St Francis 500 Sailing Catamaran

Builder: St Francis Catamarans
Design collaboration: Du Toit Yacht Design & Angelo Lavranos

The St Francis 500 sailing catamaran represents the next generation of St Francis Marine’s long-range blue-water cruising yachts. Designed through a close collaboration between Anton du Toit of Du Toit Yacht Design, Angelo Lavranos, and the experienced team at St Francis Catamarans, the St Francis 500 carries forward the brand’s renowned reputation for strength, performance, and craftsmanship while introducing an evolved sense of comfort, efficiency, and live-aboard practicality.

Like its predecessor, the multi-award-winning St Francis 460, the new 500 was developed through the combined insight of designers, builders, brokers, and long-time owners. This partnership has resulted in a vessel that refines what blue-water sailors loved about the earlier design, while advancing its performance and liveability in meaningful ways.

Evolution of a proven design

While sharing the 460’s DNA—its protected helm station, balanced hull form, and responsive handling—the St Francis 500 introduces several key refinements. A larger hardtop, extended transom and swim platform, and enhanced keel design all contribute to improved offshore capability and comfort. The result is a yacht that feels both more powerful and more luxurious, maintaining the surefooted handling and sea-kindly motion that have made St Francis catamarans favourites among serious ocean cruisers.

Designed as a true live-aboard sailing catamaran, the St Francis 500 can be easily sailed short-handed on long passages. Every system, from sail handling to power management, has been carefully considered for simplicity, reliability, and low maintenance.

Space, light, and comfort at sea

Expansive saloon and galley windows provide outstanding all-round visibility and natural light, connecting the interior with the horizon. A large sliding door and window unite the saloon and cockpit into a single, covered entertainment space—perfect for family cruising or social evenings at anchor. A swivelling TV screen allows viewing from either area, while cross-ventilation and efficient air-conditioning ensure comfort in all climates.

Available in both a three-cabin Owner’s Version and a four-cabin layout, the St Francis 500 offers flexible accommodation tailored to individual cruising styles. In each configuration, the interior demonstrates the craftsmanship for which St Francis Marine is renowned: precise joinery, high-quality finishes, and meticulous attention to detail.

Premium equipment and systems

Every St Francis 500 is delivered ready for blue-water adventure, fully equipped with the latest technology and trusted marine components.
Standard specifications include:

• Yanmar diesel engines
• Sparcraft mast and boom
• North Sails inventory
• Lithium battery system
• Victron electronic package
• B & G instrumentation suite
• Air-conditioning, watermaker, and more

Together, these systems ensure reliability, redundancy, and ease of maintenance during extended cruising.

Advanced composite construction

The hull and deck are built using vinyl ester (epoxy-based) resin-infused Core-Cell foam sandwich construction, ensuring a strong yet lightweight structure. Carbon-fibre reinforcement is applied to all major load points, maximising rigidity and longevity without sacrificing performance. This advanced composite approach, coupled with the refined hull geometry first developed by Angelo Lavranos and further optimised by Du Toit Yacht Design, delivers an exceptional balance of speed, strength, and comfort underway.

Collaboration and craftsmanship

The St Francis 500 is a testament to collaboration between generations of South African design excellence. Angelo Lavranos’ original hull form—known for its seaworthiness and graceful handling—remains the foundation of the design, while Du Toit Yacht Design introduced contemporary refinements to the superstructure, deck, and interior, as well as the latest naval architecture and systems integration. Together, these design influences have produced a yacht that is both timeless and modern—equally suited to circumnavigation or coastal cruising.