BoatsCal Boats 2-46

Cal Boats 2-46

Masthead Sloop · Fin keel, spade rudder · 1971–1975

Featuring a midships engine room and expanded living quarters, this 46-foot cruiser prioritizes interior volume

Designed by C. William Lapworth, built by Jensen Marine.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin w/spade Rudder

See her sail

The Cal Boats 2-46, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from GenXPats - The Sailing Advisor

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a narrow beam gives 40 — a heavy, notably soft motion offshore.

Comfort ratio 40
CoastalBluewater

At 1.61 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.61
LightHeavy

254 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 254
EasygoingPowered-up

13.0 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 13.0
TenderStiff

27% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 27%

Built heavy and sea-kindly — a boat made to cross oceans and forgive a rough night.

  • Heavier than ~84% of boats her size on file
  • Draws less than ~93% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2267 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Cal Boats 2-46, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Cal Boats 2-46 is a 13.9-meter masthead sloop designed by C. William Lapworth and built by Jensen Marine from 1971 to 1975. Developed from the earlier CAL 46 MS, it features a fin keel with a spade rudder, a 1.5-meter draft, and a displacement of 13,607 kg. Lapworth considered it his favorite design, and 95 units were built. Notable design changes from its predecessor include moving the engine room forward to midships, relocating the aft cabin further aft, and enlarging the main salon and forward cabin. Aboard *Maverick*, a Cal Boats 2-46, the crew navigated the shallow Porto Stuck in Belize, encountering depths as low as 4.9 feet, requiring careful maneuvering around sandbars.4:15 The crew also managed a close-quarters anchorage situation in Isla Mujeres, Mexico, when a nearby yacht dragged anchor in 20-knot winds.9:21 They have used an Airlock marine air purification system to mitigate cabin mildew and odors.9:59

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

The channels sailing this model, and where they were last seen.

GenXPats - The Sailing AdvisorA cruising couple aboard their sailboat Maverick shares technical DIY boat repairs, equipment reviews, and navigation experiences while exploring the waters of Belize.

Seen 18 times across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Cal Boats 2-46 on video

Sailing Maverick - Guatemala to BelizeA Cal Boats 2-46 crew navigates shallow Belizean channels using mobile navigation apps and coordinated anchor procedures.GenXPats - The Sailing AdvisorGame-Changing POWER for your ELECTRIC OUTBOARD! LiTime 48VA LiTime 48V 100Ah LiFePO4 battery delivers 30–40 nautical miles of range on an electric dinghy outboard.GenXPats - The Sailing AdvisorWe SAILED to this REMOTE Island in BELIZE and it SHOCKED USCruisers can anchor in sandy patches off the west side of South Water Cay, Belize.GenXPats - The Sailing AdvisorSew Your Own Canvas with NO EXPERIENCE and SAVE MONEYA $450 VIVOR industrial sewing machine enables DIY fabrication and repair of heavy-duty boat canvas and Sunbrella.GenXPats - The Sailing AdvisorHow to get rid of MUSTY boat and RV smells FOR GOOD!Airlock 1AC wires into a Dometic AC fan circuit to clear musty smells on a 50-year-old liveaboard sailboat.GenXPats - The Sailing AdvisorEasy DIY Solar & Lithium Setup - Bouge RV - Power QueenA 200-watt flexible CIGS solar panel and 100-amp-hour LiFePO4 battery provide off-grid power on the sailboat Maverick.GenXPats - The Sailing AdvisorNO cars allowed here! Caye Caulker, BELIZEA cruising couple navigates the Belize Barrier Reef and explores the car-free island of Caye Caulker.GenXPats - The Sailing AdvisorTOURIST Destination or Remote PARADISE - Which would YOU choose? SAILING MEXICOThe crew repairs a broken internal mast block in Isla Mujeres before sailing toward Caye Caulker, Belize.GenXPats - The Sailing AdvisorWe did NOT expect this in MEXICO - Isla MujeresA catamaran crew navigates to Isla Mujeres, Mexico, while managing engine failure and heavy headwinds.GenXPats - The Sailing AdvisorWe rode out HURRICANE Francine on our SAILBOAT - Here's what happenedThe crew of *Maverick* rode out Hurricane Francine at a Madisonville marina with 40-knot wind gusts.GenXPats - The Sailing AdvisorRiding out #hurricane Francine on our #sailboat home in Louisiana #maverick #sailboatlife #sailingAmy and Shane secure Maverick at Madisonville docks ahead of Hurricane Francine's September 11 landfall.GenXPats - The Sailing AdvisorDon't buy a PORTABLE POWER STATION Until You See This! EGRETECH Plume 300The EGRETECH Plume 300 provides 300 watts of pure sine wave power for charging sensitive marine electronics.GenXPats - The Sailing Advisor

What broke, what changed

Gear aboard, as the crews told it

Moments from individual boats of this model that the fleet has filmed — one crew, one piece of kit, one day on the water. Not a review of the class, and not a count of anything.

Each line is one crew's account of their own boat. Another Cal Boats 2-46 may be fitted out entirely differently.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
26.7%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
13.0
Displacement / length
254.0
Comfort ratio
40.2
Capsize screening
1.61
Hull speed
8.2 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1675
Hull
Hull type
Fin w/spade rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1971–1975
Units built
129
Designer
C. William Lapworth
Builder
Jensen Marine, Cal Boats

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Morgan Yachts 45213.72 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA masthead ketch with a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder, engineered for offshore stability and steady passage-making
Chat 16 Provisioning0:30from Maryland School of Sailing
Amel Maramu 4613.80 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 13.8-metre ketch produced throughout the 1980s, balancing a moderate displacement with a stable, sea-kindly motion
Full SAILBOAT TOUR [Affordable 46ft Am, Comfortable, Reliable, Ocean Sailing Monohull]from Adventureman Dan
Formosa Yachts 4613.72 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA lengthened 13.72-metre cutter featuring a fin keel and skeg-hung rudder, derived from the Peterson 44 hull lines
Sailing to Two Harbors and Hen Rock - Dana 24 - August 20192:33from keeldragger
Beneteau First 45613.87 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA German Frers-designed masthead sloop offered with diverse keel and rig configurations for versatile performance
I WENT TO MEXICO TO DELIVER A BENETEAU 560:59from Sailing Solé
Catalina Yachts Morgan 4513.79 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1991 Nelson Marek design distinct from the 1966 original, featuring a partial skeg rudder and a deep keel option
Episode 1 - The Beginning5:05from Vela Sin Rumbo
Bavaria Yachts Vision 4613.99 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Bruce Farr-designed fractional sloop built for comfortable cruising with a balanced 17.58 SA/displacement ratio
This 46-Foot Yacht Is Shockingly Cheap… Here’s the Catch0:45from Lady K Sailing

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Cal Boats Cruising 46A 13.87-metre masthead sloop with a shallow 1.52-metre draft and a hull form favored by designer Bill LapworthCal Boats 46 III (1975)A masthead ketch variant of the Lapworth hull, configured with a shallow 1.52-metre draft for coastal cruisingCal Boats 48A 48-foot masthead sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio, built for offshore speed between 1966 and 1970Cal Boats 43A rare, short-lived production model from 1971 featuring a masthead rig and a performance-oriented fin keelCal Boats 40A legendary offshore racer with 160 built, featuring a light displacement and a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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