Cardinal 46 Sailboats for Sale & Market Overview

Drawing Diagram

Builder drawing

Hull type

Monohull · fin

Rig

Masthead Sloop

LOA

46.42' · 14.15 m

Displ.

27,500 lbs · 12,474 kg

First year

1985

The Cardinal 46 is a distinguished performance cruiser designed by the renowned New Zealand naval architect Alan Warwick. Emerging in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the yacht was a centerpiece of the Cardinal Yachts line, which aimed to marry the highspeed hull philosophies of New Zealand racing with the opulent interior craftsmanship of premier Taiwanese shipyards. Most hulls were constructed at the King’s Legend yard, a facility respected for producing semicustom yachts that rivaled the build quality of European giants like Nautor Swan. According to the technical archives at Warwick Yacht Design, the 46 was engineered for sailors who demanded a "true" offshore vessel—one capable of maintaining high average speeds in open ocean conditions without sacrificing the comforts of a luxury home. The model shares a clear lineage with its sibling vessels, specifically the smaller Cardinal 38 and the flagship Cardinal 54, all of which feature Warwick’s signature lowprofile coachroof and powerful, moderatedisplacement hull forms.