An extensively upgraded five-cabin catamaran built for long-range cruising, charter, and serious off-grid living.
Few production catamarans wear their upgrades as convincingly as S/V Physalia, a 2007 Lagoon 500 that broker Austen J. Anderson of South Florida Sailing walks through in detail. What began as a proven five-cabin cruising cat has been methodically modernized — mechanically, electrically, and structurally — into a boat that feels engineered for real long-range life aboard.
A Flybridge Built for Real Life
The most immediate visual change is up top. A custom 16-by-13-foot stainless steel bimini stretches well beyond the factory footprint, shading a flybridge that can comfortably host up to ten adults. An integrated catwalk gives safe access to the mainsail boom, while the centrally mounted helm affords clean sightlines to both port and starboard — a genuine advantage when docking shorthanded. Anchor windlass controls sit right at the helm, and the main halyard runs to a two-speed electric winch with foot control, making single-handed sail handling realistic rather than aspirational.
Sugar Scoops, Davits, and Dive-Ready Details
A professionally extended sugar scoop, completed in 2024, pushes the overall length to 52 feet and, per Austen, meaningfully improves sailing performance. A wide custom stainless ladder makes boarding easy for divers or anyone with limited mobility. Reinforced dinghy davits carry a 14-foot aluminum RIB with a 40-horsepower outboard, and a continuous-duty YachtPro 65 dive compressor with remote fill means tanks get topped off without leaving the boat. The cockpit itself is anchored by a hand-crafted solid teak table that stows away for full 360-degree walk-around access, with dedicated storage for fishing rods, lobstering gear, and even a surfboard rack.
Off-Grid Power and Systems
The headline number belowdecks is a 2,400 amp-hour battery bank, sized to run air conditioning, the dive compressor, and even the washing machine without firing up the generator. It’s the kind of electrical infrastructure that transforms a cruising cat from a marina boat into a genuine off-grid platform.
Salon and Accommodations
The main salon is bright and airy, with wrap-around windows and four forward-facing hatches keeping ventilation strong. The port-side galley is set up for cooking underway or entertaining, with a four-burner stove and oven, double-drawer dishwasher, generous counter space, and — remarkably — around 27 cubic feet of combined refrigeration and freezer capacity spread across the port hull, galley, and cockpit. Opposite, an L-shaped settee wraps a folding-leaf dining table. Three queen cabins with en-suite heads (two forward, one aft to port) give five-cabin flexibility with real headroom throughout. At the nav station, a Raymarine Axiom 9 MFD mirrors the helm electronics, alongside VHF, generator controls, and a four-zone Fusion stereo.
Where It Sits in the Market
Lagoon 500s have been trading steadily on the brokerage market, and S/V Physalia‘s upgrade sheet gives it a clear identity within that fleet.
| Lagoon 500 Market | Figure |
|---|---|
| Sold, last 24 months | 5 |
| Median sold price | $399,950 |
| Median days to sell | ~265 |
| Active listings | 4 |
| Asking range | $385,000–$525,000 |
| Median Sold | $399,950 | |||
| Median Asking | $449,500 | |||
| Low Asking | $385,000 | |||
| High Asking | $525,000 |
For a buyer looking at a Lagoon 500 that has already had the hard work done — scoop extension, battery bank, bimini, davits, dive systems — S/V Physalia is worth a careful look.