Westerly's are the primary lot and of them the Centaur is the most well
known. My own, under different owners, is the class record holder with two
circumnavigations plus under the keel. That's a 26' hull. My new one is
the Berwick at 31' LOD. Here's some of the things to watch for. a. they
don't point as high as single keel boats but similar to full keel boats. In
light airs it's easier to 'wear ship' than tack across. b. The draft is
less when upright and more when heeled. Also the righting moment
drastically increases when heeled. The Westerly's are damn near impossible
to broach. c. They don't go near as fast as similar waterline lengths but
they are more comfortable. If you get 'wave slap' between the keels you are
going to fast reef down. d. They surf great! e. Some, mine own included,
eventually get keel bolt leaks. You have to inspect this and occasionally
fix them over the years. The older one's did n't have stiffener sections
built in the keel stub interior. Adding those solved a lot of keel bolt
problems. e. There's no bilge to speak of. f. Some, like the Westerly's
are blue water capable, some are not. g. They are GREAT for shallow water,
canals, and gunkholing.
For the rest follow advice of the others or contact
for Twin
Keeler Newsletter. He's in Chicago, USA.
Michael