Dehler 46 SQ Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Owner three-cabin arrangements are the more common on the used market, but both layout philosophies are available. The defining choice below deck is the port-side main-cabin treatment: a conventional settee with a forward nav station, or a broken settee with the nav station aft. Aft, the starboard quarter cabin is always a double, while the port quarter can be a double, two singles, or a single plus stowage. The forward owner's cabin keeps its island berth regardless of configuration. Ex-charter boats will usually show the simpler owner or guest cabin counts rather than the scissor-berth experiment, so check the port aft cabin specifically if berthing flexibility matters to you.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

The most consequential upgrades to look for cluster around power, sail handling, and comfort. On the energy side, a freezer is commonly fitted, useful for extended cruising. For sail handling, the optional taller carbon rig, flatdeck headsail furler, and powered Lewmar winches transform short-handed sailing; a removable inner forestay for a blade staysail and the bowsprit with bobstay are valuable for downwind balance. Comfort and safety equipment centers on the optional cockpit arch, which lifts the mainsheet and traveller out of the cockpit and supports a folding sprayhood, and the lighter fold-down bathing platform. Navigation and helm ergonomics benefit from the flush instrument pods at the coaming and the carbon wheels that lighten the helm.

What to Inspect

The structural story is strong: the 46 SQ uses vacuum infused epoxy over a Divinycell core with a laminated carbon keel matrix spreading rig, keel, and mast loads, and outboard chainplates tie into that matrix. Even so, a few finish details deserve a close look. Testers noted the overall finish appeared very good but flagged access to the electronics wiring as an area that could have been better thought through. The engine is a 57-horsepower Yanmar turned around with the saildrive tucked under the companionway slope; confirm the aft-cabin access hatches open cleanly to service it. On deck, verify the fold-down bathing platform's lighter construction is intact and the wider-step bathing ladder and handrails are present. Below, confirm the forward heads opposite the galley was the enlarged SQ version and that no wet locker was retrofitted to compensate for its absence.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

These boats turn up in New Zealand and Spain. For a buyer, the checklist is straightforward: confirm which port-side saloon and aft-cabin layout you are getting, verify the optional rig and winch upgrades if performance matters, inspect electronics access and engine hatches, and check the SQ-specific heads enlargement and opening window hardware. A well-kept example will reward with a stiff, quick hull and a flexible interior suited to both charter history and owner cruising.