Swan 42
Nautor Swan · German Frers · 2006
Updated
The Swan 42 is a 12.96 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by German Frers and built by Nautor Swan, first launched in 2006. It races in Class A. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 84% 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 84% of the boats it races against.
8th of 46 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 609 starts across 69 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
12.96 m
42′ 6″
Beam
3.91 m
Draft
2.74 m
Displacement
7.6 t
Sail area
111 m²
On the podium
Where a Swan 42 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
34%
of 609 starts by 31 boats
Wins
14%
Read from 609 starts by 31 boats between 2013 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Swan 42 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Rolex Swan Cup2026
25. Bosphorus Cup2026
Rodos Cup2026- Aegean 6002026
- Edison Next Italian Offshore Sailing Championship - Campionato Italiano Assoluto d’Altura2026
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
37%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
27%
of these races end on the podium
Sharper round the buoys. Short courses reward acceleration and manoeuvring, and that is where this design makes its money.
Who she races against
The designs a Swan 42 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the Swan 42 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
6.08
37°
Beam reach
9.60
90°
Broad reach
11.91
135°
Downwind VMG
9.18
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.
It does most things without giving much away. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is running deep when it blows, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage off the wind as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
There is no condition where it falls away badly, which is worth something over a season of mixed weather.
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 0.8 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the upwind.
How fast is a Swan 42
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 4.17 | 5.54 | 5.91 | 6.08 |
| 52° | 6.31 | 7.86 | 8.18 | 8.37 |
| 60° | 6.64 | 8.05 | 8.41 | 8.64 |
| 75° | 6.86 | 8.21 | 8.73 | 9.12 |
| 90° | 6.92 | 8.36 | 8.92 | 9.60 |
| 110° | 6.82 | 8.53 | 9.30 | 10.43 |
| 120° | 6.67 | 8.54 | 9.57 | 11.01 |
| 135° | 6.04 | 8.20 | 9.40 | 11.91 |
| 150° | 5.07 | 7.42 | 8.66 | 10.61 |
| Run VMG | 4.39 | 6.42 | 7.56 | 9.18 |
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 900 kg.
Rigging
Swan 42 rig and sail dimensions
A Swan 42 carries 17.24 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.76 m boom, a forestay 18.00 m above the deck and a 7.29 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 40 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 170 to 208 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.