BoatsZaadnoordijk Yacht Builders Centaur

Zaadnoordijk Yacht Builders Centaur

Fractional Sloop · Fin keel, spade rudder · First built 1960

A lightweight fractional sloop originally built for sailing schools, featuring a trapeze-permitted class racing setup

Designed by Frans Maas.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin w/spade Rudder

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

TrailerableBeam 2.00 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 550 kg of hull, so roughly 1,150 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 550 kg of hull, with a keel that raises or a draught shallow enough to float off a trailer — she can go back on the trailer at the ramp, not only into the water.Shoal draughtDraws 0.85 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a moderate beam gives 9 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 9
CoastalBluewater

At 2.46 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 2.46
LightHeavy

119 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 119
EasygoingPowered-up

22.7 — a lot of sail for her weight; powered-up and eager, a real performer.

Sail area / displacement 22.7
TenderStiff

33% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 33%

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

  • Lighter than ~95% of boats her size on file
  • Draws less than ~80% of boats her size on file
  • Narrower than ~92% of boats her size on file

Compared with 611 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
32.7%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
22.7
Displacement / length
119.0
Comfort ratio
8.6
Capsize screening
2.46
Hull speed
5.5 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
388
Hull
Hull type
Fin w/spade rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1960
Units built
2500
Designer
Frans Maas
Builder
Zaadnoordijk Yacht Builders, C-Yachts, Compromis

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Santana 206.16 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA high-performance fractional sloop with a 1996 deck redesign that added an open transom and a roomier cockpit
J Boats Tillotson Pearson J/226.86 mSame hull family0.7 m longerA high-performance fractional sloop designed by Rod Johnstone, built for competitive one-design racing and day sailing
Victory 216.40 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA high-performance one-design sloop with a 24.9 SA/D ratio, produced across four decades by builders including Catalina.
J J/77.04 mSame hull family0.8 m longerA 2024 fractional sloop with a shallow 1.16m draft and a high 23.55 sail-area-to-displacement ratio for responsive daysailing
J Boats J/706.93 mSame hull family0.7 m longerA high-performance fractional sloop designed by Alan Johnstone, with over 1,100 units delivered for one-design racing
Borge Bringsvaerd Bb116.18 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Norwegian-built classic with an active class association that has raced continuously since the 1960s

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

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