Kelly Peterson 46 Buyer's Guide
The Kelly Peterson 46 is a scarce bluewater center-cockpit cutter built in Taiwan between 1980 and 1990, with just 30 hulls completed, so a buyer on the brokerage market is shopping a small and individualistic population rather than a common production class. Doug Peterson’s lengthened evolution of the 44 carries teak-rich construction and a deep 6-foot 8-inch fin-keel hull that rewards careful inspection over impulse.
Layouts on the Used Market
Most boats follow the center-cockpit arrangement with a forward V-berth cabin, an amidships saloon with U-shaped dinette and starboard settee, and an aft master berth accessed by a secondary companionway. Two private heads are standard, and the engine sits forward of centerline under a sound-insulated enclosure reached from the aft cabin or cockpit. Because only 30 were built, layout variation is limited, but teak veneer and solid teak interiors with holly soles mean condition of woodwork separates the cared-for from the neglected.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Well-found examples commonly carry an inverter, hot water, AIS, autopilot, EPIRB, watermaker, cabin heating, solar, freezer, bimini, dodger, and radar, which together let a couple live aboard and navigate offshore without immediate further spend. Often-seen additions include a spinnaker, dinghy davits, a life raft, and a short-handed sail-handling setup that eases single-watch cruising. Power and energy clusters — inverter, solar, watermaker, heating, freezer — matter most for independence; canvas and safety items like bimini, dodger, radar, and life raft shape day-to-day comfort and passage readiness.
What to Inspect
Owners report that the secondary companionway hatch is prone to leaks, so check the aft cabin overhead and bulkhead for staining or soft core at that closure secondary companionway hatch is prone to leaks. The same owners note the rear lazarettes are impractically small and the propane locker holds only two small cylinders, so verify locker structure and any aftermarket enlargement rear lazarettes are impractically small. With the deep draft, inspect the fin keel and skeg-hung rudder for grounding scars, since owners cite the deep draft as a limitation in shallow regions deep draft makes parts of the world harder to access.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These yachts typically appear on the United States market. For a shopper, the short checklist is: confirm the companionway hatch is dry, assess teak and rare-wood condition both deck and cabin, verify the propane locker and lazarette suit your plans, and accept the draft’s cruising limits. A cared-for KP46 is a singular bluewater home; a tired one is a teak-restoration project.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Kelly Peterson 46. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 7 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 25 | 2 | $129,500 | — |
| Apr 25 | 1 | $69,000 | -46.7% |
| Jun 25 | 1 | $149,900 | +117.2% |
| Aug 25 | 2 | $114,900 | -23.3% |
| Oct 25 | 2 | $92,475 | -19.5% |
| Jan 26 | 1 | $114,900 | +24.2% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $89,500 | -22.1% |
Where they're listed
Kelly Peterson 46 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 | $92,475 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peterson 46 | 45' | $ 69,900 | 10 | 5 |
| Oyster Yachts 46 | 46' | $ 543,520 | 7 | 1 |
| Moody 46 | 46.13' | $ 262,911 | 6 | 2 |
| Kelly Peterson 46You are here | — | $ 92,475 | 4 | 1 |