Lyman-Morse LM46

Presenting the LM46, a high-performance, bespoke sailing yacht that will reconnect you to what matters. With a low-maintenance, cold-molded hull that offers the unmatched, comfortable motion and ambiance of a wooden boat with the 10-knot-plus speeds of a modern performance yacht, you and your family will form a bond with the LM46 that will last generations.

Partnering with longtime friend and acclaimed Kiwi yacht designer Kevin Dibley, we’ve designed the LM46 to return sailing to being about sharing time with friends and family, enjoying a drink in the cockpit after a great day underway, and appreciating the beauty of our surroundings. Comfort doesn’t come from jamming every shoreside amenity into your boat, it comes from the reassuring motion of a Douglas Fir/Western Red Cedar hull sliding quietly through the water, the knowledge that you have everything you need aboard (and nothing more), and the satisfaction of owning a yacht that makes a statement about its owner. Our goal for the LM46 is simple: To have you sailing within 5 minutes of stepping aboard, and to be able to step off within 5 minutes of picking up your mooring.

Make no mistake: This is no docile, classic wooden boat. We have designed an extremely fast yacht, one that can put itself at the top of the fleet in almost any race, coastal or offshore. A top New Zealand design coupled with cutting-edge Lyman-Morse Maine craftsmanship makes for a winning combination.

The LM46 was built with the recognition that two boats sailing in the same direction, at the same time, constitutes a race. A powerful cruising rig that includes swept-back spreaders and 1,183 square feet of sail, including a squaretop main, gives the LM46 an impressive turn of speed; rolling out the optional asymmetrical spinnaker steps thing up a notch and lets the yacht hit speeds of 10 knots or more. When conditions are right, this yacht can click off 240 miles per day, while the wooden hull, 43’ waterline length, and comfortable displacement-length ratio of 133 allows for one-handed steering or easy steering by autopilot, no matter the weather.

Like everything else aboard the LM46, sail-handling is kept simple, efficient, and user-friendly: roller furling for the jib, a detachable staysail, and a mainsail furling system that is fast, easy, and effective. Following the French lead, we’re keeping weight out of the bow of the LM46 by using almost all anchor rode instead of chain. Quiet, easy — just like the LM46 itself.

And while the LM46 revels under sail, it can also deliver its crew just as swiftly under power, with an 80- or optional 110-horsepower Yanmar diesel powering the yacht at up to 10 knots. Because sometimes, alas, you really do need to be home by Sunday night.

The spacious cockpit features 6’5″ seats, ideal for accommodating guests or, when the weather is right, a night of sleeping under the stars. Twin helms offer unrivaled visibility, while the drop-down transom affords no-step access to and from the dinghy. All sail-handling is easily managed without ever leaving the cockpit.

Step below and enjoy a seat in the spacious salon and take in the V-groove overhead and Herreshoff-styled bulkheads and trim – you’ll instantly find yourself transported from your daily life to somewhere quieter, simpler, more elegant. The wraparound galley, designed using the lessons the founders learned during 16 years of living on their boats around the world, is as appropriate to preparing a three-course dinner as it is for mixing up a batch of evening cocktails. The aft full berth makes for a welcoming guest cabin or, when offshore, the ideal sea berth.

Moving forward, to starboard you’ll find a separate head with vanity and shower. The huge forepeak includes a centerline queen bed, allowing access from each side, and storage for a weekend or a month’s worth of clothes and gear. Here, as everywhere aboard the LM46, you’ll be struck as much by what you see as what you don’t – we’ve included everything that you need and nothing that you don’t (watermaker, A/C, excess electronics).

Recognizing that every crew has unique needs and desires in their family yacht, the LM46 is available in three cabin configurations and two keel options. The single aft cabin version allows for a huge lazarette to starboard, while a second head option shifts the aft cabin to starboard and still allows for a cockpit locker. The double aft cabin version offers the most interior accommodations of all. At just 6′ draft, the shoal keel version allows the yacht to explore shallow anchorages, while the deeper 7’7″ keel increases performance even further. For those seeking to take it up another notch, we also offer a 10′ draft version.