Swan 38
Nautor Swan · Sparkman & Stephens · 1974
Updated
The Swan 38 is a 11.66 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Sparkman & Stephens and built by Nautor Swan, first launched in 1974. It races in Class C. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 38% of the designs it races against. It is at its best in light air and struggles to hold that once it blows.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 38% of the boats it races against.
99th of 159 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 11 starts across 5 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
11.66 m
38′ 3″
Beam
3.52 m
Draft
1.97 m
Displacement
8.3 t
Sail area
83 m²
On the podium
Where a Swan 38 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
73%
of 11 starts by 3 boats
Wins
36%
Read from 11 starts by 3 boats between 2015 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Swan 38 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Rolex Swan Cup2026- 151 Miglia - Trofeo Cetilar2026
- Rolex Swan Cup2022
- Regata dei Cinque Fari2018
- Campionato Invernale del Sabato2015
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
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Not enough data yet: 2 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
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Not enough data yet: 9 races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Swan 38 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Swan 41 (4 meetings), Grand Soleil 40 (Paperini) (4 meetings), Comet 45 (2 meetings), Stag 38 (3 meetings), Elan 333 (2 meetings), X-412 (2 meetings), First 40.7 (4 meetings), Platu 25 (2 meetings), X-41 (1 meeting), X-442 (1 meeting), Xp 38 (1 meeting), Cobra 33 (1 meeting), First 47.7 (1 meeting), Este 31 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 42 (Frers) (1 meeting), First 40 (1 meeting), First 35 (Farr) (1 meeting), Sun Fizz 40 (1 meeting), Sinergia 40 (1 meeting), JOD 35 (1 meeting), First 45 (Briand) (1 meeting), Xp 44 (1 meeting), Elan 350 (2 meetings), First 36.7 (2 meetings), X-332 (1 meeting), Comet 36 (1 meeting), First 31.7 (1 meeting), Dufour 412 (1 meeting), Sun Fast 3600 (1 meeting), IMX 38 (1 meeting), Dufour 34 (1 meeting), Polaris 37 (1 meeting), Bavaria 36 (1 meeting), Pogo 44 (1 meeting), M 34 (1 meeting), X-34 (1 meeting)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Swan 38 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
4.98
39°
Beam reach
7.79
90°
Broad reach
8.39
135°
Downwind VMG
7.51
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 to windward when it blows, where it does more than its size and sail area promise, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage running deep as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
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 38
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.24 | 4.38 | 4.84 | 4.98 |
| 52° | 4.96 | 6.37 | 6.90 | 7.06 |
| 60° | 5.20 | 6.56 | 7.06 | 7.26 |
| 75° | 5.35 | 6.72 | 7.23 | 7.58 |
| 90° | 5.24 | 6.81 | 7.31 | 7.79 |
| 110° | 5.31 | 6.95 | 7.57 | 8.21 |
| 120° | 5.17 | 6.89 | 7.58 | 8.41 |
| 135° | 4.71 | 6.57 | 7.43 | 8.39 |
| 150° | 4.03 | 5.98 | 7.10 | 8.03 |
| Run VMG | 3.49 | 5.19 | 6.44 | 7.51 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 590 kg.
Rigging
Swan 38 rig and sail dimensions
A Swan 38 carries 13.79 m of mainsail hoist on a 3.80 m boom, a forestay 14.94 m above the deck and a 5.12 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 11 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 92 to 122 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.