Design and Construction
The 46 is based on the 45 but extensively upgraded, and the changes begin with the shell itself. New plugs and moulds for both hull and deck were cut, so the boat is not a stretched or patched predecessor. Freeboard is 10 cm higher at the transom, fading out to zero at the stem, which adds volume aft without distorting the forward profile; the yard also added a rubbing strake below the blue hull stripe, a detail the 45 lacked. Writing in boats.com, the design review noted the underwater profile shows a partial skeg aft to help get a third bearing in the rudder system, and a bustlelike distension of the canoe body just aft of the keel fin fairs into that half skeg. The keel is a bulbed lead keel on deep bilge, with all the lead on the bottom half of the fin; a wing-type keel gives 6 feet 2 inches of draft and keeps the vertical center of gravity of the ballast quite low, while a deep-draft version at 2.35 m unloaded was also offered. At 36,300 lbs displacement with 14,550 lbs of lead in a 260 displacement-to-length ratio, the hull is squarely in the medium-displacement cruiser band.
Rig and Handling
The 46 is conservatively rigged with fore and aft lowers and double spreaders, and the sail plan carries 1,076 sq ft with a working jib for a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of about 15.83. Steering was upgraded from wire to rod links with cardan connection and progressive purchase, and the pedestal top was reshaped to accept more buttons and displays. The shaft angle is 14.5 degrees, driving a fixed three-blade propeller from the Volvo Penta TAMD31S of 100 HP. Owners report the boat is both a fairly good performer and seakindly. A British example, "Kathryn Del Fuego," won her category in the ARC 2019, taking first in class and first family yacht with children aged six and eight aboard, and her crew reported no structural, mechanical, or electrical failures on the crossing, nor any chaffing of running rigging or sheets.
Accommodations
The interior was reworked across the board. Headroom in the saloon rose from 1.94 to 1.98 m, and the walk-through to the aft cabin gained height from 1.91 to 1.94 m while growing 8 cm wider; aft cabin headroom went from 1.82 to 1.88 m, aft heads from 1.76 to 1.91 m, and aft shower from 1.81 to 1.87 m. The forward arrangement is improved with a heads and separate shower to starboard, a twin-bunk cabin to port, and a separate passage to the V-berth ahead. Three interior layouts were offered: Layout A is the most conventional with the owner aft and mirror-image forward staterooms sharing a centerline head; Layout B moves the forward head aft to the main bulkhead with a shower stall; Layout C enlarges that head but drops the port-side stateroom for an exposed crew berth. Galley and main cabin are common to all versions, with settee options to starboard, and aft buyers choose a centerline double or a double to starboard with a single to port. The cockpit was upgraded with more seating space despite unchanged length, and opening portlights grew from eight to thirteen.
Engine and Systems Access
Cruisers will appreciate the large engine room, accessible through the companionway below or a seat hatch in the cockpit, which lets major work proceed without tearing up living spaces. The 660-litre diesel and 920-litre fresh-water tanks support long independent voyaging, and the transport height without windscreen is 3.95 m.
The Verdict
The Hallberg-Rassy 46 is a thoughtful evolution of the 45 that Frers and the yard used to add volume, light, and steering precision without disturbing the proven hull philosophy. It is a genuinely ocean-capable medium-displacement cruiser with real owner evidence of undramatic Atlantic passage-making.
Pros
- New hull and deck tooling over the 45, with higher transom freeboard and added rubbing strake
- Three distinct interior layouts sharing a common galley and saloon
- Rod-link steering with cardan connection replacing wire
- Large machinery space reached from companionway or cockpit seat hatch
- CE category A for unlimited ocean voyages; ARC-class-winning passage record
Cons
- Deep-draft version adds 1.5 ft over the standard wing keel
- Layout C sacrifices private port stateroom for an open crew berth
