Sydney 46 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Sydney 46 means looking at a 1997-launched Murray Burns Dovell design from Sydney Yachts, a 46-foot-7-inch masthead sloop with a light-displacement hull and a racing-derived deck. These are performance cruiser-racers rather than passage-making barges, and the used fleet reflects that intent: simple interiors, serious cockpit hardware, and a vacuum-bagged composite build from the late-1990s Sydney Yachts period.
Layouts on the Used Market
The Sydney 46 carries a snubbed bow, a broad stern with firm bilge turn, and quite a bit of overhang aft on a 39-foot-4-inch waterline. Below, the interior is adequate and was kept simple to save build weight, with a single large head rather than split facilities. On deck the cockpit is laid out for handling: long bench seats with seat backs forward, twin wheels placed well forward, and a pedestal grinder driving the primary winches. The 9-foot-4-inch bulb-keel draft and 13-foot-5-inch beam define the footprint you will be berthing.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Used examples commonly carry a watermaker, solar, and an inverter, which together address the modest factory tankage of 52.8 gallons water and 33 gallons fuel by supporting longer self-sufficiency away from a dock. An asymmetric spinnaker and electric winches are also commonly fitted, matching the masthead rig's 1,237 square feet of sail and making short-handed sailing more practical. Navigation and safety kit on the typical boat includes AIS, autopilot, chartplotter, and a life raft, while dinghy davits round out the cruising setup. The Yanmar 47-horsepower diesel remains the standard auxiliary.
What to Inspect
The construction is vacuum-bagged Kevlar, E-glass, PVC foam, and vinylester resin, with epoxy resin offered as a builder option anchor. On any example, confirm whether the epoxy upgrade was taken, since it affects osmotic resistance in a foam-cored laminate. Inspect the deck blend of racing and cruising details — twin wheels well forward, pedestal grinder, long bench seats — for wear in the cockpit hardware and the grinder mount. The single large head and simple interior should be checked for evidence of the weight-saving construction choices holding up in service.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The typical market for these boats is France. For a buyer, the Sydney 46 rewards those who want a tank-tested, light-displacement hull with serious deck gear over a voluminous interior.
- Verify epoxy option against vinylester-only laminate
- Check pedestal grinder and forward twin-wheel cockpit for wear
- Confirm common cruising kit: watermaker, solar, inverter, asymmetric, electric winches
- Budget for 52.8 gal water and 33 gal fuel limits without upgrades
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Sydney 46. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 2 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 25 | 1 | $128,722 | — |
| Apr 26 | 1 | $128,722 | 0.0% |
Where they're listed
Sydney 46 listings appear across 1 country. France has the most listings with 1.
Country view
1 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | $128,722 | 1 | 0 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
7 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swan 46 | 47.08' | $ 144,398 | 22 | 7 |
| Dehler 46 | 48.43' | $ 333,558 | 19 | 2 |
| X-Yachts X-46 | 45.96' | $ 279,271 | 12 | 1 |
| J Boats J/46 | 46' | $ 277,500 | 8 | 2 |
| Sirena 46 | 45.9' | $ 323,062 | 8 | 0 |
| Moody 46 | 46.13' | $ 223,864 | 5 | 2 |
| Bashford 46You are here | — | $ 128,722 | 1 | 0 |