Knysna 500 Buyer's Guide
The Knysna 500 is a South African-built 50-foot cruising catamaran from the Knysna Yacht Company, with Angelo Lavranos as designer. On the brokerage market she appears both as owner versions and ex-charter boats, with the owner three-cabin layout the more common of the two.
Layouts on the Used Market
Most used Knysna 500s you will meet are owner three-cabin boats, though the ex-charter examples are common enough that buyers will see both. The owner's hull is to port with a custom aft double berth, bench seats, and a midship office; forward sits a watertight bulkhead that can take a dive compressor, with a large shower and washing machine access. The starboard hull holds two guest cabins, each with an en-suite head. A U-shaped galley, a dedicated machinery room for generator and watermaker service, and a saloon with two roof hatches round out the interior. The aft cockpit carries a sofa bench that can lower to a day bed, a teak dining table, and an aft-facing filleting table to port.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Power and energy systems are commonly fitted and matter most to a buyer: solar, lithium batteries, a watermaker, and a generator let the boat run off-grid for long stretches, while an inverter and battery monitoring keep loads in view. Climate and sail-handling gear often seen includes air conditioning, electric winches, and dinghy davits, with a bimini and swim platform frequently present. Navigation is usually well covered with a chartplotter, AIS, radar, autopilot, and an asymmetric spinnaker or spinnaker for downwind legs; a code zero is often seen for light-air reaching. Comfort items such as a washing machine and life raft turn up often, but a furling main or heating are less common owner upgrades worth checking for if important to you.
What to Inspect
The engine spaces can be arranged either under the berth or through a deck hatch aft, so confirm which access a given hull has and whether it allows comfortable service of the twin Yanmar diesels with saildrives. Sea strainers sit under the cabin sole and are plumbed so any seawater spill goes into the bilge, a detail worth verifying is intact. The dinghy lifting tackle stows the boat on chocks from the boom rather than davits for offshore use; check the tackle and chocks if the seller claims bluewater prep. Examine the transom wall protecting the cockpit and the underbody for signs the slamming-resistant shape has been maintained without grounding damage.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These cats are typically found in the United States, South Africa, Greece, Australia, Fiji, and Italy. For a shopper, the practical checklist is short: confirm the layout (owner three-cabin vs ex-charter), verify the engine access type and sea-strainer plumbing, check the standard systems—generator, watermaker, house bank—are present and serviced, and assess the sail-handling setup for short-handed use. A 500 with intact machinery access and full liveaboard gear is the one to pursue.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Knysna 500. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 10 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 25 | 1 | $645,000 | — |
| Jun 25 | 1 | $1,121,504 | +73.9% |
| Jul 25 | 6 | $849,900 | -24.2% |
| Sep 25 | 5 | $795,000 | -6.5% |
| Nov 25 | 3 | $860,000 | +8.2% |
| Jan 26 | 4 | $836,950 | -2.7% |
| Feb 26 | 4 | $1,076,810 | +28.7% |
| Apr 26 | 20 | $799,000 | -25.8% |
| May 26 | 1 | $795,000 | -0.5% |
| Aug 26 | 4 | $1,004,950 | +26.4% |
Where they're listed
Knysna 500 listings appear across 8 countries. South Africa has the most listings with 13 (33.3%), followed by United States and Greece.
Country view
39 listings · 8 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | $1,135,085 | 13 | 2 | 33.3% |
| United States | $849,900 | 12 | 1 | 30.8% |
| Greece | $715,000 | 5 | 0 | 12.8% |
| Australia | $1,019,379 | 2 | 1 | 5.1% |
| Fiji | $1,925,000 | 2 | 0 | 5.1% |
| Italy | $745,000 | 2 | 0 | 5.1% |
| Montenegro | $1,108,439 | 2 | 0 | 5.1% |
| Georgia | $799,000 | 1 | 0 | 2.6% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FP Saba 50 | 49.15' | $ 795,000 | 123 | 37 |
| Lagoon 500 | 51' | $ 525,000 | 86 | 15 |
| Knysna 500You are here | — | $ 849,900 | 41 | 4 |
| Knysna Yacht Company 440 | 44.13' | $ 325,000 | 23 | 12 |
| Dufour 500 Grand Large | 49.54' | $ 314,417 | 23 | 2 |
| Voyage Yachts 500 | 50' | $ 343,777 | 22 | 4 |
| Catana Catamarans 50 | 49.87' | $ 1,204,494 | 21 | 7 |
| Vision 444 | 43.04' | $ 1,150,000 | 21 | 14 |
| Beneteau Oceanis 500 | 50.25' | $ 112,165 | 18 | 5 |
| St. Francis 50 | 50.03' | $ 767,000 | 14 | 7 |
| NEEL 52 | 52' | $ 1,618,666 | 7 | 2 |