ShearWater 45 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Shearwater 45 means weighing a traditional-looking cruiser with a modern underbody, built by Acheson Yachts in Cape Town and designed by Dudley Dix. The boat earned top cruising honors in 2001 and remains a recognizable name among serious-minded cruising yachtsmen. On the used side, ex-charter examples are common, and the practical ownership questions are less about rarity than about how each specimen was rigged, laid out, and maintained.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both are available, and ex-charter examples are common. Every Shearwater 45 was built around a mid-engine position with the U-shaped galley positioned over the engine, so regardless of cabin count the cook works safely without tying in and the engine remains accessible. Layouts generally sleep 4 to 6 in two or three private cabins, with sleeping spaces kept compact to free volume for the living areas. The wood-dominated interior, originally executed by a fine ship's carpenter, carries through the available plans.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, teak decks, air conditioning, inverter, asymmetric spinnaker, electric winches, radar, chartplotter, spinnaker, freezer, autopilot, heating, and AIS are commonly fitted. The boat itself can appear with a cutter or a staysail schooner rig; the schooner carries more raked masts and a traditional North American appearance but was the more costly and more easily handled option when new.
What to Inspect
The molded GRP stub of the keel forms a large sump for collection of bilge water, so confirm how effectively the keel stub sump is cleared and whether any standing water has been left to dwell. Because the deck is a GRP sandwich using a balsa core, examine deck penetrations for signs of core moisture consistent with the balsa-cored deck. No other structural defects are documented in the known record.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The Shearwater 45 typically appears on the used market in the United States and France. For a shopper, the short checklist is: verify the keel-stub sump drains dry, sound the balsa-cored deck at fittings, confirm rig identity (cutter versus schooner), and assess the mid-engine galley access for service history. Choose the layout — owner three-cabin or the alternative — that matches your cruising plan, and expect ex-charter boats to need closer cosmetic review.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the ShearWater 45. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 5 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25 | 2 | $ 189,990 | — |
| Sep 25 | 1 | $ 179,900 | -5.3% |
| Apr 26 | 2 | $ 65,237 | -63.7% |
| May 26 | 1 | $ 189,900 | +191.1% |
| Jun 26 | 3 | $ 179,900 | -5.3% |
Where they're listed
ShearWater 45 listings appear across 2 countries. United States has the most listings with 4 (66.7%), followed by France.
Country view
6 listings · 2 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $ 179,900 | 4 | 3 | 66.7% |
| France | $ 65,237 | 2 | 0 | 33.3% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
6 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outremer 45 | 44.95' | $ 660,000 | 47 | 6 |
| Sweden Yachts 45 | 46.42' | $ 320,134 | 23 | 7 |
| Swan 45 | 45.37' | $ 315,000 | 15 | 1 |
| Salona 45 | 44.45' | $ 112,930 | 9 | 1 |
| ShearWater 45You are here | — | $ 179,900 | 7 | 4 |
| J Boats J/45 | 45.46' | $ 526,377 | 3 | 1 |