Ferretti 450 Review, Specs and Used Price Guide

The Ferretti 450 and Ferretti's return below 50 feet

By the mid-2010s Ferretti Yachts had drifted upmarket. Its 550 of 2015 was the smallest boat in the range, and MBY quoted the brand's UK dealer saying the line-up focused on 70 to 100 feet. The Ferretti 450, previewed at Boot Düsseldorf in January 2016 and launched at the Cannes Yachting Festival that September, was the company's deliberate step back into the under-50-foot flybridge market. Ferretti's commercial chief called it the brand's business card to the world, a boat to bring younger and less experienced owners into the fold.

It worked commercially. By its US debut at Yachts Miami Beach in February 2017, Yachting reported eight hulls sold. YachtBuyer dates production from 2016 to 2020, after which the Ferretti Yachts 500 replaced it as the entry point to the range. Today the Ferretti 450 is a used-only boat, and a fairly rare one in the United States.

For buyers searching for a Ferretti 450 for sale, the attraction is simple: Ferretti build quality and design from the Forlì yard in a boat a couple can run themselves and berth in a 50-foot slip.

Zuccon lines and a cab-forward stance

Ferretti credited the design to a three-way collaboration: the Ferretti Group Product Strategy Committee, the group's Engineering Department, which handled naval architecture and engineering, and Studio Zuccon International Project, which drew both the exterior and the interior. Yachting described the 450 as based on the Ferretti 550, and the family resemblance is clear in the long continuous window band and the low flybridge.

MBY's tester, meeting one in Jersey on its way to the UK in 2019, noted the conservative cab-forward stance with a short foredeck and a raked windshield pushed well forward, flush black window frames and tinted glass that read as one band, and Ferretti's trademark pale cream paint. His verdict was that the boat is well proportioned rather than flamboyant, and that it does not look too tall or bloated, which for a 46-foot flybridge is a real compliment.

Three decks on 46 feet

Aft, the swim platform doubles as a tender lift that submerges to launch a dinghy of up to 2.8 meters, roughly 9 feet, and serves as a small beach club at anchor. The cockpit has an aft sofa and a wooden table under the flybridge overhang. Inside, MBY reported a galley-aft main deck, the arrangement Ferretti has used for years to serve both the saloon and cockpit, with a lounge forward and the lower helm. Parquet floors, walnut doors with lacquered frames and leather inserts set the tone.

Up top, the flybridge splits into a dining area with a central table and bar unit aft, and a central outside helm station. Ferretti listed a galley unit and a 42-liter fridge on the flybridge as options, along with teak on the side decks. Forward, a sunpad on the deckhouse completes the outdoor spaces.

For a 46-footer this is a lot of living space, but it is not a big-boat layout scaled down. Expect a compact flybridge ladder, a lower helm suited to occasional use and side decks that are adequate rather than wide.

A full-beam master and a choice of two or three cabins

Ferretti offered the 450 with two or three cabins, both with two heads. The full-beam master amidships has a central double berth, a sofa to starboard, two large wardrobes and an en suite with a separate shower stall, finished in walnut, fabric and lacquer with leather inserts. Hull windows bring in daylight on all three decks.

The VIP is in the bow with its own en suite. In the three-cabin version, which the first hull used, a small third cabin with bunks sits aft on the starboard side and shares the day head. That makes the 450 one of the few boats of its length to sleep six in three separate cabins, though the third is best for children or occasional guests.

Cummins power through V-drives

Every 450 uses twin Cummins QSB 6.7 diesels driving through V-boxes to conventional shafts, a choice that keeps the engines aft and frees space for the full-beam master. Early announcements quoted 425 and 480 hp versions, but Yachting and the builder data list 480 and 550 mhp as the production choices. Ferretti quoted about 25 knots cruising and 29 knots top with the 480s, and 27 to 29 knots cruising and 31 knots top with the 550s.

Nautica's 2017 test boat carried the 550s, with a light displacement of 17,000 kg (about 37,500 pounds) and 20,300 kg fully loaded, giving 15.4 kilograms per horsepower. Ferretti declared a range of 230 nautical miles at 25 knots from 1,400 liters, or about 370 US gallons, of fuel. We found no independent fuel curve for the boat, so treat cruise burn figures in listings with caution.

MBY's cross-Channel delivery test of 2019 is the best indication of seakeeping: a dealer chose the 450 specifically as a boat suited to the UK's choppy waters.

What was standard and what cost extra

Nautica's spec sheet lists the standard equipment as electro-hydraulic steering, VHF, teak in the cockpit, anchor and chain, a bow thruster, a 130-liter fridge and 90-liter freezer, a magnetic compass, an eight-person liferaft and electric toilets. Notably, air conditioning was an option in Europe, as were radar, a Seakeeper stabilizer, a hydraulic passerelle, joystick docking, teak decks, flybridge galley, TVs and stern mooring winches. Nautica's test boat was €960,000 excluding VAT with the 550 hp engines and a selection of options.

For an American buyer, this list is a checklist. A European-spec 450 without air conditioning or a generator suited to it is a very different boat from one commissioned for Florida, and retrofitting is expensive.

Owning and buying a 450 in the United States

Plan on roughly $50,000 to $95,000 a year to keep a 450 in the US, excluding depreciation. Cummins QSB engines are well supported by US dealers, and shaft drives through V-boxes are straightforward to maintain, though V-drive gearboxes and shaft seals deserve attention at survey. Ferretti Group North America and dealer Allied Marine provide brand support on the East Coast.

The used market is thin. YachtBuyer counted five 450s listed over three years, so a buyer may need to wait or look to the Mediterranean. Expect asking prices of about $480,000 to $780,000 depending on year and equipment. The replacement 500 is roomier and newer but costs considerably more, which keeps a well-equipped 450 attractive.