Hanse 505 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Charter four-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both are available; ex-charter examples are common. The 505 was offered in five cabin plans, with forward space giving the choice between an owner's suite or two double cabins, and aft cabins being generously sized doubles with hanging lockers and overhead shelf storage. An optional utility room tucked away to port could be fitted with a bunk to double as an extra private cabin, and the galley lines the port side with drawer-style refrigeration and a standard four-burner stove, oven, double sinks, and microwave. The saloon has an L-shaped settee to starboard and a forward-facing nav station with a large chart table.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

On the used market, chartplotter, teak decks, bimini, autopilot, electric winches, furling main, cockpit shower, inverter, bow thruster, and self tacking jib are commonly fitted. Often seen are solar, freezer, heating, and hot water. Less commonly, as owner upgrades or occasional factory options, are asymmetric spinnaker, dodger, radar, life raft, air conditioning, spinnaker, AIS, and watermaker. The standard wardrobe included a fully battened mainsail and self-tacking jib, with an attachment point for an asymmetrical sail or code zero on the bow roller and an optional Flexofold folding prop for those wanting more under-sail speed.

What to Inspect

The documented construction record shows the hull is solid laminate below the waterline and balsa cored in topsides and on deck, with vinylester resin throughout the lamination schedule and epoxy-based vinylester in the outer hull laminate for osmosis resistance. A robust fiberglass grid supports rig loads and the backing for the T-Speed cast iron keel, which is externally fastened with stainless steel bolts, and the chainplates are integral to the bulwark. The standard transmission is a saildrive rather than a shaft with a three-blade fixed prop, so inspect saildrive seals and the Volvo diesel installation; the 72-horsepower Volvo is the standard power plant. Check the fold-down transom hardware and the flush-mounted hatches for deck-core integrity, since the topsides and deck are balsa cored rather than solid.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

The typical markets for the Hanse 505 are Croatia, Türkiye, British Virgin Islands, Greece, Cyprus, and Australia. For a shopper, the practical checklist is: confirm whether the layout is the common charter four-cabin or an owner's version; verify saildrive service history and keel-bolt condition; check balsa-cored deck and topsides for moisture at hatches and transom; confirm the self-tacking jib and electric winches are functional; and note ex-charter examples are common, so assess wear accordingly.