The Hallberg-Rassy 46 Sailboat
Specs & Key Performance Indicators

The Hallberg-Rassy 46, a centre-cockpit cutter, was designed by German Frers and built in Sweden by Hallberg-Rassy.

A Hallberg Rassey 46

Published Specification for the Hallberg-Rassy 46

Underwater Configuration: Fin keel & skeg-hung rudder

Hull Material: GRP (Fibreglass)

Length Overall: 46'3" (14.1m)

Waterline Length: 38'0" (11.6m)

Beam: 14'2" (4.3m)

Draft: 6'2" (1.9m)

Rig Type: Cutter

Displacement: 32,264lb (15,995kg)

Designer: German Frers

Builder: Hallberg-Rassy (Sweden)

Year First Built: 1989

Year Last Built: 2005

Number Built: 134

Owners Association: Hallberg-Rassey Owners Association

Published Design Ratios for the Hallberg-Rassy 46

Sail Area/Displacement Ratio: 15.8

Ballast/Displacement Ratio: 40

Displacement/Length Ratio: 273

Comfort Ratio: 39.0

Capsize Screening Formula: 1.7

Summary Analysis of the Design Ratios for the Hallberg-Rassy 46

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1. A Sail Area/Displacement Ratio of 15.8 suggests that the Hallberg-Rassy 46 will need a stiff breeze to get her going. In light conditions, unless you've got plenty of time on your hands, motor-sailing may be the way to go.

2. A Ballast/Displacement Ratio of 40.0 means that the Hallberg-Rassy 46 will initially stand up reasonably well to her canvas in a moderate breeze, but she'll need a reef in the main to avoid heeling excessively in a gust.

3. A Displacement/Length Ratio of 273, tells us the Hallberg-Rassy 46 is a moderate-to-heavy displacement cruiser, which means she'll carry all your cruising gear without it having a dramatic effect on her performance. Many of today's sailboats intended for long-distance cruising fall into this displacement category.

4. Ted Brewer's Comfort Ratio of 39.0 suggests that crew comfort of a Hallberg-Rassy 46 in a seaway is similar to what you would associate with the motion of a moderate bluewater cruising boat - a predictable and acceptable motion for most seasoned sailors.

5. The Capsize Screening Formula (CSF) of 1.7 tells us that a Hallberg-Rassy 46 would be a safer choice of sailboat for an ocean passage than one with a CSF of more than 2.0.

Hallberg-Rassy 46 Sailboat: A Review

The Hallberg-Rassy 46 is based on the previous model, the Hallberg-Rassy 45, but extensively upgraded with new plugs and molds for both hull and deck. The hull of the 46 is 44cm wider at the transom, fading out to zero at the widest point. The freeboard is 10cm higher at the transom, fading out to zero at the stem. This gives more space below decks. The cockpit is also upgraded on the 46, with more seating space, even though the length is the same. The genoa sheet system, the portlights, the windshield and the aft deck lockers were improved.

The Hallberg-Rassy 46 has a moderate displacement of 16.5 tons and a sail area of 127 m2. It has a powerful engine of 100 hp that can propel it at up to 9 knots under power. It has a large fuel tank of 600 liters and a water tank of 920 liters. It has a spacious interior with three cabins and two heads. It has a seagoing galley and a large saloon. It has a center cockpit with a single wheel steering system and an optional wheelhouse. It has a sloop rig with an optional cutter stay and an in-mast furling system. It has a fin keel with a bulb and a skeg-hung rudder.

Accommodation
The Hallberg-Rassy 46 can accommodate up to six people in three cabins: one forward cabin, one aft cabin and one twin bunk cabin to port side.

The forward cabin has a double berth with storage underneath, a hanging locker, shelves and drawers. It has an en-suite head with a manual toilet, a sink and a shower.

The aft cabin has an island double berth with storage underneath, two hanging lockers, shelves and drawers. It has an en-suite head with an electric toilet, a sink and a separate shower stall.

The twin bunk cabin has two single berths with storage underneath, a hanging locker and shelves.

The saloon is spacious and bright with large windows and portlights. It has an L-shaped settee to starboard that can be converted into a double berth. It has a large folding table that can seat up to eight people. It has two armchairs to port side with storage underneath. It has plenty of storage space in lockers, shelves and cabinets.

The galley is located to the starboard side aft of the saloon. It is seagoing and well-equipped with a double stainless steel sink, a three-burner stove with oven, a top-loading refrigerator, a front-loading freezer, a microwave oven and ample counter space and storage space.

The navigation station is located to the port side aft of the saloon. It has a large chart table with storage underneath, a swivel seat, an instrument panel and a switchboard. It has a good view of the cockpit and the surroundings.

Hull and Deck
The hull of the Hallberg-Rassy 46 is made of solid fiberglass with isophthalic gelcoat and vinylester resin. It is hand-laid with roving and mat. It has a balsa core above the waterline for insulation and stiffness. It has longitudinal stringers and transverse floors for strength and rigidity. It has an integral rubbing strake with a brass strip for protection. It has a blue decorative stripe on the hull.

The deck of the Hallberg-Rassy 46 is made of fiberglass sandwich with balsa core for insulation and stiffness. It is bonded to the hull with overlapping flanges and bolts. It has an integrated toe rail with teak capping for safety and aesthetics. It has teak laid on the coachroof, cockpit seats, cockpit sole and aft deck. It has an anchor locker forward with an electric windlass and a bow roller. It has six mooring cleats and fairleads. It has two dorade vents on the coachroof for ventilation. It has 13 opening portlights, four fixed windows, four skylights and two sliding hatches for light and air.

The cockpit of the Hallberg-Rassy 46 is spacious and comfortable. It has a single wheel steering system with engine controls, instruments, compass and pedestal guard. It has two cockpit lockers to starboard side for storage. It has two aft deck lockers for storage or optional generator or watermaker. It has a folding cockpit table that can seat up to six people. It has a sprayhood that can be extended to cover the entire cockpit. It has an optional bimini that can be attached to the sprayhood or the wheel house roof.

Mast and Rigging
The mast of the Hallberg-Rassy 46 is keel-stepped. It has an in-mast furling system for the mainsail with an electric motor option. It has an optional cutter stay for a staysail or storm jib.

The boom of the Hallberg-Rassy 46 is made of aluminum alloy with internal reefing lines and outhaul. It has an optional in-boom furling system for the mainsail with an electric motor option.

It has discontinuous shrouds, forestay, backstay, babystay, running backstays and checkstays. It has an optional hydraulic backstay adjuster.
The sails of the Hallberg-Rassy 46 are made of dacron or optional spectra or carbon fiber. They include a furling mainsail, a furling genoa, an optional furling staysail or storm jib, an optional gennaker or spinnaker with pole or bowsprit.

Keel and Rudder
The keel of the Hallberg-Rassy 46 is a fin keel with a bulb. It is made of lead with stainless steel bolts. It has a low center of gravity and a high righting moment. It provides good stability and performance. It has a draft of 2.05 m or 6'9". The Hallberg-Rassy 46 was also offered with a shallow draft keel version, with a draft of 1.75 m or 5'9".

The rudder of the Hallberg-Rassy 46 is a skeg-hung rudder. It is made of GRP with a stainless steel shaft. It has heavy cast bronze fittings. It has a balanced design that reduces the helm pressure. It has a rudder area of 0.88m² or 9.5ft².

The above text was drafted by sailboat-cruising.com using GPT-4 (OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model) as a research assistant to develop source material; we believe it to be accurate to the best of our knowledge.