Replacing Aquila’s hugely popular 44 Yacht, the 46 Yacht joins a flybridge series featuring the 42, 50 and 54 plus the 70 Luxury

How do you replace a legend? That was the question asked by the Aquila design team when they contemplated what should follow the 44 Yacht, a cruising powercat that sold over 200 units since her introduction in 2014. In production for 11 years, she would be tough to match, but that’s how the Aquila 46 Yacht was born.

Sized perfectly for the cruising couple’s sweet spot, the all-new model has big shoes to fill. However, a detailed walkthrough with Nick Harvey, Aquila’s Chief Revenue Officer – whose enthusiasm for the model and the line is contagious – showed us she’s up to the task.

MEET THE MODEL

Sino Eagle, the builder behind Aquila, has been particularly busy in recent years. Having started with the Yacht flybridge line then added Sport cruisers, post-Covid the Chinese shipyard has also been producing models across the Luxury, Offshore and Coupe powercat ranges and now the new Sail series.

The sole helm station is on the centreline of the flybridge and includes a well-equipped dashboard with two Raymarine MFDs

In terms of its flybridge powercats, it debuted the 54 Yacht and flagship 70 Luxury in 2021 and has since fully fleshed out the core of the range with the 42 Yacht (2023), 50 Yacht (2024) and the 46 Yacht (2025), which debuted at last year’s Cannes Yachting Festival.

All three inboard boats are exceptional, but the 46 Yacht may be the most impressive because she shoehorns in just about all the amenities of her bigger sister on a considerably smaller platform.

Like the 50 Yacht, the Aquila 46 has a high freeboard with a sheer line that angles up dramatically in the full forward sections. Large windows are used to visually break up the expanse of white fibreglass of the side hulls and make her seem less tall. This change does two things: it raises the height of the bows for drier decks in a rough seaway, and it creates space for the full-beam master suite below.

The side decks and bridge-to-bow steps to starboard lead to a foredeck featuring flexible sunbeds and aft-facing seating

Still present at the waterline are Aquila’s wave-piercing bows that are used to improve fuel efficiency and reduce hobby-horsing. These bulbous bows are designed to break away in case of collision and are backed by watertight bulkheads for safety.

ONBOARD COMFORT

Aquila used every inch of deck space to enhance comfort and functionality. The high foredeck is topped by two giant sunbeds with adjustable backrests. At their foot, another section folds up to form a seat that stretches across the foredeck, which joins a bow bench to make the perfect place for a breezy happy hour.

Aquila’s signature steps that lead from the foredeck to the flybridge – or vice-versa – have moved from the centreline to starboard. They provide a quick traverse for guests or the skipper, who can move with urgency to help with dock lines or during anchoring.

Flybridge fixtures include a wet bar wrapped around the stairway, an L-shaped dinette with a foldable table, and an aft sunpad

The flybridge on the 46 Yacht is large – in fact, almost as large as the one on her bigger sister, the 50 Yacht. On the centreline is the helm with a fully-equipped dashboard including two Raymarine MFDs, 7in Volvo Penta engine screens, thruster controls and a bench seat as standard. This exterior helm is the only one aboard.

Visibility forward is good, but cameras will be necessary when backing into a slip because the driver can’t see past the flybridge overhang and it’s not easy to sight down either side of the boat because the helm is centred. Sunbeds on both port and starboard impede the driver’s path to get a clear view down to the dock. This is a standard configuration for Aquila designs, and it can be polarising.

Comfort details on the fly abound. An L-shaped dinette is to port, with a wet bar on starboard next to the stairs from the aft cockpit. Ten guests won’t feel crowded up here and for lazy lounging with a book, the best place aboard will be on the third sunpad aft of the dinette.

View of Aquila’s signature cockpit bar, the open aft galley to port and the raised C-shaped dinette to starboard

The cockpit is at once new and familiar. To port is Aquila’s trademark bar with twin stools, a fold-out counter and a window that opens to the galley. To starboard are the flybridge steps, and aft is a nice transom seat that faces a dining table for those early mornings with a cup of coffee and some quiet time.

Much of this layout is typical of Aquila’s Yacht series, but it’s also an updated improvement over the 44 for better traffic flow and comfort.

The aft steps and transoms offer waterside seating, while the retractable crane in the cockpit overhang is a novel Aquila solution

A noteworthy system back here is Aquila’s innovative crane that protrudes from the aft overhang and holds a cable to lift the dinghy onto the transom. It’s a clever appendage you don’t really notice until you need it and it’s a slick way to manage the tender.

INVITING INTERIOR

On the main deck, the galley is in the port aft corner and in direct communication with both the cockpit and the dinette to starboard. Everything is at hand including the floor-to-ceiling, home-style refrigerator to starboard.

The galley is complemented by a navigation counter that doubles as a standing bar

Just ahead of the galley is an open space surrounded by countertops including a navigation desk where you’ll find a C-Zone digital switching screen and instruments. This area also doubles as a gathering spot for people to stand and chat with others in the galley, dinette or even cockpit.

“At home, entertaining always centres on the kitchen,” Harvey says. “So, we created a dedicated space for it on the 46 Yacht.”

The dinette is starboard, while forward are steps to the cabins

The 46 Yacht is available with three, four or five cabins. Our boat had the standard three-stateroom configuration, which includes a sumptuous master suite forward. Well separated from the other cabins, this stateroom has a king-sized memory foam bed on the elevated centreline.

Unlike on the 44 Yacht, the bathroom isn’t buried all the way down in the hull but has been lowered, two steps down to port, to create full standing headroom. The open layout has twin vessel sinks below a large window, full-height storage and shower aft, and the toilet forward.

The full-beam master suite forward has storage and an open bathroom two steps down to port, while to starboard is a desk and more storage

On the starboard side is more storage and a desk below an even bigger window than on port side. The hull and foredeck windows plus a skylight hatch ensure lots of natural light in the bedroom, with much of this unique accommodation made possible by the increased freeboard.

Privacy was top-of-mind during the design phase, so the other two cabins are in opposite hulls and have their own entries as well as bathrooms.

PERFORMANCE

As with the 50 Yacht, the 46 Yacht leans on the ‘explorer’ aesthetic and highlights offshore capability. Standard propulsion includes twin 320hp Volvo Penta D4 diesels, with two more powerful options available. She’s expected to cruise at 18 knots and burn approximately two gallons per nautical mile. The yacht carries 1,800 litres of fuel as standard, with another 800 as an option.

Guest cabin with window-facing bed and en-suite bathroom aft

Once again, the brand offers its Aquila Hydro Glide (AHG) foil system as an upgrade for semi displacement performance. This system generates a smoother ride and better fuel economy by raising approximately one third of the boat’s weight. She doesn’t fly, but she does foil. Hybrid diesel/electric propulsion, like on Aquila’s other models, is being discussed.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS

Stowage options throughout the 46 Yacht are impressive, so she’s capable of carrying all the necessities for extended cruising. Every space has been rethought and it’s clear that the 46 Yacht will give the 44 Yacht a run for her money.

She’s just 2ft longer and 2ft wider than her predecessor, but she feels dramatically larger and more lavish. Nobody will be roughing it aboard this luxe cruiser. Aquila’s tagline is ‘Out there, starts here’. Rarely does marketing capture exactly why someone would buy the product, but it most certainly nailed it with that message.

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