Formosa Yachts 46

BoatsFormosa Yachts 46

See her sail

The Formosa Yachts 46, on the water

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

Footage from keeldragger

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 41 — a heavy, notably soft motion offshore.

Comfort ratio 41

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

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

Displacement / length 238

EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 14.2

TenderStiff

30% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 30%

A capable offshore cruiser with an easy motion when the sea gets up.

Heavier than ~90% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2341 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Formosa Yachts 46, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Formosa Yachts 46 is a cutter-rigged sailboat designed by Doug Peterson, built by Formosa Yachts and Formosa Boat Building Co. Ltd. from 1978 to the present. This 13.7-meter (45-foot) vessel, with a fin keel and skeg-hung rudder, is an altered and lengthened version of the Kelly-Peterson 44, reportedly built without paying design royalties.2:33 Its hull was lengthened by increasing the distance between stations on the original Peterson 44 plans. The Formosa 46 displaces 14,968 kg, has a beam of 3.9 meters, and a draft of 2.0 meters.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Who's been looking

Market signal

Crews the fleet has filmed weighing this model up — no sale seen, and no asking price.

1channel looked into buying

The creator is looking to buy this boat as a larger upgrade
from keeldraggerseen September 20192:37

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions

Weights

Ballast / displacement

30.3%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Cutter

Ratios

SA / displacement

14.2

Displacement / length

237.6

Comfort ratio

41.0

Capsize screening

1.61

Hull speed

8.4 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

1827

Hull

Hull type

Fin with rudder on skeg

Construction

Fiberglass

Production

Years built

First built 1978

Designer

Doug Peterson

Builder

Formosa Yachts

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.

Norseman 44713.59 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Robert Perry-designed cutter with a skeg-mounted rudder, built for offshore stability and comfortable blue-water cruising

Decision time, Aluminium Project boat or Keep our Catamaran? (ep 286)9:31 from Sailing Learning By Doing

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 Provisioning0:30 from 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

Gulfstar Yachts 4413.62 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA masthead sloop designed by Richard C. Lazzara, featuring a fin keel with a skeg-mounted rudder for offshore stability

Is the Gulfstar 44 a STEAL of a DEAL?from Practical Sailor

Outbound Yachts 44/4613.64 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Carl Schumacher-designed masthead sloop built for offshore performance with a stiff, comfortable motion

A Rival for Island Packet, Made in China – Outbound 46 Review from Practical Sailor

Moody 45 DS13.72 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA fractional-rigged deck saloon cruiser featuring a fin keel with bulb and dual rudders for modern performance

[OFF MARKET] Moody Decksaloon 45 (STELLAR J) with Sue Grant - Yacht for Sale - Full of Innovation from Berthon International

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.

Peterson 46A cutter-rigged cruiser with lines adapted from the Kelly-Peterson 44, built as a spacious alternative to the original Formosa 44A heavy-displacement masthead sloop with a long keel, also produced as the Spindrift 43 and the Hampton 43 Kelly-Peterson 46A Doug Peterson-designed cutter built for long-range comfort with a skeg-mounted rudder and a high displacement-to-length ratio Formosa Yachts 51A William Garden-designed staysail ketch with a long keel that served as the foundation for multiple production yachts Formosa 43A Ron Holland-attributed masthead sloop built in Taiwan with a skeg-hung rudder and a high comfort ratio

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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