Swan 391
Nautor Swan · Ron Holland · 1982
Updated
The Swan 391 is a 12.27 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Ron Holland and built by Nautor Swan, first launched in 1982. It races in Class C.
Length
12.27 m
40′ 3″
Beam
3.83 m
Draft
2.25 m
Displacement
9.4 t
Sail area
95 m²
On the podium
Where a Swan 391 finishes when she goes racing.
Not enough data yet to show how this design finishes. It has not been found in the race results we have collected so far.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Swan 391 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
No regattas found yet.
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: no races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
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Not enough data yet: no races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Swan 391 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Not enough data yet to say who this design races against. No result we have collected puts it on the water beside another design we track.
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
5.40
37°
Beam reach
8.12
90°
Broad reach
8.68
135°
Downwind VMG
7.59
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.
This is a light-air boat. In the light it does more than its numbers promise, and gives some of that back when the wind arrives.
Where it gains
Its best ground is on the beat when it blows, where it goes better than its measurements say it should, and by a margin worth having.
Where it pays
It falls short cracked off in a strong breeze, 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 0.6 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the upwind.
How fast is a Swan 391
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.54 | 4.79 | 5.25 | 5.40 |
| 52° | 5.37 | 6.86 | 7.29 | 7.45 |
| 60° | 5.63 | 7.02 | 7.44 | 7.63 |
| 75° | 5.79 | 7.14 | 7.60 | 7.93 |
| 90° | 5.67 | 7.20 | 7.71 | 8.12 |
| 110° | 5.62 | 7.34 | 7.97 | 8.59 |
| 120° | 5.47 | 7.26 | 7.95 | 8.83 |
| 135° | 4.90 | 6.90 | 7.74 | 8.68 |
| 150° | 4.13 | 6.18 | 7.35 | 8.22 |
| Run VMG | 3.58 | 5.36 | 6.55 | 7.59 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. A bowsprit is standard across the fleet. Crew weight is declared around 640 kg.
Rigging
Swan 391 rig and sail dimensions
A Swan 391 carries 14.40 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.29 m boom, a forestay 16.39 m above the deck and a 5.15 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 2 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails