BoatsFormosa Yachts 46

Formosa Yachts 46

Cutter · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · First built 1978

A lengthened 13.72-metre cutter featuring a fin keel and skeg-hung rudder, derived from the Peterson 44 hull lines

Designed by Doug Peterson.

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

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 weighed buying one

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.

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
We Swam With 40 Sharks in Belize4:14from GenXPats - The Sailing Advisor
Cal Boats 46 III (1975)13.87 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA masthead ketch variant of the Lapworth hull, configured with a shallow 1.52-metre draft for coastal cruising
FALL BOAT AUCTION 2023: Where to buy a SUPER CHEAP sailboat! - EP318:10from Sailing Solé
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
Hallberg-Rassy 43 MKI13.57 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA masthead-rigged blue water cruiser featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a stable, heavy-displacement hull
Which Voltage on a Medium Size Cruising Yacht? | Ask The Expert with NIGEL CALDER0:07from BoatHowTo
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
WE VISITED NAZARÉ AND SAILED TO THE CÍES | SAILING WAYRA | Ep 48from Windy_Wayra
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

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

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

Search what's been said about the Formosa Yachts 46, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

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