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Model profile · for Great Loop buyers
Cheoy Lee 46 LRC
What the published record establishes about this model, what owners report,
and the questions worth asking while a boat is still a listing. This page is about the
MODEL — a specific hull always gets its own homework.
A heavily-built 1970s long-range trawler that clears the Loop with mast/arch down — but a ~45-year-old teak-decked hull where condition and prior maintenance matter far more than the reputation.
The Cheoy Lee 46 LRC is a full-displacement long-range cruiser from the late 1970s on twin 120 hp Ford Lehman diesels, repeatedly described by owners as “built like a tank.” For the Loop the folding mast is what makes it work: broker figures put her near 31 ft masthead-up and roughly 17.5–18 ft with the mast down depending on Bimini — clearance, but not much, so measure your own hull. The real story on any given boat is age. Teak-over-glass decks are the most-cited gripe, the wiring is era-typical single-wire, and the Lehman's known weak points — raw-water pump drive coupler, exhaust manifold, overheating — are well documented. Two of those are salvage-only: budget for the pump conversion and for sourcing a spare manifold. Published range figures disagree by roughly three times depending on whose tankage and speed assumptions you take. Condition and maintenance history dominate over the brand.
How to read this: 🟢 Fact = confirmed against a document, spec sheet,
or owner. Everything else — Claim, Pattern, Question, Context — is not yet
verified: things to check, not settled truth. Sources are linked where published.
Builder status
CONTEXT
Cheoy Lee is still in business — unusual for a builder of this era.
Cheoy Lee Shipyards has been building for over 150 years and remains active under the fourth and fifth generations, producing at the Hin Lee (Zhuhai) yard with a Fort Lauderdale sales office and the CL Yachts line. For a roughly 45-year-old hull that means the builder still exists — worth asking what factory records, drawings or support remain available for a boat of this era.
src:
Cheoy Lee Shipyards (cheoylee.com); Yachting Magazine
Your move: Ask what factory records or drawings survive for a hull of this age.
Air draft
CLAIM
Folding mast brings air draft well down; measure the actual hull
The model has a folding mast; with the mast up broker specs cite roughly 31 ft to the masthead light, and with the mast down clearance drops substantially (broker figures around 17.5–18 ft depending on Bimini). This model tends to clear the Loop with mast down, but arches, antennas, and radar add-ons vary boat to boat — measure YOUR hull's actual air draft with the mast folded and identify everything that can be lowered before relying on it.
src:
Knot 10 / YachtWorld / Denison listings
Range and fuel
CONTEXT
Generous fuel capacity; displacement burn is modest
Published range figures vary widely (brokers cite ~800–850 nm; one owner argued 2,500+ nm from ~820 gal at just under 2 gph at 7 kn). The spread comes from different tankage and speed assumptions, not the engines. For planning, treat the low-2-gph owner figure as best case and budget nearer 3–4 gph total. Confirm actual tank capacity and condition on the specific hull.
src:
Trawler Forum; HMY guide / listings
Systems
CONTEXT
Era-typical single-wire (non-duplex) cabling
Owners note the boat uses single-wire cable rather than duplex, which can make troubleshooting and rewiring frustrating. Expect era-typical wiring; verify condition and any rewiring done.
src:
Trawler Forum
QUESTION
What is the condition and service history of the generator, HVAC, steering and plumbing?
Listings show varied gear (e.g., Onan generator, Cruise Air units, Wood Freeman autopilot), but no consistent model-wide fault pattern was found for these systems. That makes them boat-specific — verify each individually at survey rather than assuming.
src:
Listings (varied)
Hull and deck
CLAIM
Teak-over-fiberglass decks are the #1 recurring gripe
Teak decks over the glass deck were standard and leaking is common with age; owners repeatedly recommend removing them. Check for leaks, soft core, and prior teak removal/re-glassing. This is the most-cited maintenance issue on the model.
src:
Trawler Forum (multiple owners)
QUESTION
Any hull blistering, and how was it addressed?
Owners mention some blister issues, described as repairable. Scope it: extent, when addressed, what the repair included, and any barrier-coat work. Confirm with the survey's moisture readings.
src:
Trawler Forum
Reading the boat
CONTEXT
A 40+ year old boat where condition beats brand
Owner consensus is that the 46 LRC is heavily built ('built like a tank') with average (not Grand Banks) fit and finish, but that at this age maintenance history and current condition matter far more than reputation. Weight your evaluation toward survey findings, deck/teak condition, engine service records, and completed upgrades — not the model's good name.
src:
Trawler Forum
Engines
The engines research — factory options, tested performance,
and the engine-specific questions our members' dossiers carry — is part of the
full profile inside the product. It travels with every dossier and survey brief
built on this model.
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