Bowman 46 Corsair Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Bowman 46 Corsair means weighing a heavy Holman & Pye cruiser of early-1970s lineage against the realities of individual keel and layout choices. These are serious offshore boats rather than light coastal cruisers, and the used fleet reflects both owner and ex-charter histories.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both are available, and ex-charter examples are common. The survey describes a one-cabin, five-berth arrangement with 169 US gallons of fresh water, so a buyer should verify which interior a specific hull actually carries rather than assuming that baseline. The stub/centreboard keel draws about 5.5 to 5.8 feet, while the long keel runs near 7 feet, and that draft gap often tracks with how and where a boat was used.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Most boats on the market carry a strong inventory for independent cruising. Autopilots, chartplotters, radar, and AIS are commonly fitted, joined by teak decks, heating, inverter, bimini, and hardtop. Often-seen additions include air conditioning, solar, bow thruster, freezer, hot water, EPIRB, life raft, and a shorthanded sail-handling setup. For a buyer, the power-and-energy cluster (inverter, solar, heating) determines liveaboard autonomy, while the navigation cluster (chartplotter, radar, AIS) defines offshore readiness without extra commissioning cost.
What to Inspect
The stub/centreboard keel draws as little as 5.51 feet and the long-keel version about 7 feet, so confirm the actual keel type and its structural attachment. Verify the fresh water capacity of 169 US gallons against tank condition, and check the masthead rig's halyard and sheet inventory — the surveyed estimates list 14 mm halyards and 5/8-inch sheets of substantial length, and worn replacements on a 46-foot boat are a real cost. Inspection should follow normal heavy-fiberglass practice.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets are Spain and Portugal. For a buyer, the checklist is brief: confirm keel type and draft against intended cruising grounds, verify the actual cabin layout against the common three-cabin owner version, and assess whether the commonly fitted navigation and power equipment meets your plans. The Corsair rewards the careful shopper with a heavily built hull and serious tankage in the western Mediterranean used fleet.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Bowman 46 Corsair. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 6 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 1 | $53,028 | — |
| Jan 26 | 1 | $278,516 | +425.2% |
| Mar 26 | 1 | $39,431 | -85.8% |
| May 26 | 1 | $47,589 | +20.7% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $47,589 | 0.0% |
| Aug 26 | 1 | $279,219 | +486.7% |
Where they're listed
Bowman 46 Corsair listings appear across 2 countries. Spain has the most listings with 5 (83.3%), followed by Portugal.
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
7 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hylas 46 | 46.25' | $ 420,000 | 48 | 8 |
| Hallberg-Rassy 46 | 48.5' | $ 390,368 | 33 | 7 |
| Swan 46 | 47.08' | $ 147,247 | 24 | 6 |
| Peterson 46 | 45' | $ 69,900 | 10 | 5 |
| Oyster Yachts 46 | 46' | $ 543,760 | 7 | 1 |
| Corsair 46 CorsairYou are here | — | $ 50,298 | 6 | 2 |
| Moody 46 | 46.13' | $ 263,051 | 6 | 2 |