Balance 502 Review

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Balance Catamarans added a new design to their four-model catamaran line. Designed by company founder Phil Berman and Du Toit Yacht Design, the Balance 502 replaces the 482. The extra 2 feet of LOA work to her advantage with added buoyancy while the 2-foot, 8-inch bridge deck clearance minimizes pounding into head seas.

She fits the family aesthetic perfectly with narrow hulls, reversed bows, and a low profile. She’s sleeker than her predecessor and conjures up a look of motion even at rest.

At a Glance: Balance 502

Specifications:

• LOA: 50 feet
• Beam: 25 feet, 11 inches
• Draft: 3 feet, 10 inches; 7 feet, 7 inches (boards down)
• Upwind sail area: 1,539 square feet
• Displacement (light): 28,660 pounds
• Water capacity: 103 gallons
• Fuel capacity: 106 gallons
• Naval architect: Du Toit Yacht Design
• Price: ~$2.2 million

Power and Performance

• Engines: Yanmar 45 hp diesels in line with two 15kW electric motors
• Top speed under sail: 9.2 knots in 14 knots of wind at 120 degrees AWA
• Cruising speed under sail: 7 knots in 9 to 15 knots of wind at 80 degrees AWA

Features We Love

• VersaDrive quick-charging hybrid system with 15kW electric motors
• VersaHelm hinging helm
• Manageable size for couple’s cruising
• Full-hull primary stateroom
• Grill integrated into the transom
• Portside cockpit dinette
• Cockpit daybed
• Sliding doors that save room in the passageways
• Four refrigeration units
• Navigation desk with nav screens, charging ports, stowage space
• 36kWh 48-volt lithium battery bank
• Copious storage in primary stateroom
• Upmarket finishes

Construction and Notable Features

Balance uses hand-laminated vacuum-bagged e-glass epoxy with a closed-cell foam sandwich for hull construction. They add what they call a Carbon Core, which uses carbon fiber in the cabin soles, bulkheads, primary beams, daggerboards, trunks, and rudders. The result is a lightweight construction that’s strong and quiet.

With a dry displacement of less than 29,000 pounds, the Balance 502 isn’t the lightest in her competitive circle, but she she’s stiff and strong. The daggerboards keep her pointing high on a close reach, allowing for much better performance than fixed keels.

Helm Features

Some features that are Balance trademarks were brought over from her predecessor while others are newer concepts. The VersaHelm, where the wheel pivots 90 degrees between the upper and lower helm positions, is still present. Most of the line handling happens at the upper helm with three winches and arrays of line clutches. Up here, two B&G multifunction displays deliver information. One is mounted at an angle on the coach roof along with an instrument screen by the wheel. Meanwhile, the lower helm has another display and two Yanmar engine screens.

The engine throttles are where it gets tricky. To split the difference between the two helm locations, Balance placed the throttles to the left at the upper station so operators can reach them from down in the cockpit. This left me standing on my tiptoes when I was in the cockpit and fumbling up top because I’m right-handed. However, I must admit that I usually lock the wheel on center when maneuvering solely with the engines in tight quarters. In this case, you can hinge the wheel down and out of the way, leaving the space clear to drive with the right hand.

I viewed the VersaHelm as a bit of a gimmick when I first encountered it years ago. However, I’ve come to appreciate this hinging helm because sometimes it’s just nicer to drive from the cockpit where it’s calm and protected from the elements. You can keep a lookout through the salon windows, which Balance enlarged on this model for better visibility. From the lower helm, it’s also just a few steps aft to the daggerboard control lines that are led to clutches and winches by the steps to the side decks.

Balance 502 Cockpit

The rest of the cockpit holds a grill integrated into the transom on starboard and a transom seat that Balance raised to deliver better sightlines through the salon windows. A portside dinette is backed by a terrific daybed that beckoned to me throughout the day.

On the Balance 482, the builder used loose boards to close the wide transom openings for safety offshore. On the Balance 502, sections of the cockpit sole over the engine room now hinge up to form these doors. Don’t worry, though. In the up position, these doors don’t leave a gaping hole down to the machinery. When you lift the fiberglass doors, you reveal acrylic hatches that you can stand on. It’s a streamlined solution that eliminates the need to find a home for loose boards when they aren’t needed.

I found another improvement on the hardtop. Balance has always used individual glass solar panels rather than glued panels. When properly ventilated, glass adds efficiency and longevity. The new configuration uses the same panels with a cavity added into the Bimini below for air circulation. But now the panels are at the same level as the rest of the hardtop, which is more aesthetically pleasing.

