Swan 48: a genuine performance cruiser

Swan 48 can be easily handled by two people

The Swan 48 was released last year (2019) by Nautor’s Swan.  The boatyard has already sold more than 25 units. Hull #209 was sold by the Vicsail team and is heading to Australia in the coming months.

A 48-footer is a boat that can be easily handled by two people when cruising. It offers three very roomy cabins and two heads. It is also designed as a good competitive vessel offering good Regatta and even Ocean racing capability.

The Swan 48 is certainly for the discerning yachtsman. She is everything a good Ocean yacht should be and exactly the right style for a Swan owner. A fast easily driven boat, not constricted with rating or any design compromise. But further to this the 48 takes into account the sea going comfort and welfare of the owners. Safe cockpit, moderate weight, sea kindly hull form. She is truly another delight from the very experienced German Frers.

It speaks immediately to existing Swan owners looking for a replacement for an older Swan 44, 46, 461 or 48. This model is attractive 
to younger customers wanting to move up the size and the quality spectrum, and is ‘right there’ for older Swan customers looking to downsize to a boat with less canvas, less load in the lines, and less hard work.

“The experienced sailor in our region will seek a boat sturdy enough to handle anything, but also many of our owners feel that an occasional Regatta is what makes owning a yacht worthwhile. The 48 will meet all the expectations for our Australian and New Zealand sailors”, says Brendan Hunt, CEO of Vicsail.

What could be seen as benefits/highlights of the Swan 48?

• No compromise on integrity
• Modern but moderate hull form
• Good sail area displacement
• Twin rudder for easy sailing and moderate draft
• The most stylish and beautiful interior available.

And a more personal note from our sales team… This Swan 48 will prove to be a new benchmark for a modern cruiser/racer. The size of just under 50 feet is something that is very appealing for short-handed long passage making. The team at Swan are most adept in taking what is always a beautiful and sweet design from German Frérs and creating a fit out and a specification which becomes timeless, both  in quality and style.

“Nautor’s Swan always brings to the market only the best in quality and style. This new offering absolutely exceeds our expectations, and we encourage every serious sailor to take a very close look at the Swan 48”, states Hunt.

Check out a walk-through video from Robert Holm at the boatyard.

The Aussie Swan 48 “Cooloola”

   

As mentioned before, we’ll soon see the first Swan 48 in Australian waters. We are all very excited about that! And we have had a great relationship to date with both the factory and client throughout the whole sale and building process. We are now moving to the next phase of the project which is delivering the boat here in Australia to the client. Read an interview with our Sales Director, David Sampson, who also was the project manager for Cooloola.

• How was the selling process of this yacht?

We actually don’t sell the Swan; the Swan sells itself!! In this instance, we had a client who wanted a very good quality, 48-50ft performance cruising yacht so their criteria fit perfectly with the new Swan 48

• How does the project management work?

Vicsail take on the PM directly with a designated Factory PM, so you have personal contact with one person regarding your boat all the way through the build.

This is a great added bonus that Swan provide, so you always know exactly what is going on with the build. They report on contractual milestones and manage the options list and timing, plus we were fortunate to have a factory visit with the client to inspect an early 48 in-build which was very beneficial and a real pleasure.

• What are the highlights of the standard specs for this yacht and why?

These new “Swan Line” yachts are very well specified which is a real selling point. As these boats are sent all over the world Swan purposely do leave some things as options as not all equipment is suitable for all markets, but generally our clients are very impressed with what a standard boats inclusion list.

I think another key point is not just the quality of the specified equipment, but more the execution. Each boat is so highly detailed and quality controlled and good equipment spec is complimented by great execution of the design and build.

• What are the very best and important add-ons for this yacht?

Our client wanted to have a boat that could do a regatta or offshore race, but still comfortably cruise.

As such, we added a carbon rig and carbon V-boom. We’ve also have a deeper draft fin and bulb keel which reduces the overall weight of the boat by 900kg.

They also didn’t want gas onboard, so we added an electric oven/ cook top and generator so this is a special boat with very nice features.

• Is it a good cruising or racing? Why?

The Swan 48 is a superb cruising yacht with great accommodation and safety/ reliability as a priority in design and construction at Swan.

Of course all Swans are known for their sea-keeping and sailing performance, so for this reason a Swan is a true “cruiser- racer”.

• What are the plans for the Australian Swan 48?

Plans are up in the air at the moment. We plan to get the boat to Sydney in the coming months and commission it and test sail. If Covid 19 is clear the owners will do some local and potentially extended cruising in Australia. And, maybe, still consider the Sydney to Auckland Yacht Race.

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