Swan 70: Supersonic Swan

A quick look at the nautors-swan.com website shows the new Swan 70 in a neat procession of boats, sandwiched nicely between the 68 and 77-footers. With just two feet separating the 68 and 70, one would initially assume that the 70 is intended to replace, perhaps upgrade the venerable 68 (launched in 1991). You'd be a bit off. The 70 is far more closely related to the new 45 than any other model that Swan has ever built.

Swan's new Italian ownership took a bold step in introducing the 45, which is essentially a racing hull with the signature Swan interior and attention to finish and detail. The 70 takes Swan farther down the path of high performance cruising with full-on race capabilities. Racing at Cowes Week this summer hull #2, 'Serano', (re-named Volvo For Life for the event), held its own with Farr 52s and Peter Morton's Mills 50 'Mandrake', taking 4th overall in IRC 0. That the 70 can pull this off and still have an interior fit for a king is remarkable. No one is going to willingly spend nights below in the spartan interior of a Farr 52, whereas I'd be perfectly content to spend a few years aboard the Swan 70.

The hull is built using using glass/aramid hybrid fibre reinforced vinylester laminate with carbon fiber reinforcements. A high proportion of the fibers are unidirectional in order to grant the hull superior strength and exceptional fatigue properties. Structural bulkheads are of Nomex honeycomb cored carbon fiber epoxy pre-preg construction and laminated to hull and deck. Stiffener flanges are unidirectional carbon lay-ups.

Swans have traditionally been regarded as extremely well built, comfortable, and an excellent value, not so much in that they are competitively priced (they're not) but that they command excellent resale prices -- in some instances more than the original price of the boat. Tradition also regarded them as cruisers first, racers second -- and the latter really only at Swan-specific events, utilizing the Swan rating rule promulgated by the Royal Ocean Racing Club's rating office. And, well, to be blunt, slow. Built for comfort, not for speed. No more. One could seriously argue that the 70 and 45 are racers first and cruisers second (and a distance second at that). The thinner waterline beams do make a sacrifice of some interior space inevitable, but the new management of Swan believes that there are buyers will consider that a small price to pay for extraordinary performance.

In that respect they are poaching a bit on turf that was dominated by Wally Yachts. That influence is also evident in the deck layout of the 70: not quite to Wally extremes of completely invisible control lines, but awfully close. Designer German Frers divides his time between his native Argentina and Italy; the influence on Italian design houses on his thinking and this new Swan is clear.

The sailplan is simple, with masthead rigging, swept spreaders, and a 110 percent jib on a carbon spar and boom. No less than six different interior layout options are available. The aft cabin has its own companionway, with a connecting passageway linking the aft cabin with the salon.

Prospective buyers need not wait in line for production, Serano is now for sale, brokerage through Swan Yachts UK. The boat is currently in the South of England, contact Tim Quinlan at [email protected].

Specifications