Tanton Offshore 45 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a used Tanton Offshore 45 means chasing a genuinely scarce blue water cat-ketch: five semi-custom hulls were finished in Taiwan, each laid out for long-range voyaging with simplicity and comfort in mind. Anyone considering one should understand that this is not a boat you trip over at every marina, and the unstayed rig is its own discipline.
Layouts on the Used Market
The 45 is a double-ender with a volumetric stern and an offset-port main hatch leading to a port-side navigator's niche, quarter-berth, wet locker, and galley, while the starboard hip holds the owner's double with private head and shower. The saloon carries a U-shaped settee, drop-leaf dinette, and pilot berth behind starboard armchairs, and a second forward head serves the forepeak double. The engine sits amidships with all-around access through convertible cabinetry, a layout that suits an owner doing their own maintenance.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Canadian listings commonly fit heating, solar, an inverter, electric winches, a hardtop, radar, AIS, autopilot, and a chartplotter. For a buyer, the power-and-energy cluster — heating, solar, inverter — determines whether the boat supports cold-season or anchor-out living without generator dependence. Electric winches and a hardtop speak to easier short-handed sail handling and a protected helm, while radar, AIS, and autopilot form the offshore navigation and watch-keeping suite that matters most on a passagemaker of this type.
What to Inspect
Owners report the wishbone rig acts as a shock absorber through gybes anchor, but the unstayed carbon spars and full-battened sails deserve close survey for compression or delamination at the wishbone attachments. Teak decks were a factory option rather than standard, so confirm which layout you are viewing and check for deck-core moisture where teak was fitted. One documented hurricane incident saw a loose 45 surge through Ipswich harbor and sink four other boats with minimal damage to itself, a reminder that hull integrity is strong but that storm staging and ground tackle remain the owner's responsibility.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The typical market for these boats is Canada. Given the five-boat fleet, a buyer should plan for a patient search and a specialist survey. Checklist: verify rig type and wishbone condition; confirm teak deck option and core status; inspect amidships engine access; confirm heating and offshore electronics are present; and budget for a cat-ketch-aware rigger on any survey.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Tanton Offshore 45. 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. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25 | 1 | $116,343 | — |
| Aug 26 | 1 | $120,002 | +3.1% |
Where they're listed
Tanton Offshore 45 listings appear across 1 country. Canada has the most listings with 1.
Country view
1 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $120,002 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performance Sun Odyssey 45 | 45.01' | $ 168,803 | 118 | 40 |
| Hirsch Hirsch 45 | 44.67' | $ 77,000 | 16 | 2 |
| Hardin 44/45 | 44.5' | $ 62,500 | 11 | 1 |
| Dufour Classic 45 | 45.92' | $ 104,987 | 9 | 1 |
| Oyster 45 | 44.33' | $ 285,406 | 4 | 0 |
| Tanton Offshore 45You are here | — | $ 120,002 | 1 | 1 |