Review of Swan 47

Basic specs.

The Swan 47 is a large sailboat designed by the American maritime architect bureau Sparkman & Stephens in the mid seventies. Less than 100 boats have been produced. The Swan 47 is built by the Finnish yard OY Nautor AB.

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Hull

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

Engine

The boat is typically equipped with an inboard Volvo Penta MD21A diesel engine at 61.0 hp (45 kW).

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 8.1 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Swan 47 is about 312 kg/cm, alternatively 1749 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 312 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1749 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Swan 47 is 3.48.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is slimmer than 54% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a slightly more speedy hull design.

Maintenance

Rig

Dimensions of sail.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

**Guiding dimensions of running rig**
Usage	Length		Diameter
Mainsail halyard	43.7 m	(143.3 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard	43.7 m	(143.3 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker halyard	43.7 m	(143.3 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Jib sheet	14.6 m	(47.9 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Genoa sheet	14.6 m	(47.9 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Mainsheet	36.5 m	(119.8 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	32.1 m	(105.4 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Cunningham	5.6 m	(18.4 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Kickingstrap	11.2 m	(36.8 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Clew-outhaul	11.2 m	(36.8 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section is reserved boat owner's changes, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

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Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Swan 47 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.

References

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.