Swan 42
One-design class · Frers Naval Architecture & Engineering · Nautor's Swan · since 2006
- Boats
- 23
- Results
- 101
- Wins
- 52
- Races
- 29
- Length
- 12.98m
- Beam
- 3.93m
- Draft
- 2.7m
- Weight
- 7.3t
- Sail area
- 109.2m²
Why sailors choose the Swan 42
The Club Swan 42 was commissioned by the New York Yacht Club as an owner-driver one-design for amateur crews, combining Frers performance with a comfortable Swan interior. Class rules limit professionals and sails, which is the main draw for Corinthian owners. It is expensive for its size, and its big asymmetric spinnaker asks a lot of an amateur crew.
- Owner-driver one-design with strict limits on paid crew
- Tracks well upwind in gusty breeze
- Reaches mid-teen speeds downwind in strong wind
- Usable cruising interior
- Pricier than most racer-cruisers of its size
- Big masthead asymmetric needs good crew timing
Our note
Specifications
One-design class
- Designer
- Frers Naval Architecture & Engineering
- Builder
- Nautor's Swan
- First built
- 2006
- Length
- 12.98m
- Waterline
- 11.84m
- Beam
- 3.93m
- Draft
- 2.7m
- Displacement
- 7,250kg
- Ballast
- 3,200kg
- Sail area upwind
- 109.2m²
- Keel
- bulb
Taken as the Club Swan 42 one-design (Frers); the 1980 Ron Holland Swan 42 is a different boat
Published figures for the design; individual boats are often modified. Sources: boat-specs.com
What sailors and testers say · in our words, from the linked pages
It steered easily upwind in gusty 8-18 knots; the big asymmetric needs precise, athletic crew work; class rules suit amateur racing.
Sailing World review by Stuart Streuli · Sailing World, 2007
Costing over $600,000 sailed, it is dearer than similar racer-cruisers because of Swan build and interior quality.
Sailing World review by Stuart Streuli · Sailing World, 2007
Against its rivals
The Swan 42 against four designs like it, from published figures. Swap any of the four. Each spoke is scaled to the largest of the five; a figure that isn't published sits at the centre (— in the table).
| Design | Length | Beam | Draft | Weight | Sail area | Power (SA/D) | Boats racing | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swan 42 | 13.0 m | 3.93 m | 2.70 m | 7.3 t | 109 m² | 29.6 | 23 | 52 |
| Swan 45 | 13.8 m | 3.91 m | 2.80 m | 8.8 t | 131 m² | 31.1 | 20 | 52 |
| ClubSwan 36 | 11.0 m | 3.60 m | 2.75 m | 2.6 t | 88 m² | 47.6 | 3 | 9 |
| Swan 36 | 10.9 m | 2.94 m | 1.90 m | 7.0 t | 63 m² | 17.6 | 2 | 2 |
| ClubSwan 50 | 15.2 m | 4.20 m | 3.50 m | 8.5 t | 158 m² | 38.6 | 2 | 4 |
| Boat | Sail no. | Skipper or owner | Years | Results | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aboat Time | BUL 42031 | Petar Dimitrov | 2024–2026 | 14 | 8 |
| Nadir | ESP8137 | Pedro Vaquer | 2021–2026 | 8 | 7 |
| Brozex | RUS 949 | Sergei Musikhin | 2025–2026 | 9 | 6 |
| Elena Nova | GER8042 | Christian Plump | 2022–2024 | 7 | 6 |
| Lagertha | BLR 4205 | Viacheslav Ermolenko | 2021–2026 | 12 | 5 |
| Magical | GBR42 | Julio Rodríguez | 2021–2026 | 13 | 4 |
| Pez de Abril | ESP 4225 | José María Meseguer | 2022–2026 | 8 | 4 |
| Teatro Soho Caixabank | — | Javier Banderas | 2021–2023 | 3 | 3 |
| Be Wild | — | Renzo Grottesi | 2024 | 2 | 2 |
| Fantaghiro' | ITA4217 | Carlandrea Simonelli | 2021–2023 | 3 | 1 |
| Scheggia | ITA4209 | Nono Merola | 2021 | 3 | 1 |
| Selene Alifax | NED7842 | Massimo De Campo | 2022–2025 | 3 | 1 |
| Canopo | — | Adriano Majolino | 2024 | 2 | 1 |
| Mela | — | Alberto Rossi | 2021–2022 | 2 | 1 |
| Selene | — | Edoardo Bonanno | 2024 | 2 | 1 |
| Koirè - Spirit of Nerina | — | — | 2025 | 1 | 1 |
| Katariina II | — | Aivar Tuullberg | 2024 | 2 | — |
| Lion's Story | ROU 042 | Valentin Oeru | 2025 | 2 | — |
| About Time | — | Petar Dimitrov | 2026 | 1 | — |
| Be Wild Sail | — | Renzo Grottesi | 2025 | 1 | — |
| Daring Sisters | — | Milan Hajek | 2026 | 1 | — |
| Mar Amigo Sail Racing | ESP425 | Basilio Marquínez | 2025 | 1 | — |
| Seabery Dralion | — | Basilio Marquinez | 2023 | 1 | — |