Swan 48
OY Nautor AB · German Frers · 2019
Updated
The Swan 48 is a 14.77 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by German Frers and built by OY Nautor AB, first launched in 2019. It races in Class A. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 51% 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 51% of the boats it races against.
23rd of 46 in its class.
Updated — First Race Edge for this design. Enough boats of this design have now been measured to rank it. It is strongest in medium air.
This design has been found in real race results — 52 starts across 5 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
14.77 m
48′ 5″
Beam
4.56 m
Draft
2.42 m
Displacement
15.2 t
Sail area
137 m²
On the podium
Where a Swan 48 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
2%
of 52 starts by 8 boats
Wins
0%
Read from 52 starts by 8 boats between 2021 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Swan 48 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Rolex Swan Cup2026- Rolex Swan Cup2024
- Rolex Swan Cup2022
- ORC World Championship2022
- 151 Miglia - Trofeo Cetilar2021
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: 7 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
2%
of these races end on the podium
Who she races against
The designs a Swan 48 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Mylius 14 (7 meetings), Grand Soleil 46 (Carkeek) (7 meetings), Marten 49 (7 meetings), Vismara 46 (7 meetings), Corel 45 (7 meetings), Solaris 50 (7 meetings), TP 52 (Judel/Vrolijk) (7 meetings), Botin 52 (7 meetings), Neo 400 (7 meetings), Cookson 50 (7 meetings), DK 46 (7 meetings), Swan 441 (4 meetings), Comet 45 (1 meeting), Xp 44 (1 meeting), Tod (1 meeting), First 36.7 (2 meetings), Grand Soleil 43 (Design) (1 meeting), Comet 38 (Vallicelli) (1 meeting), Advanced A 44 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 45 (Judel/Vrolijk) (1 meeting), Ice 60 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 40 (Paperini) (2 meetings), First 44.7 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 52 (1 meeting), Sun Fast 3600 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 54 (1 meeting)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Swan 48 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
6.01
40°
Beam reach
9.81
90°
Broad reach
10.90
135°
Downwind VMG
8.88
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 beam in moderate air, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having.
Where it pays
It falls short on a broad reach in a strong breeze, 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 beam reach.
How fast is a Swan 48
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.75 | 5.27 | 5.82 | 6.01 |
| 52° | 5.84 | 7.82 | 8.37 | 8.58 |
| 60° | 6.34 | 8.10 | 8.67 | 8.90 |
| 75° | 6.78 | 8.34 | 9.01 | 9.36 |
| 90° | 6.65 | 8.48 | 9.15 | 9.81 |
| 110° | 6.67 | 8.76 | 9.59 | 10.37 |
| 120° | 6.51 | 8.71 | 9.62 | 10.80 |
| 135° | 5.84 | 8.30 | 9.42 | 10.90 |
| 150° | 4.89 | 7.32 | 8.82 | 10.10 |
| Run VMG | 4.23 | 6.34 | 7.69 | 8.88 |
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 810 kg.
Rigging
Swan 48 rig and sail dimensions
A Swan 48 carries 19.90 m of mainsail hoist on a 6.60 m boom, a forestay 20.70 m above the deck and a 6.92 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 9 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 173 to 236 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.