Design and Construction
The 500SE has foam-cored fiberglass hulls and deck, with iron ballast. Light-ship displacement is 13.5 tons, beam is 26.12 feet, and draft is 3 feet 11 inches, which keeps her manageable in shallow anchorages.
Her underbody is deliberately shaped to push waves downward and make the hull wakes meet well aft of the boat, which lessens slamming in a seaway. A solid wall across the aft end of the cockpit shields the transom from boarding waves. Gently sloped stern steps extend the hulls, adding waterline, and also serve as a boarding platform for the dinghy.
With 62 feet 4 inches of vertical clearance, the 500SE is ICW-capable. That gives owners the option of inshore routing during heavy weather.
Rig and Handling
The sail plan includes 800 square feet of mainsail and 538 square feet of genoa. All halyards and reef lines lead aft along the deck to the helm, while the main and jib sheets run along the cabintop. This arrangement allows the boat to be worked single-handed from the cabintop.
A Harken Battcar system helps the mainsail drop easily. The full-roach main—chosen instead of a square-top—flakes neatly onto the boom while still delivering power. In heavy air, both the genoa and full-batten main can be reefed. For light air, a screecher on a bowsprit furler is ready to deploy. In just six knots of apparent wind, the 500SE sails at 4.5 knots.
Twin 57 hp Yanmar diesels with saildrives use single-lever throttles. The engines are sized to manage the boat’s windage during close-quarters maneuvering.
Helm and Deck
The starboard helm is a single bulkhead station beneath a hard-top bimini. An overhead window provides a view of the sails, while the cushioned bench seats two in a secure wrap that cannot be launched over the side, even in a heavy seaway. From the helm, all four corners of the boat are visible.
Wide decks make movement safe in a seaway. Forward, a teak catwalk with hidden chain guides gives the crew a firm place to stand while anchoring. The anchor deploys from the bow, allowing the boat to blow off the chain naturally. A windlass with both up and down controls, along with a chain counter, is standard.
Accommodations
The owner’s hull is to port. It includes a custom double berth aft, bench seating, and a midship office. Forward, a watertight bulkhead can house a dive compressor. A large standing shower is just aft, and the washing machine is accessed through the bulkhead.
The starboard hull contains two guest cabins, each with its own head. In the saloon, the U-shaped galley helps secure the cook underway and provides ample refrigeration and storage.
A dedicated machinery room keeps the generator, watermaker, and similar equipment within easy reach for routine servicing. Sea strainers are located beneath the cabin sole and arranged so that any spill drains harmlessly into the bilge.
Equipment and Systems
Standard liveaboard equipment includes:
- A 6 kW generator
- A 1260 Ah house bank
- Two deep-cycle engine-start batteries
- A 3000 W inverter
- A 2500 W charger with battery monitoring
- A watermaker
- Reverse-cycle air conditioning with heat
The dinghy is handled with custom lifting tackle from the boom. Offshore, it stows on chocks rather than swinging in davits. A swim platform sits between the aft bench and the davits, with a barbeque to starboard and an aft-facing filleting table to port.
Verdict
The Knysna 500SE is a thoughtfully laid-out cruising catamaran with a clear emphasis on secure, single-handed operation and protected seamanship. Her sail plan, helm visibility, and underbody design favor comfortable passage-making rather than athletic sailing. The owner-focused port hull and dedicated machinery space also suit extended liveaboard use.
Pros
- Single-handed sail control from the helm through run-back halyards, sheets, and reef lines
- Underbody shape that reduces slamming, plus a transom wall that blocks boarding seas
- Secure helm seating and all-around visibility from a hard-top-protected station
- Owner’s hull with an office and watertight forward bulkhead, with two en-suite guest cabins opposite
- Strong standard equipment package, including a generator, large house bank, watermaker, and air conditioning
Cons
- Twin 57 hp saildrive engines may invite greater drivetrain service attention than shaft drives
- The extensive standard inventory gives a lone owner many systems to maintain
