Semi-custom cruising catamaran
Knysna 500 SE Catamaran for Sale in South Africa
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Length | 15.24m LOA (50ft), 13.77m waterline, 7.96m beam |
| Draft | 1.44m |
| Displacement | 16,000kg per the builder; some spec sheets quote 13.5 tonnes light |
| Rig | Mast about 20m; 75 sq m mainsail, 50 sq m genoa, screecher on a bowsprit furler |
| Power and tanks | 2 x 57hp diesels; about 600L diesel and 600L fresh water |
| Layout | Owner's version with the full port hull for the owner and two en-suite doubles to starboard; other layouts built to order |
| Build | Semi-custom, about four hulls a year; no interior liners, furniture and bulkheads in Airex foam with veneer |
| Design | Angelo Lavranos; built by Knysna Yacht Company, Knysna Industrial, South Africa |
A new Knysna 500 SE costs about $1.245 million to $1.32 million in 2026, depending on which launch slot you take, and used boats have been asking roughly $800,000 to $1.25 million. It is built by the Knysna Yacht Company on the Garden Route, at a pace of around four hulls a year, so the real choice is between waiting for a slot and hunting one of the few used boats, usually abroad.
The hull is a 50ft cruising design by South African naval architect Angelo Lavranos. What buyers notice is the standard specification: generator, watermaker, air conditioning, lithium batteries, a tender, an electric furler and a washer-dryer are part of the boat, not an options sheet. That changes how you compare it with a Leopard or a French production cat, where the same list is priced one line at a time.
We work both routes. We can open the build-slot conversation with the yard, or track used 500 SEs in the US, the Mediterranean and closer to home, and arrange survey and delivery.
Knysna 500 SE price: slots and used boats
New. The builder lists the 500 SE at $1.245 million to $1.32 million, with the figure set by the launch slot rather than a long options list. For scale, a fully equipped show boat was quoted at $895,000 in 2019, so allow for real price growth when you read older reviews.
Used. Recent asking prices in US dollars:
- A 2016 owner's version in Georgia, US, at $799,000, duty paid.
- A 2017 boat in the US at $899,000.
- A 2021 boat in Maryland at $849,900.
- European listings, mostly in Greece, running up to about $1.25 million.
One market tracker put the median sold price over the last 24 months near $787,000. Treat that as the floor for negotiation on an older US boat, not a price you can expect on a late European one. These are asking figures as of 2026, and each hull needs its own survey before the number means anything.
The bigger sister, the Knysna 550 at 16.83m, is listed new at $1.75 million to $1.975 million. The older Knysna 480 turns up occasionally: one ex-factory show boat from 2013 sailed from South Africa to Greece and was listed there at $690,000.
On deck and below
The helm is a single bulkhead station to starboard under the hardtop, placed so you can see both bows when docking and both sugar scoops when reversing. The galley is up in the saloon. Aft, a swim platform sits between the cockpit bench and the davits, and there is a built-in braai and a fish-filleting table, details that tell you who the boat was first built for.
Below, the yard skips moulded liners. Bulkheads and furniture are Airex foam faced in the owner's choice of veneer, and the hull structure stays visible. A surveyor likes that: stress from a hard passage shows where you can see it instead of hiding behind a liner. Decking is synthetic teak as standard, and 800 watts of solar is on the base boat.
Slots are few and used boats sell quietly. Message us before you commit to either.
Ask about Knysna 500 SESurvey points on a used 500 SE
Every used 500 SE carries a full systems list, so every one of those systems has aged. Our checklist:
- Hours and service logs on the generator, watermaker and air-conditioning units, since all boats have them.
- Age, cycle count and battery management records for the lithium bank.
- Visible hull structure and bulkhead bonding for cracking or movement after ocean miles.
- Hull bottoms and rudders for grounding marks, especially on boats kept in shallow harbours.
- Hours on both diesels separately, with drive and seal service dates.
- Screecher furler, bowsprit fittings and standing rigging age.
- Synthetic deck condition, which is costly to replace across a 50ft cockpit and side decks.
- Where the boat is cleared: a US boat sold duty paid, or a Greek boat with EU VAT settled, carries a different landed cost.
Knysna, the Heads and taking delivery
Knysna sits on a lagoon, and the only way to open sea is through the Heads, a shallow, tide-dependent entrance that is a real constraint for deeper boats. The 500 SE draws 1.44m, which is modest, but any crossing is still timed on tide and swell, not the calendar. Ask the yard how launch and handover are planned for your slot before you book flights.
Owners who keep the boat local can use Knysna Yacht Club: forum reports put a swing mooring at roughly R7,500 per year, with membership of around R3,000 on top, so check current rates directly. Most buyers, though, sail west to Cape Town for final fitting or clear out for an ocean passage. Our page on catamarans for sale in South Africa covers export paperwork and delivery options, and our guide to annual running costs prices the moorings, haul-outs and antifouling.
If you want more speed and are ready to pay for it, look at the Balance 526. If you want a larger factory network behind the boat, the Cape Town-built Leopard 50 is the obvious comparison.
Walk-through photos and the complete kit list of any 500 SE we shortlist are yours on WhatsApp, on request.
Your questions, answered
How much does a Knysna 500 SE cost?
The builder lists a new Knysna 500 SE at about $1.245 million to $1.32 million in 2026, depending on the launch slot. Used boats have been asking roughly $800,000 to $1.25 million, with older US boats at the low end and later European boats at the top. Every price needs a survey before it means anything.
Where is the Knysna 500 SE built?
In Knysna, on South Africa's Garden Route, by the Knysna Yacht Company. It is a semi-custom boat built at around four hulls a year, designed by South African naval architect Angelo Lavranos.
What equipment comes standard on a Knysna 500 SE?
Reviews and the builder list a generator, watermaker, air conditioning, lithium batteries, tender, electric furler, screecher, washer-dryer, 800 watts of solar and synthetic teak decking as standard. That makes the price easier to compare with a fully optioned production catamaran rather than a base boat.
Can a Knysna 500 SE get out through the Knysna Heads?
Its 1.44m draft is modest, but the Heads are a shallow, tide-dependent entrance, so every crossing is timed for tide and swell. Ask the yard how launch and first departure are handled for your build slot, and plan the handover date with some slack.
Waiting list or used hull?
Tell us your timeline and budget, and we will lay out the open build slots against the used boats on the market this month.
Ask about Knysna 500 SE