Irwin 46 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used Irwin 46 means taking on a 1980-launched Ted Irwin design from the solid-fiberglass years of Irwin Yachts, a marque Ted Irwin led as designer from its 1966 founding until its 1992 closure. These are keel-and-centerboard ketch cruisers of about 45.5 feet, weighing 33,000 pounds with 12,000 pounds of lead ballast and a draft that swings from 4.67 feet board-up to 10.92 feet board-down anchor — a profile that suits both thin-water gunkholing and offshore passage work.
Layouts on the Used Market
The 46's 13.5-foot beam and 37.6-foot waterline produce a voluminous cruising interior, and the staysail ketch rig places a mizzen abaft the helm so the cockpit sits within a sheltered, divided-sail arrangement. The keel-centerboard trunk runs through the hull interior, so buyers should note how a given boat's saloon or stateroom layout accommodates that structure. Tankage is symmetric at 190 gallons each for diesel and water, supporting extended independent cruising regardless of a specific boat's furnishing choices.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the brokerage market, air conditioning and autopilot are often seen, along with electric winches and a bimini — clusters that speak to comfort and reduced crew effort under a divided ketch rig. Air conditioning and a bimini matter most in warm-water cruising where the 46's shoal-draft range gets used; electric winches and autopilot address the physical load of handling a 33,000-pound boat's ground tackle and sails short-handed. None of these are universal, so a buyer should treat their presence as a value-add rather than a baseline.
What to Inspect
The Irwin 46's hull-and-deck structure is solid fiberglass, and the keel-centerboard trunk is the first place to look for age-related stress: the pivot and trunk seals should be checked for leakage where the board penetrates the hull. Because the design carries solid FG construction rather than cored hulls, osmotic blistering below the waterline remains the principal laminate concern on a 40-year-old hull. The 80-horsepower Perkins diesel and its 190-gallon tank should be inspected for tank corrosion and fuel-system condition, as the matched capacity is only an asset if the diesel is sound.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Irwin 46s typically appear on the United States market. For a buyer, the checklist is straightforward: confirm centerboard trunk and pivot integrity, survey the solid FG hull for osmosis, and verify the Perkins and tankage. The shoal-draft versatility and ketch-handling ease make a sound example a capable long-range cruiser.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Irwin 46. 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. |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 25 | 2 | $59,500 | — |
| May 26 | 2 | $49,900 | -16.1% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $49,900 | 0.0% |
Where they're listed
Irwin 46 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 3.
Country view
3 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $49,900 | 3 | 1 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.