Composite Yacht CY 46 Review

From the moment the CY 46 was conceived, it was destined to be a unique vessel. Maryland-based custom builder Composite Yacht began designing hull number one with at least one primary objective in mind: building a vessel that was handicap-friendly. That vision came to fruition when Fish Redeemer deployed into Chesapeake Bay waters from the builder’s marina.

“The owner wanted to have something that was handicap-accessible,” Rob Hardy, Composite Yacht’s sales manager, says. “This is the first, quote unquote, small boat that is fully ADA-compliant, and the entire boat is accessible. The big thing that the client wanted was to be able to accommodate people in chairs—you know, power chairs, wheelchairs—and have them have full access to the boat unassisted.”

In addition to fold-up seats throughout, a large transom door and a ramp that leads from cockpit to forepeak, Fish Redeemer also boasts a handicap-accessible head and a chairlift to the master cabin’s V-berth. Though Composite Yacht is a custom builder, and no two CY 46s are built the same, this yacht offers much more than just handicap-friendly customizations.

Take, for example, the 46’s 104-square-foot cockpit, an open space with customization possibilities limited only by an owner’s imagination. The forward mezzanine seating, located on either side of the salon door and beneath a fiberglass hardtop, can be replaced (or entirely removed) by a freezer, a grill, an ice-maker, a freshwater sink, a tackle station and more. Just forward are bulkhead windows that can also be modified to lower, connecting the yacht from the stern to amidships. An aft steering station and a hidden joystick for docking have also been popular options among the first four hulls of the 46.

Inside and immediately to starboard aboard hull number three, a boat called Pretty Work, there is a galley with a Vitrifrigo fridge/freezer, a single-burner Kenyon cooktop, a microwave, sink and hideaway TV. To port, you’ll find U-shaped seating with a dining table that can lower to create a third berth. The helm is forward and to starboard, with adjacent companion seating to port. Combined, this space is 125 square feet, with an average of 6-foot-6-inches of headroom throughout (but, like the rest of the yacht, Hardy says this is also customizable).

“I think that the 46 is one of the best-available family boats that is easily adaptable to fishing,” Hardy says. “When it comes to entertaining or spending time on the boat, it’s just a big, comfortable, airy, usable space that is also really easy to handle. … No two [cockpits] have been the same, as far as what we put on either side of the salon door. So, as far as usable space, we can change that for a specific use, but it seems that most of the people are just weekending.”

Accommodations are for three in two cabins: a 63-square-foot master forward and a guest cabin with a twin bunk berth to starboard. The portside head has a 10-square-foot shower.

Power comes from either twin 500-hp Cummins or a single 1000-hp C18 Cat. Reported cruising speed is 25 knots at 1,900 rpm, with a reported range of 220 nautical miles, and Composite Yacht says top speed is 30 knots at 2,300 rpm.

For Composite Yacht, building boats is a family affair. Both Hardy’s father, Martin, and his brother, Lewis, are part of the shipyard as owner/founder/managing member and shop manager/lead builder, respectively. Hardy’s sister-in-law also works as the yard’s photographer and website designer. The yard’s family culture goes beyond bloodlines, too, as there are just 24 total employees.

“I’m doing exactly what I want to be doing,” Hardy says. “I ran boats professionally; I’ve been in a professional sales environment, also, and, quite frankly, in some instances, have made a lot better money than what I’m making right now. It sounds cliché, but we do a lot to foster a family-friendly environment, if you will … so that really fosters a good environment, and I’m very confident this is reflected in the final product.”

So far, the final product has amounted to 10 models ranging from 26 to 55 feet, across 24 years of business. From Carolina-inspired sportfishers to Chesapeake Bay/Mid-Atlantic-ready yachts, Hardy takes pride in the business’s open-mindedness and eagerness to tackle unique projects, like Fish Redeemer.

Composite Yacht currently doesn’t have plans to go beyond 55 feet, “but the desire is there,” Hardy says. “Anyone can come to us with an idea, and we’re not afraid to run with it.”

Composite Yacht CY 46 Specifications:

LOA: 46’
Beam: 16’
Draft: 3’ 6”
Displ.: 28,000 lb.
Fuel: 350 gal.
Water: 35 gal.
Power: 2/500-hp Cummins or 1/1,000-hp CAT C18

This article originally appeared in the October 2024 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.

View the original article to see embedded media.