Galeon 460 Fly Review and Used Buyer's Checklist

The Galeon 460 Fly is a 500 Fly in a smaller suit

When Galeon's 500 Fly appeared in 2015 with bulwarks that fold into balconies, a cockpit seat on a rotating track and a bow that transforms from sofa to sun bed, the obvious question was how small the yard could take those ideas. The Galeon 460 Fly, introduced in 2017, was the answer. Galeon described it as bringing all the 500's innovations to a more compact frame, and MBY confirmed that at 47 feet 1 inch it was the smallest boat to which Galeon would fit the balconies.

It was built until 2023, when YachtBuyer lists production ending and the 480 Fly took over this slot in the range. That makes the 460 Fly a used-only proposition today, and an interesting one: you get most of the 500 Fly's character for meaningfully less money and a smaller slip.

How the balconies work, and what they cost

Not every 460 Fly has them, so check before you travel. MBY reported the fold-down balconies as a 40,000 pound option in the UK, and because of their weight Galeon would not fit them with the smallest twin Volvo D6-435 engines. Each side pivots on stainless hinges and is raised and lowered by a single hydraulic ram, switched from the cockpit. MBY likened the mechanism to a passerelle and pointed out it is far less exposed than a hydraulic bathing platform that spends its life in salt water.

With a 14-foot 4-inch beam the 460 was already wider than the Prestige 460 and Sealine F430, and MBY found the balconies almost double the genuinely usable cockpit space. The catch is time: lowering takes seconds, but slotting in the five stainless railings per side turns it into a ten-minute job, and Galeon advises against running at speed with them down. On some boats the balcony also carries fold-down stools and a bar section.

An aft galley that serves inside and out

Galeon put the galley aft on the main deck, next to a three-piece sliding glass door, so food goes to the cockpit or the saloon with equal ease. Yachting listed a two-burner electric cooktop, microwave, fridge-freezer and Corian counters, and the boat Aquaholic toured also had a dishwasher and electric oven. Saloon side windows slide open beside the galley to make a serving bar to the side deck, a neat trick on a boat this size.

Forward, a settee faces the galley, a dinette sits to port and the lower helm with a double seat is opposite. A 43-inch TV rises from the lounge furniture, and the helm on later boats has lift-up bolsters for standing, backlit switches and Raymarine screens. Walnut joinery was standard, with oak or beech as options.

Three cabins, two heads and where everyone sleeps

The 460 Fly was a three-cabin, two-head boat. The master spans the full 14-foot 4-inch beam amidships with a queen berth, large hull windows, a settee and an en suite. A forepeak VIP with a queen berth, skylights and a dressing area is the second double, and a third cabin with bunks sits aft of the VIP to starboard. The VIP head doubles as the day head.

For a US family that layout is close to ideal: parents aft, guests forward, children in the bunks. Unlike some rivals that squeeze a third cabin in by shrinking the master, the 460 keeps a genuinely full-beam owner's stateroom.

• Master: full beam, queen berth, settee, private head
• VIP: forepeak queen with skylights, shares the day head
• Bunk cabin: two singles, best for children

D8 shafts, D6 or IPS800, and the numbers behind them

Yachting's 2018 preview gave twin 550 hp Volvo Penta D8s with V-drives as the standard engines. Galeon also offered D6-435s at the bottom (without balconies), D8-600s, and IPS800 pod drives using 625 hp D11 engines. Builder figures for the D8-550 show 28.4 knots at 2,960 rpm on 223 liters per hour (about 59 gph) and a fast cruise of 26 knots at 2,800 rpm on 200 liters per hour (about 53 gph). With 396 gallons aboard that gives a little over 150 nautical miles at speed, but close to 1,000 miles at 4.4 knots.

The 2022 boat in Aquaholic's tour carried D8-600 shafts and was quoted at about 30 knots with a range of roughly 250 miles at sensible cruise. Our pick for US owners is the D8 on shafts: simpler service, good tracking and fewer drive components below the waterline. IPS800 boats make sense if you berth stern-to in tight marinas and value joystick control.

Swim platform, tender and flybridge kit

On the boat Aquaholic toured, the hydraulic bathing platform was rated to lift 500 kilograms, enough for a Williams 325 jet tender, and a passerelle and large lazarette were fitted. On the flybridge you get a double helm seat with twin screens, an L-shaped settee and sun pad, and a standard wet bar with sink and fridge; a grill was optional, as was a hardtop or bimini over the dining area.

Standard equipment noted by Yachting included a windlass, three hull color choices, a 54,000 BTU Condaria air conditioning system and a 12 kW Fischer Panda generator. Bow and stern thrusters, a Glendinning Cablemaster and Raymarine electronics were common options, so a well-specified boat is close to turnkey.

Ownership costs and the US market

Budget about $60,000 to $105,000 a year in the US, excluding depreciation, for a 50-foot slip, insurance, twin D8 servicing, generator and air conditioning upkeep, hydraulics, bottom paint and detailing. At a 26-knot cruise the D8-550s burn more than 50 gph, so most owners settle in the low 20s or run at displacement speed on longer legs to stretch range.

US supply is thin, since Galeon only gained wide American distribution through MarineMax from 2016. When this guide was written YachtBuyer tracked a single 460 Fly for sale worldwide, a 2022 boat in the UK. Expect to look at European boats, and budget for import duty, a US-standard electrical check and documentation. In return, the 460 Fly won Best International Motor Yacht in Asia under 15 meters at the 2018 Yacht Style Awards and was a 2019 Motor Boat Awards finalist, so the design has an established reputation.