"Bart Senior" .@. wrote in message news
I will be working with a fellow I met a few years
ago in the boatyard. He and his father decided
to buy a boat and learn to sail. I can't remember
all the details--I think I recommended a cute
little Cape Dory that was for sale.

It turns out they bought a bilge keel Westerly Centaur,
that they were not too happy with. Mostly they were
unhappy because everyone told them the boat was a
dog. I think they could have had plenty of fun with it if
they put a little money into it.

It needed a bit of work and I guess the price was
right, and included a mooring.

Westerly Centaur is not a dog. I have never owned one but have sailed one
belonging to a friend.
They are strongly built and have reasonable basic accomodation and a decent
engine but were designed many years ago.
You do not buy a bilge keeler if you want decent upwind performance so that
is where the engine comes in.
OTOH in a Centaur you can take the ground on an even keel and get into many
shallow harbours that are not accessible to boats of deeper draught and it
is much easier to find somewhere to keep a shallow draught boat. Many
Centaurs were made and they are cheap now so if it meets your needs ignore
what others say about them and go for it..