Balance 482 Buyer's Guide
The Balance 482 is a 48-foot South African-built performance cruising catamaran that entered production in 2020, winning Cruising World's Best Performance Catamaran in the 2022 Boat of the Year contest. On the brokerage market it attracts sailors who want 526-class speed in a smaller, easier-to-handle package, and both owner and ex-charter examples change hands across several cruising regions.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both are available; ex-charter examples are common. The standard arrangement gives the whole starboard hull to the owner with a lateral double bunk forward and a large aft shower, while the port hull holds two double berths. A version with four cabins sleeping eight was also produced for charter use. The saloon converts a starboard settee to a double, and the aft-facing galley sits by the cockpit passageway with front-opening fridges and a Bosch oven.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Power and energy systems are commonly fitted with lithium batteries, solar, inverter and a watermaker, letting a buyer stay off-grid for long stretches. Navigation and safety gear commonly includes AIS, radar, autopilot, chartplotter and life raft, with Starlink a frequent addition. For sail handling, an asymmetric spinnaker, code zero and electric winches are commonly fitted, while a self-tacking jib is often seen and dinghy davits with a bimini are frequent cruising upgrades. Air conditioning, a cockpit shower, freezer and washing machine are commonly found for liveaboard comfort.
What to Inspect
The 482's construction is hand-laid vacuum-bagged foam core with polyester and vinylester resin and carbon reinforcement in high-load zones, so check the mast beam, aft beam and chain-plate areas for any stress cracking or delamination at the carbon-to-foam boundaries. The bows contain crash boxes by design; verify those compartments are intact and unbreached. Because the hulls are vinylester foam-core rather than epoxy, scrutinize outer-skin gelcoat for print-through despite post-curing, and confirm the thermoformed core shows no bond voids. Twin Yanmar 4JH45 saildrives with folding props should be surveyed for diaphragm and prop-folding function.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These cats are found in the United States, Grenada, South Africa and French Polynesia. For a shopper, the checklist is short: confirm daggerboard trunk condition, verify the Versa-Helm articulation, validate lithium and watermaker function, and choose owner versus ex-charter layout by intended use. A four-cabin boat suits fleet use; an owner-hull example suits a couple or single-hander.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Balance 482. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 9 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 25 | 2 | $1,525,000 | — |
| Nov 25 | 3 | $1,475,000 | -3.3% |
| Dec 25 | 1 | $1,570,000 | +6.4% |
| Jan 26 | 1 | $1,599,000 | +1.8% |
| Apr 26 | 11 | $1,525,000 | -4.6% |
| May 26 | 3 | $1,549,000 | +1.6% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $1,475,000 | -4.8% |
| Jul 26 | 1 | $1,525,000 | +3.4% |
| Aug 26 | 9 | $1,549,000 | +1.6% |
Where they're listed
Balance 482 listings appear across 4 countries. United States has the most listings with 21 (70.0%), followed by Grenada and South Africa.
Country view
30 listings · 4 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $1,525,000 | 21 | 11 | 70.0% |
| Grenada | $1,570,000 | 4 | 0 | 13.3% |
| South Africa | $1,599,000 | 3 | 1 | 10.0% |
| French Polynesia | $1,549,000 | 2 | 0 | 6.7% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
11 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fountaine Pajot Saona 47 | 46' | $ 739,951 | 205 | 53 |
| Balance Catamaran 526 | 52.49' | $ 1,875,000 | 32 | 16 |
| Balance 482You are here | — | $ 1,549,000 | 30 | 12 |
| Catana Catamarans 47 | 47' | $ 575,000 | 27 | 10 |
| Balance 442 | 44.29' | $ 1,150,000 | 25 | 10 |
| Voyage Yachts 480 | 49.54' | $ 469,000 | 25 | 3 |
| Nautitech 48 Open | 48.13' | $ 1,188,559 | 14 | 5 |
| Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 48-2 | 48.46' | $ 815,694 | 13 | 4 |
| Outremer 55-2 | 54.89' | $ 2,126,631 | 13 | 2 |
| C-Catamarans 48 | 49.08' | $ 1,499,000 | 10 | 0 |
| Dufour Catamaran 48 | 46.59' | $ 675,000 | 9 | 1 |