Post 46 Sportfisherman, a Guide for Buyers of Post Boats for Sale

Post boats for sale, and where the 46 fits

Most Post boats for sale today are sportfishing convertibles from the company's long run in Mays Landing, New Jersey, and the Post 46 is one of the cornerstones of that fleet. Post's own model history lists a 1977 prototype and production from 1978 through 1996, which makes the 46 the longest-running model in the yard's lineup of that era. It was replaced in 1997 by the Post 47 on the same 46-foot 9-inch length.

Buyers will see it listed as the Post 46 Convertible, the Post 46 Sportfisherman or just the 46 Post. Post called it the 46 Sportfisherman. Whatever the label, it is a classic Jersey-style flybridge sportfisherman with a full salon, an enclosed lower deck and a big fishing cockpit.

Because the newest 46 is now three decades old, every boat on the market is a used, probably refit, vessel. That makes the history of the individual boat more important than anything printed in a brochure.

Russell Post, Egg Harbor and Mays Landing

Russell Post was a founding figure of the Jersey sportfisherman. Yachting traces the story to 1946, when Post and John Leek started building boats in Egg Harbor City, and Post famously sold his car to buy the cedar for the first Egg Harbor hull. In 1957 he left to set up his own yard on the Great Egg Harbor River in Mays Landing, under the slogan Yachts of Quality, Not Quantity. The first Post, a 34-footer, was built that year and launched in 1958, and Post personally sea-trialed every boat that came out of the yard.

In 1975 Charlie Walters, Russell Post's second employee, and Bill Schell bought the company, with long-time executive Ken Jensen later serving as president. The design philosophy stayed put: a high bow without a trunk cabin and a gentle sheer down to the transom. By 2001 Marlin reported that Post had built about 800 boats in its first 40 years.

The original company did not last. Post Marine filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in March 2011, and in January 2012 John Patnovic's Post Marine Group bought the assets and moved the operation to Worton Creek Marina in Chestertown, Maryland, with plans to continue building Post designs to order.

The numbers from Post's own model history

Post's archived model history gives the 46 an overall length of 46 feet 9 inches, a beam of 15 feet 9 inches, draft of 3 feet 6 inches to 4 feet 4 inches, a weight of 44,000 pounds and a clearance of 13 feet 7 inches. Tankage is 635 gallons of fuel and 120 gallons of water, and the cockpit measures 120 square feet.

Those numbers put the 46 between the Post 42 and 44 and the larger Post 50 that arrived as a prototype in 1986. The 15-foot 9-inch beam was shared with the 42, 43 and 44, and it gives the 46 a fairly slender profile for its length, which helps efficiency and running attitude.

• LOA 46 ft 9 in, beam 15 ft 9 in
• Draft 3 ft 6 in to 4 ft 4 in
• Weight 44,000 lb, clearance 13 ft 7 in
• Fuel 635 gal, water 120 gal, cockpit 120 sq ft

What the 47 changed tells you about the 46

The best guide to the 46's character comes from what Post changed when it replaced it. Marlin's review of the Post 47 noted a bridge that was noticeably wider and longer than the 46's, a bigger console for electronics and more seating up top. The 47 also switched the salon floor to solid fiberglass rather than wood and introduced a more modern, brighter engine room. Post's own notes show fuel rising from 635 gallons on the 46 to 660 on later 47s.

Read in reverse, that tells a 46 shopper three things: expect a smaller flybridge than modern 47-footers, expect wood in the salon sole structure, and expect an engine room that may be tight and dated unless a refit addressed it.

The 47 that followed, with 680 hp MAN diesels, cruised in the high 20s to low 30s of knots and topped out around 36 knots. We did not find comparable published test data for the 46, and its performance today depends almost entirely on what engines a given boat carries and how fresh they are.

Jersey hull habits, good and bad

Post's hulls share the traits of the Jersey school: a high, flared bow, generous freeboard carried well aft, and relatively flat after sections that make the boats quick to plane and economical. Soundings described the related Post 42 as known for a dry ride and peppy performance. The trade-off is head-sea comfort. A broker interviewed by Power and Motoryacht about the Post 50 said that, in typical Post fashion, it was not the best head-sea boat but was very efficient and very fast. Expect a 46 to reward an owner who picks his weather and drives with the seas rather than through them.

Brokers also say Post hulls raise a lot of fish, crediting the way water leaves the stern, and that Post owners tend to be loyal to the brand. Those soft factors matter when you eventually sell.

Layouts and living aboard

The 46 is a full convertible: flybridge, salon with galley, and staterooms and heads below. Post offered more than one interior over its 19 years, and many boats have been modified since, so we do not list a single stateroom count. Expect two or three staterooms, with an owner's cabin and a guest cabin as the core.

When comparing boats, look at the salon sole, galley appliances, air conditioning and generator age, because those are the systems refit owners usually update, and they define how comfortable the boat is for tournament weeks or Bahamas trips.

Owning an older Jersey convertible

Plan on about $30,000 to $65,000 a year for a 47-foot slip, insurance, diesel service, bottom and running gear work, canvas and routine repairs, before fuel and before any major projects. Insurance companies will want a recent survey and may limit navigation areas on older boats.

Parts and know-how are less of a problem than you might fear. Post's assets and molds passed to Post Marine Group in 2012, which said it would support existing owners through Worton Creek Marina in Maryland, and Jersey-coast yards have serviced Posts for decades.

Valuing a Post 46 in 2026

We could not find enough current listings to publish hard comparables, so treat our ranges as estimates. In 2026 we would expect project boats and original-engine 46s from the late 1970s and 1980s at roughly $55,000 to $110,000, and well-refit boats from the 1990s with documented engine work at roughly $115,000 to $190,000. The model year matters less than the engine hours since overhaul, the condition of the deck and salon sole, and the quality of any refit.

A well-sorted 46 is a lot of sportfisherman for the money, but the cheapest boat is rarely the best value. Repowering a pair of diesels or rebuilding a soft deck can cost more than the purchase price.