BoatsLiberty 458

Liberty 458

Cutter · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · First built 1981

An extended iteration of the Peterson 44 hull featuring a unique deck and coach roof configuration on a cutter rig

Designed by Peter Hoyt & D. Peterson, built by Shin Fa.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin With Rudder On Skeg

See her sail

The Liberty 458, on the water

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

Footage from Living For Sail

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 38 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 38
CoastalBluewater

At 1.65 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.65
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 211
EasygoingPowered-up

15.1 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 15.1
TenderStiff

35% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 35%

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

  • Heavier than ~86% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2249 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Liberty 458, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Liberty 458 is a cutter-rigged sailboat, built from 1981 to the present, featuring a fin keel with a rudder on a skeg. Designed by Peter Hoyt and D. Peterson, it is an extended version of the PETERSON 44 hull design with a different deck and coach roof, displacing 14,061 kg with a 14.0 m LOA. Aboard *Living For Sail*'s 1989 Liberty 458, *Antidote*, the crew undertook a comprehensive restoration in their Pacific Northwest driveway, including replacing water-damaged balsa and plywood deck core with Divinycell PVC foam, Kusa 26-pound foam boards, and G10 blocks, using vacuum bagging for bonding.0:12 They also rebuilt a Yanmar 3GM30 marine diesel engine after a damaged crankshaft keyway, machining a custom stepped key to fit the enlarged slot.0:03 The crew converted the aft cabin's queen-sized berth into an 80-by-80-inch king-sized platform, removing cabinetry and planning for storage solutions like full-extension drawer slides.12:08 Structural repairs included vacuum-bagging the transom to reduce moisture, fabricating G10 backing plates for bulwark stanchions using 3D-printed prototypes, and replacing the cutlass bearing.0:44

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

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

Living For SailJon documents the extensive structural and mechanical refit of his 1989 Liberty 458, Antidote, focusing on advanced composite repairs and engine restoration.

Seen 34 times across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Liberty 458 on video

⛵️ I Tried Boiling Water Out of My Boat... It Actually Worked - sort of?!Jon uses a vacuum pump and heat lamp to extract moisture from a saturated fiberglass transom.Living For Sail⛵️ This DIY Sailboat Repair Has To Work... Right?A 1989 Liberty 458 restoration uses vacuum pumping for moisture removal and custom G10 plates for stanchions.Living For SailWill This Transom Repair LAST? - Antidote's New Core InstallReplacing rotten plywood transom cores with rot-proof Kusa panels using pre-thickened epoxy for easier installation.Living For Sail⛵️ From Simple Fix to Full Transom Rebuild - A DIY Project BoatA Liberty 458 transom repair expands into full core removal after rot, delamination, and a miscut into structural glass.Living For SailThis Changes EVERYTHING!… Turning Our Bed Into a King | DIY Sailboat RefitJohn converts Antidote's aft cabin from a queen to an 80-by-80-inch king platform on a 1989 Liberty 458.Living For SailI Removed My boat's TEAK Interior… WITHOUT Breaking anything - Here's How!Acetone softens waterproof wood glue, allowing for the non-destructive removal of teak interior trim during restoration.Living For Sail⛵️ I Found SERIOUS Rot in My Sailboat’s Transom - DIY RestorationA 1989 Liberty 458 transom re-core tackled from the interior, with a 1-to-12 scarf joint planned for new fiberglass.Living For Sail⛵️ DIY Sailboat ROTTEN Transom Fix | ANTIDOTE's soggy backside get's a facelift!A 1989 Liberty 458 undergoes transom core inspection and hardware removal to prepare for Hydrovane installation.Living For Sail⛵️ Watch This BEFORE Removing ENCAPSULATED ChainplatesA Liberty 458 restoration exposes the challenge of removing 35-year-old encapsulated chainplates from Antidote.Living For SailDIY Sailboat Repair - Bulwark DEMOLITION - Cutting Out the ROT!John removes rotted plywood from his Liberty 458 bulwarks using a chainsaw and long-reach burr bits.Living For SailThe HIDDEN Dangers of Cheap "STAINLESS" Steel Bolts!A corroded Genoa-track bolt from Antidote drives a visit to Bolt Depot in Hingham, Massachusetts.Living For SailFixing a Rotten Deck Hatch Before It Gets WorseReplacing rotted deck core with foam requires vacuum bagging and G10 inserts for secure hatch mounting.Living For Sail

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.

  • FailedYanmar

    The stock low-pressure oil switch failed during initial engine startup

    aboard Living For Sailseen November 202521:10

  • InstalledGarmin

    The crew plans to replace the old speed log and depth meters with a new Garmin navigation suite.

    aboard Living For Sailseen August 20256:12

  • BoughtHydrovane

    The owner has purchased brackets for a Hydrovane self-steering system.

    aboard Living For Sailseen June 20262:24

Each line is one crew's account of their own boat. Another Liberty 458 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
35.5%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
15.1
Displacement / length
211.0
Comfort ratio
37.8
Capsize screening
1.65
Hull speed
8.5 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1862
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1981
Units built
31
Designer
Peter Hoyt, D. Peterson
Builder
Shin Fa, Liberty Yachts (TAIWAN), Shing Fa Boatbuilding Co, Ltd

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.

Kelly-Peterson 4614.10 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Doug Peterson-designed cutter built for long-range comfort with a skeg-mounted rudder and a high displacement-to-length ratio
We Took Her Out - And Got HUGE News | S.1 - Ep.710:18from Plan-Sea
Moody 4614.06 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Bill Dixon-designed cutter with a fin keel and spade rudder, built for comfortable, stable blue-water cruising
O’Day 40 - A Budget Cruiser for the Bahamas9:00from Practical Sailor
Hylas Yachts 4614.10 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA German Frers-designed masthead sloop built for offshore performance with a high sail area to displacement ratio
HEAVILY MODIFIED Hylas 46 World Cruiser Full Tour0:45from Practical Sailor
Cal Boats 2-4613.87 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthFeaturing a midships engine room and expanded living quarters, this 46-foot cruiser prioritizes interior volume
Light and Budget Friendly Folding E-Bike - Thunder 2 by 5th Wheel0:10from GenXPats - The Sailing Advisor
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
Hunter Marine 46014.05 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 14-metre cruiser with a 37% ballast ratio, offering a stable platform for offshore passage making
Why Is This 46 Foot Sailboat So Cheap? Hunter 460 Reviewfrom Practical Sailor

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.

Liberty 49A heavy-displacement cutter with a 40.07 comfort ratio, designed by Stan Huntingford for stable offshore passage makingDelta 46A Doug Peterson-designed staysail ketch built in Germany, sharing the proven hull lines of the Peterson 44 and Liberty 458Jeanneau Sun Liberty 34A short-run cruiser featuring a rare dual-head layout typically reserved for much larger yachtsFreedom Yachts 45 CCA center-cockpit cruiser with a 41% ballast ratio and a wing keel, optimized for stability and shoal-water access

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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