The sexiest boats are rarely very practical cruising boats, even if they do better than none what they are designed for: sailing. This year on Dusseldorf there were lots of beautiful boats, but two stand out clearly in what regards beauty and one of them was a Swan Club 50:
Swan come to the boat show with two boats, a 54ft and a 50ft, a Duck and a Swan. I will not say more about the 54 than that it has a very nice interior on an outdated hull, built with outdated techniques (single skin), clearly a comercial attempt to capitalize on all those that like old Swans, building a less expensive boat with the looks of something coming out of the early 90's.
Shame on Swan to have made a Duck 😈. But the new cruiser racer, the Club Swan 50, is really something out of the ordinary, a very advanced design, really state of the art.
Shame on Swan to have made a Duck 😈. But the new cruiser racer, the Club Swan 50, is really something out of the ordinary, a very advanced design, really state of the art.
Looking at that hull from below is looking at an art work: very fluid shapes on a hull that looks narrower than what it is, all soft curves with very fine entries and a transom that is narrow at the water level but beamy at the deck level, a boat that upwind will sail very asymmetrically taking advantage of the increased hull form stability that beamy transom will provide and that's the reason for the two rudders on a relatively narrow hull.
The rudders are like whale fins and not perfectly rounded, to diminish drag. The hull has a very soft chine, from the bow to the transom. On the bow it will increase lift and will contribute to a dryer boat, opening the spay, on the transom will make it slightly easier to control downwind, increasing a bit the stiffness without adding any significant drag while deeply heeled close upwind.
A master piece of Design by a master NA, JK, with an interior to match the exterior, absolutely zen, all carbon, like the hull, with lots of leader on a mixture that is very light but also cozy and agreeable, much more agreeable than what looks like on the photos.
This boat will be used mostly for racing but I do not see any reason not to be used exclusively as a performance cruiser, for a couple or even two. A nice galley, completely enclosed, that will be great for cooking without spreading the smell for all the boat, a good head with separated shower, two cabins, a big storage locker and a big saloon will provide more than enough amenities to cruise comfortably.
The draft is clearly excessive for cruising ( 3.50m) but the it would not be difficult to diminish that draft for 2.6m, increasing substantially the ballast and maintaining a similar stability curve and since this beauty weights only 8500kg, more 800kg will not make a big diference, in what regards cruising. With 9300 kg it would still be 2300kg lighter than a XP 50!!! and only 400kg heavier than a Pogo 50.
Off course, it would not make much sense since the boat could only be sailed, solo or with a short crew, very far away from his true sailing potential, while a boat like the Pogo 50 could be exploited much more easily, but upwind or on light winds, what a blast and what a lot of fun...and that huge deck space aft the steering wheels would be more than enough for several reclining deck chairs...well, we can always dream LOL.
Off course, it would not make much sense since the boat could only be sailed, solo or with a short crew, very far away from his true sailing potential, while a boat like the Pogo 50 could be exploited much more easily, but upwind or on light winds, what a blast and what a lot of fun...and that huge deck space aft the steering wheels would be more than enough for several reclining deck chairs...well, we can always dream LOL.
A very curious hull comparison between an old Swan (ahead on the photo) and the new Swan 50:
More about the Swan 50 here:
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