Cal 2-46 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The 2-46 carries a traditional long shoal-draft keel — a hull form the manufacturer tied to fast, easy passages over a long service history. Construction is hand-laid-up fiberglass with a solid hull and deck, and the interior is finished in Burmese teak. Jensen Marine built her at Costa Mesa, California and Marlboro, New Jersey, and C. William Lapworth's 1970s-vintage design pairs a 37-foot-5-inch waterline with a 12-foot-6-inch beam. Owners note the high freeboard and center-cockpit configuration, which give the boat volume and weather protection but also shape how she behaves around docks. The unprotected spade rudder is a period choice worth registering: it sits exposed beneath the hull rather than sheltered by the keel.

Rig and Handling

Lapworth offered the 2-46 in either sloop or ketch rig, and the original literature states the rig was laid out to be handled easily by two people. A longtime owner writing in Practical Sailor described a boat well set up for single-handed sailing, with main and jib halyards, boom vang, outhaul, and reefing lines led to a cabin-top winch, while primary and secondary sheet winches plus the mainsheet winch sit convenient to the helm anchor. Spinnaker and secondary halyards remain on the mast with their own winches. The midship steering station is protected from weather and centers on a pedestal wheel with all controls. That said, the sloop version is reported as rather underpowered relative to the boat's size, a shortfall the ketch configuration is said to soften.

Performance Under Sail and Power

The manufacturer described the 2-46 as extremely stable and sea-kindly, easily driven, and capable of 8.5 knots in a breeze under sail. Under power, the 85-horsepower Perkins diesel delivers a steady 8.5 knots with a 1,200-mile cruising range; one owner reported close to a 2,000-mile range under power alone after provisioning for 300 gallons of diesel. The capsize screening formula of 1.6 places her favorably against other blue-water boats such as Island Packets or Krakens of similar size, and owners credit the ballast for stability in most conditions.

Accommodations

This is a large three-cabin interior that the builder likened to a house for livability. Forward is a large cabin with a double V-berth and an additional single berth; amidships is a huge saloon with optional layouts, magnificent visibility, and a huge window area that one owner flagged as both a plus and a minus. The aft owner's stateroom is fully accessible from below decks and holds a double berth. Two enclosed heads, hot and cold pressure water, and a shower are standard. A walk-in engine room — described by an owner as a real engine room with workspace and a full workbench — sits dedicated to maintenance. Full stand-up headroom runs from the forward V-berth to the aft stateroom for a person over six feet.

Known Issues

The long-keel, 30,000-pound hull that makes the 2-46 steady offshore also makes her difficult to maneuver in tight areas, and as a long-keel boat she does not like to go backward, which complicates Med-style mooring. The high freeboard and center-cockpit layout further hinder picking up a mooring. The sloop rig's underpowered feel relative to boat size is a documented owner observation, mitigated but not erased by the ketch option. The unprotected spade rudder remains vulnerable to ground contact or debris in ways a skeg-hung or keel-hung rudder would not be.

The Verdict

The Cal 2-46 is a purpose-built Lapworth cruiser that trades tight-quarter agility for offshore stability, range, and a genuinely house-like interior. She suits a buyer who values passage-making comfort and self-sufficient engine access over dock-side nimbleness.

Pros