Fisher 46 MS Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Fisher 46 MS means chasing a rare bird: roughly fifteen were built after the 1977 launch, and the occasional later example exists. She is a 45-foot 8-inch ketch motorsailer with a long iron keel, three double cabins, three heads, and a circular saloon — a heavy, sheltered vessel rather than a weekend racer. The used fleet is small, so each viewing counts.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both are available; ex-charter examples are common. The sleeping plan provides a pair of aft doubles with a forward double and three separate heads, all opening off a round saloon, and the boat has a large afterdeck with no true cockpit. Custom fit-out around that shell means interiors vary, but those bones define the boat.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market the 46 MS commonly carries a life raft, air conditioning, an inverter, dinghy davits, heating, solar, lithium batteries, a wind generator, and a freezer. For a buyer, the power-and-energy cluster — inverter, solar, lithium batteries, wind generator — determines whether she can sit quietly on anchor without the 117 to 120 hp diesel running. Climate comfort from air conditioning and heating, plus a freezer and dinghy davits, speaks to her long-stay motorsailer role.
What to Inspect
Pre-1990 Fisher hulls in this line occasionally suffer wheelhouse window frame corrosion where frames were bonded without epoxy, so check the window surrounds for pitting or crazing and probe any softness in the adjacent deck. The same non-epoxy bonding allowed deck surfaces to peel; walk the side decks and afterdeck for lifted or curling panels and smell for trapped moisture underneath deck surfaces to peel. Both faults trace to the builder's pre-1990 practice and were corrected later, so a 1977-launched example is squarely in the risk window.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The typical market for these boats is the United States. Before committing, run through this short list:
- Inspect wheelhouse window frames for corrosion
- Lift deck panels to check bonding
- Confirm three-cabin, three-head layout matches your needs
- Verify lithium and solar capacity for off-grid stays
- Measure draft against your marina's limiting depth
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Fisher 46 MS. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 3 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26 | 1 | $290,000 | — |
| May 26 | 2 | $198,000 | -31.7% |
| Sep 26 | 1 | $98,000 | -50.5% |
Where they're listed
Fisher 46 MS listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 4.
Country view
4 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $198,000 | 4 | 1 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
4 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northshore 37 MS | 42.52' | $ 86,115 | 18 | 6 |
| Kelly Peterson 46 | 46.25' | $ 79,500 | 7 | 4 |
| Moody 46 | 46.13' | $ 223,874 | 5 | 2 |
| Fisher 46 MSYou are here | — | $ 198,000 | 4 | 1 |