Swan 36 (Stephens)
Nautor Swan · Sparkman & Stephens · 1967
Updated
The Swan 36 (Stephens) is a 10.89 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Sparkman & Stephens and built by Nautor Swan, first launched in 1967. It races in Class C.
Length
10.89 m
35′ 9″
Beam
2.94 m
Draft
1.83 m
Displacement
7.0 t
Sail area
64 m²
On the podium
Where a Swan 36 (Stephens) finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
53%
of 17 starts by 4 boats
Wins
12%
Read from 17 starts by 4 boats between 2022 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Swan 36 (Stephens) was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Rolex Swan Cup2026- Rolex Swan Cup2024
KaaVe Marskär Open2023- Rolex Swan Cup2022
Raced one we are missing?
Report a regattaRound the buoys, or offshore
A short windward-leeward and a night at sea ask different things of a boat. Here is how this one does in each.
Round the buoys
—
Not enough data yet: 3 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
54%
of these races end on the podium
Who she races against
The designs a Swan 36 (Stephens) actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
X-35 (2 meetings), X-332 (1 meeting), Arcona 340 (1 meeting), Bavaria Match 35 (1 meeting), Ridas 31 (1 meeting), Iw 31 (1 meeting), Finngulf 41 (1 meeting)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Swan 36 (Stephens) has fared against each of them, boat against boat on corrected time. Ordered by how often the two meet, not by who wins.
Speed at every angle
The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.
Upwind VMG
4.75
39°
Beam reach
7.39
90°
Broad reach
7.96
135°
Downwind VMG
7.13
170°
Speed in knots at 20 knots of true wind. Green marks the angles that pay: the closest useful beat and the deepest run worth sailing.
Where it wins and where it pays
Every boat is judged against its own measurements — length, weight, sail area. The quicker those say it should be, the more it has to deliver just to break even. Going fast is not enough: it has to go faster than its own numbers promised.
There is no obvious weak spot here. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is on the beat in a strong breeze, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having.
Where it pays
It falls short off the wind when it blows, giving away time it never gets back. That is weight that has to be driven rather than released.
Above the line it delivers more than promised and gains on the fleet. Below, it falls short. Move the wind: plenty of boats sit on one side in the light and the other when it blows.
Full width is 0.4 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the broad reach.
How fast is a Swan 36 (Stephens)
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.04 | 4.12 | 4.55 | 4.75 |
| 52° | 4.61 | 5.97 | 6.49 | 6.72 |
| 60° | 4.84 | 6.17 | 6.67 | 6.92 |
| 75° | 4.98 | 6.32 | 6.84 | 7.23 |
| 90° | 4.98 | 6.42 | 6.94 | 7.39 |
| 110° | 5.02 | 6.57 | 7.22 | 7.80 |
| 120° | 4.87 | 6.50 | 7.21 | 8.02 |
| 135° | 4.45 | 6.20 | 7.05 | 7.96 |
| 150° | 3.82 | 5.62 | 6.72 | 7.65 |
| Run VMG | 3.31 | 4.89 | 6.08 | 7.13 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 450 kg.
Rigging
Swan 36 (Stephens) rig and sail dimensions
A Swan 36 (Stephens) carries 11.57 m of mainsail hoist on a 3.98 m boom, a forestay 13.07 m above the deck and a 4.22 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 5 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 66 to 83 m² depending on bowsprit and set-up. Before ordering a sail, read the figure on your own measurement record rather than the typical one for the design.
Other designs under the same name
The name has been carried by more than one design. They are different boats.