 26". All tiller steered twin keel yachts with a very pragmatic layout and affordable prices. These boats hit the market just in time to appeal to an emerging British middle class who could suddenly afford hobbies like sailing which were pretty much restricted to the rich upper class before.

By the early 70s Westerly was the biggest boatbuilder in Britain. The Centaur alone was built 2444 times.[1]

The so called 'small cruisers' were soon to be joined by the new Westerly 'flagship', the 31'' Longbow. Although similar in appearance to the small cruisers, the Longbow was a fin keel design. Later it was joined by a wheel steered aft cabin version, the Renown. As customers were used to twin keelers from Westerly, the 31" Berwick and Pentland soon followed. Until 1979 almost 1000 31" Westerlies were built.

Demise[edit]

In the late 70s, early 80s the market for inexpensive sturdy cruisers was saturated. Westerly's boom began to fade. They tried to move upmarket with a luxurious version of the 31 footers as well as their following models Konsort and Fulmar, which also sold pretty well.

After years of no real innovation, Westerly was sold to the Bowman Group during the mid 90s and finally folded in 2000.

Today[edit]

Used Westerly yachts are still very popular beginner boats and are often sold for far smaller prices than comparable boats which generates lasting popularity. Due to their sturdy and pragmatic design most Westerlies built are still afloat.

As of 2020 the Westerly Owners Association is still the biggest yacht owner association in the world. On their website they operate an online market place for used boats or spare parts and a Westerly Wiki. They also organise regular meetings and events.[2]

Westerly Classes[edit]

Some examples of Westerly Class models:

  • Nimrod, 18", 1968
  • Warwick, 21", 1970
  • Pageant, 23", 1970
  • Centaur, 26", 1969
  • Chieftain, 26" 1972 (Wheel steered center cockpit Centaur)
  • Longbow, 31" 1973
  • Oceanlord, 40", 1987[3]

External Links[edit]

Westerly Wiki

Westerly Owners Association

References[edit]

  1. "Centaur - Westerly-Wiki". wiki.westerly-owners.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  2. "What WOA can do for you". Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  3. "Westerly Classes - Westerly-Wiki". wiki.westerly-owners.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-02-15.


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