Salona 45 Buyer's Guide
Shopping a Salona 45 on the brokerage market means looking at a Croatian-built J&J Design performance cruiser that has proven itself as both a club racer and a cruiser since the mid-2000s. Most used examples trace to ex-charter service, and the four-cabin charter layout is the more common one afloat, though two-cabin versions appear as well. Knowing which details hold up and which to inspect saves grief after the survey.
Layouts on the Used Market
The boat was offered with three interior plans in either cherry or mahogany, but the ex-charter four-cabin version dominates used inventory, pairing twin aft doubles with a forward cabin and an aft head. The saloon carries a forward-facing nav station to starboard and a sliding bench that reveals keel bolts and sail stowage space. A straight-line galley runs the port side. Two-cabin layouts exist for private owners who wanted less charter wear and more stowage, but they are the minority on the market.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Commonly fitted gear on used boats includes a chartplotter, autopilot, solar, hot water, a bimini, and a cockpit shower—the baseline for comfortable cruising. Often seen are cabin heating, an inverter, a spinnaker, an EPIRB, and a life raft, pointing to boats equipped for longer passages. A watermaker, lithium batteries, an asymmetric spinnaker, teak decks, and radar are less common, usually the mark of an owner who pushed the boat toward self-sufficiency or racing; treat those as bonuses rather than expected.
What to Inspect
The forward head in the standard layout sits in the peak and is of limited use in a head sea, so check for staining or unrepaired wear from that awkward location anchor. On deck, confirm whether nonskid was extended inboard of the cabin-top rails and whether the halyard lead-back area ever received traction treatment, since testers noted those gaps anchor. Below, inspect the dinette table for absent fiddles and the galley Kerrock counters for sharp-edged integral fiddles that can discourage bare-arm use anchor. Verify the condition of the shallow saloon handrails and the curtain-track fill that limits their grip.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets for the Salona 45 are Italy, Spain, Croatia, and the United States. For a buyer, the practical checklist is short:
- Favor a privately owned two-cabin boat if charter wear is a concern; expect four-cabin ex-charter units to predominate
- Confirm the forward head's condition given its peak placement
- Check deck nonskid coverage at halyard and cabin-top zones
- Verify fiddles at the dinette and galley, and the saloon handrail depth
- Treat watermaker, lithium, and radar as owner upgrades, not standard fit
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Salona 45. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 8 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 25 | 1 | $110,817 | — |
| Sep 25 | 1 | $96,825 | -12.6% |
| Jan 26 | 1 | $158,261 | +63.5% |
| Apr 26 | 3 | $95,146 | -39.9% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $99,000 | +4.1% |
| Aug 26 | 1 | $115,660 | +16.8% |
| Sep 26 | 3 | $139,921 | +21.0% |
| Oct 26 | 2 | $132,637 | -5.2% |
Where they're listed
Salona 45 listings appear across 5 countries. Italy has the most listings with 5 (50.0%), followed by Croatia and Spain.
Country view
10 listings · 5 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | $139,921 | 5 | 4 | 50.0% |
| Croatia | $92,348 | 2 | 0 | 20.0% |
| Spain | $158,261 | 1 | 0 | 10.0% |
| United Kingdom | $165,605 | 1 | 1 | 10.0% |
| United States | $99,000 | 1 | 0 | 10.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
11 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bavaria Yachts C45 | 47.34' | $ 313,423 | 79 | 17 |
| Outremer 45 | 44.95' | $ 660,000 | 50 | 12 |
| Aventura Yachts 45 | 44.29' | $ 707,986 | 22 | 2 |
| Elan 45 | 44.03' | $ 89,549 | 21 | 2 |
| Swan 45 | 45.37' | $ 315,000 | 13 | 1 |
| Salona 45You are here | — | $ 115,660 | 11 | 6 |
| Beneteau First 45 (Farr) | 46.59' | $ 185,411 | 11 | 0 |
| Salona 40 | 39.34' | $ 106,340 | 10 | 2 |
| J-Boats J/45 | 45.46' | $ 748,857 | 9 | 7 |
| Shearwater 45 | 51.42' | $ 179,900 | 8 | 2 |
| Frers 45 | 45' | $ 57,845 | 2 | 1 |