Best 46' Fly

Paul_S123

Paul_S123

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Looking to purchase ~46' boat. Looking at a flybridge over a sport cruiser. Probably more interested in one already in the med, although the possibilty of buying in the UK and taking it down there at the end of the season (weather permitting) is possible too.

Have around £200k to spend.

Been looking at the Phantom 46 or perhaps an Azimut.

Any thoughts, or does anyone know of any nice boats like this for sale?
 
how many bedrooms/beds do you need?
age limit?

personal favourite is the Fairline 46 but at that price quite a few other options
 
Princess 45 and Fairline 46 Phantom - both three cabins and bunk berths. If Fairline is 2003 and later is better finished to Princess.
Azimut 46 - three cabins and bunks berths, but one of the cabins is midships.
Jeanneau 46 Prestige - standard layout build quality so and so

Try to look for Princess 50 or Azimut 52 as well if I where you.
 
This is probabaly where I will end up on my next boat as well eventhough I find myself gravitating towards the SQ58 every time I (re)start the search process.
Anyways, I know the hull build quality/techniques on the Prestige and to some extent the Princess but not the Azimut or Fairline.
I assume the Fairline is same/similar to Princess but would appriciate if anyone could confirm or describe the differrences.

I find the Azimuts from this age looking a bit odd so probably won't be for me but still keen to understand how they differ or are similar to the others.

At the risk of not getting the terminology right my understanding of the Prestige is that it has balsa cored underwater hull with an integrated structural inner lining that is glued and in someplaces grp'd to the hull. The hull sides are in a few areas cored but mostly not with some sort of plywood glued for rigidity and perhaps insulation. Super structure is only cored in the areas you walk on and bolted and glued (sika style) to the hull.
 
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Ferretti 460 should also be on the list.
As with the others you get 3 cabins, master double, twin guest and third bunks.

You also get a dinette opposite the helm, sunken galley to the rear and build quality which is a step up.
They are available at £200k or if you want to lose the bunk cabin and get two twins then the slightly bigger 480 is an option.

As the owner of a 1995 ferretti (very similar to the 480 in layout) I can attest to the build quality and longevity of the Ferretti boats. I would have another in a heart beat.
 
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Whitelighter said:
Ferretti 460 should also be on the list.
Click to expand...
Positively +1 ref. Ferretti not to be missed in a list like this, but I'd rather look for a 46 than a 460.
The former is in fact a larger boat, whose hull IIRC was used for the 480 (not the 460) later on.
 
MapisM said:
Positively +1 ref. Ferretti not to be missed in a list like this, but I'd rather look for a 46 than a 460.
The former is in fact a larger boat, whose hull IIRC was used for the 480 (not the 460) later on.
Click to expand...

Yes but then the 46 isn’t 46ft.
It’s very easy to say ‘the best 46ft boat is actually a 50ft’

I agree the bigger boats with full 3rd cabin may be better but the op did ask about 46ft boats

My suggestion of a 480 was taking liberties in size
Plus the 46 is older and the boats listed (well the phantom and princess) are newer models.

Other than that, totally agree
 
I have spent the last 6 months looking and for me the Princess 45 is a little better than the Phantom 46. Two reasons, the saloon sofa is slightly larger, wrapping around at both ends and the Phantom 46 has shorter bunks, which may not be an issue for you. You may also want to consider a Sealine F43. They have the aft cabin although quite a few of them have the dinette instead of a third cabin. They normally convert as does the saloon into another bed giving 8 berths. In addition, the aft cabin has a walk around bed and also give you a little more separation from others staying on the boat. Regards other models, I can't comment although if there had been any suitable models in the UK I would have looked at them. I also looked at a Pearl but found walking down into the saloon a little like walking into a cave and felt a little claustrophobic.
 
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Ferretti 460 are great boats at selling at 250k plus at the moment. It is Ferretti best seller to date with some 120 units produced in four years.
As Mapis points out the hull of the 460 is developed on the platform (but modified) of the 430 platform.
Feels much bigger then it actually is and has largest flybridge and aft deck in class.
Have a twin Volvo 480hp unit for sale if you are interested hit a PM.

46 is a bit under powered hence the 480 with Mans 610hp is a much better choice.

As for Princess 45 and Phantom 46, agreed on the saloon, though the aft deck, bathing platform, and flybridge works much better on the later. Which is what you will use most in the Med.
 
Whitelighter said:
Ferretti 460 should also be on the list.
As with the others you get 3 cabins, master double, twin guest and third bunks.

You also get a dinette opposite the helm, sunken galley to the rear and build quality which is a step up.
They are available at £200k or if you want to lose the bunk cabin and get two twins then the slightly bigger 480 is an option.

As the owner of a 1995 ferretti (very similar to the 480 in layout) I can attest to the build quality and longevity of the Ferretti boats. I would have another in a heart beat.
Click to expand...

The 460 was actually an upgrade of the 430 and the 480 was an upgrade to the 46. IMHO the 430/460 is a touch small for the full Feretti separate dinette treatment and the 46/480 feels a lot roomier and gets internal flybridge steps too so the latter would be the model to go for. The 46 is an excellent boat. I know because I owned one but with the Cat 3208TA 435hp engines it is definitely not a 30kt boat. With the 480, the engines were upgraded to Cat/MAN engines 600hp+ and the hull lengthened slightly so 30kt+ performance isnt a problem. The 46/480 feel a lot bigger than the Phantom 46 or AZ46 (I know I had one of those too) and you get all the Ferretti quality trickled down from the bigger models. Got to be a contender for a Med based boat
 
Paul, I have looked at a much older Squadron 50 and the space is excellent and this looks good to me. The crew cabin is an added bonus whether for storage of cushions and pads et al or for occasional visitors. You would need to get comment form the far more knowledgeable forumites re handling and engines etc.

I know the inland area a little from visits to Moraira and Javea and really like it around there. I would be tempted to base it in that area unless you are looking to move from one place to the next. I especially remember the parade/carnival in Javea in the old town. Lots of horses involved and floats throwing out literally tons of sweets. I can't remember what the festival is about but the kids loved it. I did get a parking ticket in Denia and the officer/warden said I needed to go to the town hall to pay the fine. I only had three days before leaving and think I forgot. There is also a monastery or castle somewhere in the mountains which is gorgeous and well worth a visit. Ok gone off topic a bit.
 
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Yes, I just started the 4th season with my Ferretti 480 and it is truly a great boat. The roominess comes from the relatively wide beam which is 4,6 m, must be one of the widest sub 50 feet. Some other details that have not been mentioned here is definitely the underwater exhaust system. No soot on the transom and aft deck and it is super silent. This is probably partly also tx to the MAN engines. Even the aft cockpit is definitely usable at cruising speeds, in fact a popular spot for my crew mates to sit and watch the wake under way. Both soot and exhaust noise was a problem on my, othervise very nice previous boat, a Phantom 38. Also the standard generator installation is virtually silent even on the aft deck. Here is a link to a previous thread with my 1st season review.
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthrea...ith-Alexandra-(Ferretti-480)&referrerid=14020
 
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