Swan 45
Nautor Swan · German Frers · 2001
Updated
The Swan 45 is a 13.83 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by German Frers and built by Nautor Swan, first launched in 2001. It races in Class A. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 67% 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 67% of the boats it races against.
16th of 46 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 357 starts across 43 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
13.83 m
45′ 4″
Beam
3.89 m
Draft
2.84 m
Displacement
10.0 t
Sail area
134 m²
On the podium
Where a Swan 45 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
30%
of 357 starts by 18 boats
Wins
8%
Read from 357 starts by 18 boats between 2011 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Swan 45 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Rolex Swan Cup2026
"Πανελληνιο Κυπελο ORCI 2026"2026- Edison Next Italian Offshore Sailing Championship - Campionato Italiano Assoluto d’Altura2026
73° Loro Piana Giraglia2026- ORC World Championship2026
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
24%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
41%
of these races end on the podium
Better the longer it gets. Boats that settle into a groove and hold it gain ground once the course stops turning.
Who she races against
The designs a Swan 45 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the Swan 45 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
6.20
36°
Beam reach
9.63
90°
Broad reach
11.22
135°
Downwind VMG
9.14
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 its best work before the breeze fills in. Early-season racing and morning breezes play to its strengths; once it pipes up the fleet comes back to it.
Where it gains
Its best ground is to windward when the breeze is soft, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage across the wind 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 a hull that will lift and run given enough breeze.
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 upwind.
How fast is a Swan 45
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 4.35 | 5.62 | 5.99 | 6.20 |
| 52° | 6.54 | 7.98 | 8.31 | 8.51 |
| 60° | 6.87 | 8.19 | 8.53 | 8.75 |
| 75° | 7.10 | 8.37 | 8.83 | 9.19 |
| 90° | 7.02 | 8.42 | 9.03 | 9.63 |
| 110° | 6.84 | 8.59 | 9.35 | 10.18 |
| 120° | 6.63 | 8.55 | 9.51 | 10.69 |
| 135° | 5.99 | 8.19 | 9.26 | 11.22 |
| 150° | 5.02 | 7.37 | 8.63 | 10.23 |
| Run VMG | 4.35 | 6.38 | 7.71 | 9.14 |
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 950 kg.
Rigging
Swan 45 rig and sail dimensions
A Swan 45 carries 18.65 m of mainsail hoist on a 6.65 m boom, a forestay 18.70 m above the deck and a 6.82 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 32 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 148 to 239 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.