Salona 45 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The Salona 45 has a 40-foot-6-inch waterline, a 13-foot-9-inch beam, and a displacement of 22,046 pounds, with a 34 percent ballast-to-displacement ratio.

The hull laminate combines uni-directional, bi-axial, and tri-axial fiberglass cloth over a foam core that stops just below the waterline, keeping the structure relatively light while preserving stiffness. Inside, three stringers per side, three ring frames, a marine-plywood-cored grid, and bonded bulkheads and joinery create a rigid shell.

The yard fitted watertight bulkheads fore and aft, with wiring and plumbing routed through watertight glands. The aft bulkhead sits forward of the rudder stock, so even a lost rudder shouldn’t flood the interior. Bulkheads and furniture are stout enough to catch a crew member thrown by a sea, while chamfered edges help blunt the impact. For maintenance access, a transom locker secured by four screws lifts away easily.

Rig, Deck Layout, and Handling

A three-spreader aluminum Sparcraft mast carries a 130-percent masthead genoa. A retractable sprit pole mounted to starboard was offered for asymmetric sails.

In the cockpit, a Harken traveler sits on the sole ahead of the helm, flanked by two Harken mainsheet winches. Genoa tracks lie close to the deckhouse and are served by Harken 44 winches, while Spinlock XTS jammers are positioned at the companionway.

Testers found the Whitlock steering sweet to helm, and the boat remained balanced in 20-knot puffs. Writing in Cruising World, the reviewer logged a broad reach at 9 knots in a sloppy sea under full main and a 110-percent jib in 20 to 25 knots. The deep rudder has enough area to limit broaches.

Under power, the test boat’s 54-horsepower Yanmar delivered 7.5 knots at 2,100 rpm, with negligible engine noise.

Accommodations

Four wide, curved companionway steps lead below. They swing up on gas springs for engine access and are flanked by stout grabrails.

The saloon is finished in satin-varnished cherry. Its shoulder-level handrails, however, are too shallow to be useful and are largely filled with curtain track. A bench at the saloon table slides aside to expose the stainless keel bolts.

Forward, the forward cabin has a near-queen berth to starboard opposite a settee, with lockers and drawers arranged around the space. The tested forward head sits in the peak, where it’s of limited use when going to weather in a chop.

The two aft cabins each contain a double sea berth over the fuel and water tanks. Each cabin also has a seat, shoe locker, hanging locker, and fiddled shelf.

The Euro-style galley runs along the port side, with an indentation at the double sinks. Its Kerrock countertops have integral fiddles, although testers found their edges uncomfortably sharp. To starboard, the forward-facing nav station includes a fiddled desk and a grabrail.

Ergonomic and Deck Details

Several shortcomings concern working areas and everyday ergonomics. On deck, the stainless handrails end aft of the mast, short of the halyard organizers. Cabin-top nonskid doesn’t extend inboard of the rails; Sailing World likewise noted the lack of nonskid where the halyards lead aft to the cockpit.

Below, the saloon handrails are too shallow, the dinette table lacks fiddles, and the galley fiddles have sharp edges. The forward head’s position in the peak also makes it poorly suited to use in a head sea.

Verdict

The Salona 45 is a genuinely dual-purpose 45-footer: stiff and quick under sail, structurally serious, and arranged for both liveaboard cruising and weeknight racing. Its weaknesses are detail-level ergonomic misses rather than structural doubts.

Pros

High initial stability and a stiff, church-like motion in a breeze
Watertight bulkheads, with the aft unit protecting the cabin from flooding after rudder loss
Strong, bonded interior structure with chamfered, crew-safe furniture
Balanced helm and lively pace: 7.5 knots and 9 knots reaching in testing

Cons