Variations & Configurations
The Voyage 500 was built in two primary layout configurations, tailored either for high-capacity charter operations or long-range private cruising:
- Charter Version (4-Cabin / 4- or 5-Head): The standard layout features four mirrored, queen-sized en-suite guest cabins. Each cabin is served by its own private head and shower. This configuration typically includes utility peaks or single berths in the bow hulls to accommodate professional crew.
- Owner’s Version (3-Cabin / 3-Head): Highly prized on the secondary market, this layout dedicates the entire starboard hull to an expansive master suite. It features a king-size berth, an integrated office workstation, a massive head with a separate walk-in shower stall, and a walk-in closet or laundry area with washing machine plumbing. The port hull houses two queen guest staterooms, each with dedicated heads.
Across both versions, the vessel utilizes an "upper-level" gourmet galley-up layout to port in the main salon. This positioning shares panoramic, 360-degree views through the wrap-around windows while remaining socially connected to both the salon and the cockpit.
Under the waterline, the Voyage 500 is equipped with fixed low-aspect-ratio twin keels with a draft of 3.9 to 4.5 feet depending on loading and model year. These keels are structurally sacrificial and designed to protect the rudders and saildrives while allowing the vessel to dry out safely. Rigging consists of a powerful fractional sloop rig with an air draft of approximately 68.24 feet, which prevents standard passage through 65-foot fixed bridges on the US Intracoastal Waterway (ICW).
Sailing Performance & Handling
The Voyage 500 is recognized as a genuine "sailor’s catamaran," exhibiting handling characteristics that set it apart from typical volume-oriented cruising multihulls.
The vessel’s Sail Area to Displacement (SA/Disp) ratio of 26.84 indicates an exceptionally powerful and easily driven sail plan relative to its 22,708-pound dry displacement. In physical terms, this high ratio ensures that the Voyage 500 does not suffer from light-wind sluggishness. It accelerates rapidly in light airs, allowing owners to maintain speed under sail alone while heavier cruising catamarans are forced to motor.
This performance is reinforced by a Displacement to Length (Disp/LWL) ratio of 97.15. This low number reflects the ultra-lean, slippery profile of the hulls and a long 47.1-foot waterline. The physics of this hull shape translate to minimal wave-making resistance. Helming is crisp and responsive; the boat tracks beautifully and easily exceeds its theoretical hull speed of 9.19 knots when reaching or surfing downwind.
The Capsize Screening Ratio of 3.81 and Comfort Ratio of 9.09 describe the physical stability of the design. While these mathematical formulas are optimized for monohulls, they highlight the catamaran's massive initial form stability, which is derived from its 27-foot 1-inch beam. The boat sails with near-zero heel, providing a secure platform for the crew. Although wide catamarans can experience a quick, snappy motion in short, steep beam seas, the Voyage 500's low-profile coachroof and long hulls mitigate hobby-horsing and pitching. Under normal cruising loads, the generous bridgedeck clearance of roughly 26 inches prevents the severe, structural bridgedeck slamming ("pounding") common in head-seas.
Market Snapshot & Economics
The Voyage 500 occupies a distinct niche in the pre-owned catamaran market, characterized by low inventory and strong value retention:
- Listings Count: 7 active listings globally.
- Median Price: $475,000 USD.
Because only 40 hulls were constructed, clean examples—particularly privately run, 3-cabin Owner's versions—command a premium. However, buyers must carefully evaluate a vessel's operating history.
Ex-charter 4-cabin models are often priced in the mid-$300,000 range but represent different refit economics. Re-powering an older model to replace original, high-hour 40 hp Yanmar engines with modern common-rail diesels (such as twin 57 hp Yanmars) and new SD60 saildrives typically costs between $45,000 and $60,000, including yard labor. A complete blue-water refit—encompassing new standing and running rigging, sail replacement, and a complete modernization of the electronics suite—typically requires an additional budget of $50,000 to $70,000.
