DK 46
DK Yachts · Mark Mills · 2003
Updated
The DK 46 is a 14.10 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by Mark Mills and built by DK Yachts, first launched in 2003. It races in Class A. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 73% of the designs it races against.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 73% of the boats it races against.
13th of 46 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 106 starts across 16 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
14.10 m
46′ 3″
Beam
4.11 m
Draft
3.01 m
Displacement
9.0 t
Sail area
133 m²
On the podium
Where a DK 46 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
41%
of 106 starts by 7 boats
Wins
15%
Read from 106 starts by 7 boats between 2015 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a DK 46 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Edison Next Italian Offshore Sailing Championship - Campionato Italiano Assoluto d’Altura2026- ORC World Championship2026
- 54° Campionato Invernale Vela d'Altura del Golfo di Napoli2026
Rolex Middle Sea Race2025
ORC European Championship 2025 / 43rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE2025
Raced one we are missing?
Report a regattaRound the buoys, or offshore
A short windward-leeward and a night at sea ask different things of a boat. Here is how this one does in each.
Round the buoys
45%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
21%
of these races end on the podium
Sharper round the buoys. Short courses reward acceleration and manoeuvring, and that is where this design makes its money.
Who she races against
The designs a DK 46 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the DK 46 has fared against each of them, boat against boat on corrected time. Ordered by how often the two meet, not by who wins.
Speed at every angle
The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.
Upwind VMG
6.43
36°
Beam reach
10.06
90°
Broad reach
11.92
135°
Downwind VMG
9.53
170°
Speed in knots at 20 knots of true wind. Green marks the angles that pay: the closest useful beat and the deepest run worth sailing.
Where it wins and where it pays
Every boat is judged against its own measurements — length, weight, sail area. The quicker those say it should be, the more it has to deliver just to break even. Going fast is not enough: it has to go faster than its own numbers promised.
There is no obvious weak spot here. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is upwind once it pipes up, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage cracked off as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
There is no condition where it falls away badly, which is worth something over a season of mixed weather.
Above the line it delivers more than promised and gains on the fleet. Below, it falls short. Move the wind: plenty of boats sit on one side in the light and the other when it blows.
Full width is 0.4 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the upwind.
How fast is a DK 46
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 4.38 | 5.80 | 6.20 | 6.43 |
| 52° | 6.63 | 8.18 | 8.54 | 8.77 |
| 60° | 6.97 | 8.38 | 8.77 | 9.05 |
| 75° | 7.23 | 8.56 | 9.12 | 9.54 |
| 90° | 7.13 | 8.60 | 9.30 | 10.06 |
| 110° | 6.96 | 8.79 | 9.64 | 10.81 |
| 120° | 6.74 | 8.73 | 9.87 | 11.50 |
| 135° | 6.06 | 8.36 | 9.53 | 11.92 |
| 150° | 5.07 | 7.51 | 8.86 | 10.89 |
| Run VMG | 4.39 | 6.51 | 7.93 | 9.53 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 1050 kg.
Rigging
DK 46 rig and sail dimensions
A DK 46 carries 19.20 m of mainsail hoist on a 6.65 m boom, a forestay 18.94 m above the deck and a 6.15 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 9 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 161 to 192 m² depending on bowsprit and set-up. Before ordering a sail, read the figure on your own measurement record rather than the typical one for the design.