Spirit 46 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Sean McMillan designed the Spirit 46 for the British-based Spirit Yachts, a yard he established in the early 1990s, and the marque's style draws subtle variations on 1930s classic yacht design with long overhangs, low profiles and smooth lines married to contemporary underwater profiles subtle variations on 1930s classic yacht design. What separates Spirit from almost every other builder of traditional-style series yachts is the boats' wood/epoxy construction. The 46 is built on laminated ring frames usually fashioned from Brazilian cedar, with a keelson of Oregon pine, and the first layer of planking is also Brazilian cedar glued to the ring frames to form a monocoque structure that is faired before a series of double-diagonal, cold-molded veneers are applied. A layer of glass/epoxy stabilizes the surface prior to the Awlgrip finish, and everything is bonded by West System Epoxy. The deck is swept teak and the brightwork is highly varnished Brazilian mahogany, with custom hardware throughout.

The keel is an SG steel foil to which a torpedo-shape lead ballast bulb is bolted, and the stainless-steel rudderstock supports a finely tuned foam-filled, balanced spade rudder encapsulated by a carbon skin. McMillan notes the hull has a firm turn in the bilge for good form stability and shallow rocker. The ballast bulb comprises 45 percent of the boat's 9,900 pounds of displacement, and the yard's RCD Category A rating covers F8 winds and 4m waves with a maximum capacity of six persons.

Rig and Handling

The Spirit 46 carries a fractional Bermudan sloop rig, and the reviewed examples stepped a tall Southern Spars carbon rig. With a deep fin keel and ballast bulb plus the spade rudder, she tracked well to weather. Test sailors found her extremely close-winded, tacking through 60 degrees, and the knot meter ascended into double figures reaching, topping off at nearly 11 knots; with a reef tucked in she gained up to almost seven and a half knots upwind. A different 46 had notched 21 knots of boat speed during a race the previous year.

Despite rather sporty weather, her deck stayed nearly dry thanks to light ends and a bit of flare to the bow, which also let her rise over waves rather than plowing through. The tiller is feathery-light, and under power the 18-hp Yanmar GM-20 registered a solid seven knots at 2,500 rpm. The dimensions and displacement allow her to be easily and economically transported by road or by sea.

Accommodations

McMillan has delivered prior 46s with several different interior accommodations — an open floor plan, one cabin, and two cabins — and the builder claims the boats are virtually custom, with owners able to specify any interior they want. A rather standard layout places a V-berth and head forward, opposing settees and a dining table in the central saloon, and the galley and navigation station at the foot of the companionway. Headroom is about five feet two inches, the one compromise below. Some examples were delivered devoid of lifelines, evoking an old 6-Meter.

Refits and Ownership

There is an active community of Spirit 46 racing yachts in the UK and in the Mediterranean, though she can be sailed anywhere in the world. Spirit Yachts are designed to be as beautiful in 100 years as they are today, and the wood-epoxy build with cold-molded veneers and varnished mahogany brightwork demands consistent upkeep of the finish systems to preserve that intent. Custom hardware and the carbon rig are specialist items when renewal falls due.

The Verdict

The Spirit 46 is a distinctive modern-classic that fuses 1930s styling with a lightweight wood-epoxy hull and contemporary performance underwater. She is genuinely fast, close-winded, and a joy to helm, yet the low headroom and custom nature of each boat mean she suits owners who value character and racecourse pace over interior volume.

Pros

Lightweight wood/epoxy construction with cold-molded veneers and epoxy bonding
Tall carbon rig and deep fin-bulb keel deliver near-11-knot reaching and 60-degree tacking
Active racing communities in the UK and Mediterranean
Virtually custom interior layouts available

Cons