Considerations that influenced the layout of the Centaur concept included cabin volume, access, low take-off speed and boat handling duties.

The hull features no transverse step and no forebody chines. This hull accelerates to about seventy percent of take-off speed in displacement mode by which time the water is satisfactorily “hard” and aerodynamic lift takes more than half the weight of the aeroplane off the water. The Centaur encounters no drag hump. This leaves much more thrust available than conventional seaplanes for getting more useful load airborne in a respectable distance. This useful load advantage is further increased by the reduced structural content and weight in the hull, having typically half the beam and surface area of conventional seaplane hulls (floatplanes or flying boats).

The fine bow results in little rotation. Because of the narrow beam, any remaining rotation results in less rise, wave dispersion, spray and wasted energy. The Centaur can handle short steep waves typically twice the height tolerated by equivalent seaplanes.

With the composite vinylester-epoxy laminating resins primary structure largely inset from a secondary shell, the Centaur will tolerate abuse which also aids repair without specialist facilities.

The Centaur’s low stub-wing uses ground-effect aerodynamics to aid low take-off speed. This is helped by a continuous flap through the wing center-section which provides much lift in the propeller slip-stream.
The flap and wings create down-wash on the tail. This down-wash substantially balances the pitching effects of changes in power and flap setting.

Using engineering content near identical to the undercarriage, the outer wing panels can be released and folded back to within the beam of the sponsons, so that the Centaur can be berthed or tied up against the side of a dock or ship, or in marinas. In preparing for flight, as they rotate forward to the locked position, a central stub spar mates with the spar in the wing panel, thus completely removing bending forces from the hinge. The aircraft cannot be flown unless locking is successful and the wings cannot be unlocked unless taxiing at low speed on the surface.