# Sabre 452 vs. J 46



## billyflet (Mar 31, 2003)

I''m nearing a decision b/w the Sabre 452 and J46 as my ''retirement'' project. The boat will be sailed in Maine and the U.S.Virgin Islands including an annual round trip passage. It will not be raced and I have the usual spouse-induced short-handed sailing needs. Ease of handling and stability are important but I''m not willing to sacrifice too much speed and it must be fun in the light air of a Maine summer. Any thoughts on this comparison or comparable boats with similar profiles???


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I am a former J40 owner who went through the same decision process and ended up with a Sabre 452. 

E-mail me and I''ll be glad to discuss my thoughts.


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## doubleplay (Nov 9, 2001)

I must say I envy you...Two very nice boats and it is hard to make a choice.
If I were you, I would prefer the J because of the deck hardware placement makes the boat easier to double hand and she is a better performer.A similar boat you should also look at is the new Dehler 47 which is a brand new design out of Judel-vorlig''s design team(Alinghi''s designer).She also has very nice cockpit layout and sail handling controls for double handed sailing.Probably she will cost a little bit less than the other two specially if you can make arrangements to take delivery in Europe.
Check her out at Dehler.com.
Ok I am biased towards Dehler but I own a Dehler 36 and they are superb boats in every aspect.
Good Luck..


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

Both of these are really neat but very expensive boats. Both are big burly boats to sail shorthanded with large sail plans and powerful rigs. Of the two I much prefer the J-46. It has a much better deck layout for short-handing and is more about actual sailing ability than appearances. J''s engineering and build quality, while somewhat simplier in finish than the Sabre has generally struck me as being slightly higher. The J-46 is almost 10% lighter and so should offer better light air performance as well as better heavy air performance. The J-46 is based on the J-44 which has proven to be an excellent offshore cruiser. The only short coming on the J-46 is smaller water tankage (117 gal) as compared to the Sabre (optional 200 g). That is easily offset by adding ''passage tanks''. 

The J-46 offers a better layout for offshore work, which includes a dedicated seaberth within sight of the helmsman and a generally more carefully worked out interior for offshore cruising. 

Of course, in my opinion, I would probably opt for a J-44 which in many ways is a better boat than both of these for far less money. 

Respectfully,
Jeff


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## billyflet (Mar 31, 2003)

Thanks for your reply re the Sabre vs J comparison. I''m very interested in your experience. What were the final deciding points, is there anything you''d change, what do you think were the key options you did(or wish you had) incorporate in the 452, and what mast/boom/reefing/furling/rigging options did you end up with? A lot of questions, and it''s great to hear from someone who''s been there. Thanks. Email reply to [email protected]


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## Jahamilton (Aug 22, 2017)

I just bought a J/46. We are in identical situations. I wanted a fun boat to sail that would make my heart beat a bit faster every time I saw her.


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