Balance 502 Cabins

Our test boat’s layout included three cabins and two heads. In this configuration, the primary suite spreads across the entire starboard hull. It features an athwartships bed forward and an enormous head aft that includes a shower stall with 6 feet, 5 inches of headroom. Stowage throughout this stateroom includes lockers, drawers, cubbies, and even a walk-in closet in the bow. Boats with daggerboards often must sacrifice some interior room for the encasing trunks, but the Balance approach has made them wonderfully discreet.

Two cabins occupy the port side. The forward stateroom has another transverse bed like the one in the primary, followed by a shared head amidships. Aft of that is a double cabin that can be converted into an office. Balance uses sliding doors to save room in the passageways.

Main Deck

The main deck splits between the salon in the port forward corner and the galley in the aft starboard corner. Balance added an integrated dish-drying rack to the countertop, which helps lighten the load on the single sink. When the three-panel glass doors are open, they disappear into the casing that makes up the upper helm bulkhead. That leaves the galley open to, and in direct conversation with, the lower helm.

The port aft section hides a set of four refrigeration units. Opposite, the starboard section holds the staircase to the primary suite and a navigation desk with nav screens, hidden charging ports, and a small stowage space. The desk faces forward so navigators can orient themselves more easily when route planning. Visibility from here is excellent.

Balance seems to elevate the fit and finish with each new model. On the Balance 502, the builder gave extra attention to the wood veneer that covers the cabinetry and the appliances. Indirect lighting, larger cabinhouse windows, and more opening ports add the luxe touches the Balance clientele appreciates.

Balance 502 Performance

I tested hull #1 of the Balance 502, named Tiger Lily. Like the flower, she was decked out in black and orange trim and looked fantastic at anchor off Miami. As soon as I scrambled aboard, I felt like this boat could have been built for me. She just fit. I had sailed her bigger sister, the 580, which seemed gargantuan, but not this one. She was just right.

Designed to be sailed by a couple, the 502 carries 1,539 square feet of upwind sail area. Sailors can power up or down by switching between a 423-square-foot self-tacking jib on a curved track ahead of the mast and the 2,345-square-foot asymmetric spinnaker attached at the bowsprit.

Tiger Lily had crossed the Atlantic on her own bottom, so the sails and lines were well tested. In true winds of 9 to 15 knots, we sailed around 7 knots of boat speed at 80 degrees apparent wind angle (AWA). When we eased to 120 degrees AWA, we got lucky because the wind stiffened to 14 knots, so we still made a good 9.2 knots of speed.

The helm was light and she tacked smoothly without stalling. According to the VPP (Velocity Prediction Program) or polar diagrams, she’ll sail at wind speed at 110 degrees AWA once the breeze is up around 20 knots.

Power Options

Balance is fully committed to hybrid propulsion and uses Integrel’s E-Drive system, which they have renamed VersaDrive. Our test boat featured twin 45 hp Yanmar diesels in line with two 15kW electric motors. With this system, we could either motor for two hours on all-electric propulsion or charge one side while driving with the other.

This setup is paired with a 36kWh 48-volt lithium battery bank that runs everything including electric cooking, climate control, electronics, and so forth overnight without need of a genset. According to Balance, this configuration creates a fuel savings of up to 25 percent, which helps at the pump and leaves a cleaner wake.

Hydro-regeneration is not a highlight. Not only does it generate little, but you need to be sailing at least 10 knots before the system creates measurable power.

Balance 502 Conclusions

The Balance 502 occupies a space in a crowded field of 50-foot catamarans. On one end are the production cats such as Leopard, Lagoon, and Fountaine Pajot that do heavy work in charter. On the other are luxury performance models from Outremer and HH Catamarans. At $2.2 million, this Balance model better fits with the latter group where performance and carbon construction are highly valued.

Experienced sailors looking to cross oceans in comfort and at speed may want to a sea trial the Balance 502.

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Zuzana Prochazka

Zuzana Prochazka is an award-winning journalist and photographer who regularly contributes to more than a dozen sailing and powerboating magazines. She is the executive director and a past president of Boating Writers International. A U.S. Coast Guard 100 Ton Master, Zuzana serves as a judge on multiple marine evaluation juries including Best of Boats in Berlin. She takes guests on boating adventures to destinations around the world with her charter organization, Zescapes.

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