Known Issues & Triage
While the Voyage 500 is fundamentally robust, prospective buyers should focus their due diligence on several documented technical areas:
- Deck Coring Water Intrusion: The hulls are constructed of solid hand-laid GRP below the waterline (minimizing osmosis) and vacuum-bonded closed-cell PVC foam above. However, deck structures and coachroofs on earlier models utilize end-grain balsa coring. Water can migrate into the core through unsealed stanchion bases, handrails, or hatch seals. Triage requires percussion sounding or thermal imaging to isolate wet areas. Repairs involve skinning the glass, digging out wet balsa, replacing it with high-density foam core, and re-glassing with epoxy resin.
- Secondary Bulkhead Bonding: In high-hour charter units that have been driven hard, the secondary fiberglass bonding (tabbing) where the main bulkheads join the hulls can suffer from shear stress, leading to minor delamination or movement. All forward structural bulkheads and hull joints must be visually inspected for cracks. Repair requires grinding away the gelcoat and applying new layers of biaxial fiberglass cloth with structural epoxy.
- Yanmar SD50 Saildrive Slippage: Original engines were frequently mated to Yanmar SD50 saildrives. These units are prone to premature clutch slippage due to glazed cone clutches, requiring periodic lapping of the brass cones. Upgrading to the newer, multi-plate wet clutch system of the Yanmar SD60 saildrive is the industry-standard fix, costing roughly $12,000 per side.
- Mainsail Leech Tearing: The aggressive fractional rig uses a large-roach, fully-battened mainsail. Under charter, inexperienced crews frequently over-tension the halyard during reefing maneuvers in heavy weather, resulting in horizontal structural tears along the seams directly above the reef points.
Modernization & Upgrades
Veteran owners frequently execute several high-signal refits to modernize the platform for off-grid cruising:
- LiFePO4 Conversions & Solar Integration: The large, flat cockpit bimini is an ideal mounting surface for solar arrays. Modernized boats are frequently fitted with 1,200Ah to 1,400Ah 12V (or 48V equivalent) Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) house banks integrated with dual Victron MultiPlus 3000W inverter/chargers and up to 1,400W of marine solar panels. This setup allows owners to run high-efficiency 12V or 110V air conditioning units overnight without relying on a diesel generator.
- Engine Upgrades: Many older hulls are repowered with twin 57 hp Yanmar 4JH57 common-rail diesels mated to SD60 saildrives and self-pitching or folding three-blade propellers (e.g., Flexofold or Autoprop). This repower optimizes motoring speeds to 9–10 knots at highly efficient fuel burn rates.
- Sugar Scoop Extensions: Several owners have undertaken custom fiberglass work to extend the aft sugar scoops. This modification creates an integrated walk-past aft platform behind the dinghy, making boarding from a tender or launching a dinghy significantly safer and more ergonomic.
The Verdict
Pros:
- Exceptional Performance: Aggressive SA/Disp (26.84) and lean hull design (Disp/LWL of 97.15) deliver outstanding light-wind acceleration and double-digit reaching speeds.
- Robust Structural Build: Bulkheads and structural furniture are glass-tabbed directly to the hull rather than glued with liners, ensuring immense structural rigidity.
- Social & Functional Layout: The elevated port galley-up and 27.1-foot beam offer a highly liveable, panoramic interior environment.
- Excellent Form Stability: Wide beam and low center of gravity minimize heel and rolling, keeping the boat composed in rough seas.
Cons:
- Mast Height Limitations: A 68-foot air draft prevents standard passage under the 65-foot fixed bridges of the US Intracoastal Waterway (ICW).
- Bridgedeck Pounding: The low-profile coachroof design can result in bridgedeck slamming in short, steep head-seas, especially when the boat is heavily laden with cruising gear.
- High-Hour Charter Risks: Many pre-owned models on the market have intensive charter histories, demanding close inspection of bulkheads, engines, and generators.
- Saildrive Maintenance: Original Yanmar SD50 saildrives require frequent cone clutch maintenance unless upgraded to modern SD60 units.
