Swan 57
Nautor Swan · Sparkman & Stephens · 1977
Updated
The Swan 57 is a 17.46 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Sparkman & Stephens and built by Nautor Swan, first launched in 1977. It races in Class A. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 16% of the designs it races against.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 16% of the boats it races against.
39th of 46 in its class.
Updated — First Race Edge for this design. Enough boats of this design have now been measured to rank it.
This design has been found in real race results — 17 starts across 3 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
17.46 m
57′ 3″
Beam
4.74 m
Draft
2.81 m
Displacement
23.1 t
Sail area
178 m²
On the podium
Where a Swan 57 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
35%
of 17 starts by 3 boats
Wins
6%
Read from 17 starts by 3 boats between 2023 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Swan 57 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Rolex Swan Cup2026- Rolex Swan Cup2024
- GdPCup2023
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: 5 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
42%
of these races end on the podium
Who she races against
The designs a Swan 57 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Farr 30 (1 meeting), First 44.7 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 43 (Maletto) (1 meeting), J/112 (1 meeting), Sinergia 40 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 43 (Carkeek) (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 46.3 (1 meeting), First 36.7 (1 meeting), X-34 (1 meeting), Comet 38 (Finot) (1 meeting), First 40.7 (1 meeting)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Swan 57 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
6.00
39°
Beam reach
9.28
90°
Broad reach
9.93
135°
Downwind VMG
8.84
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.
Soft conditions suit it. 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 upwind once it pipes up, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage on a reach as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short on a broad reach 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 0.8 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the beam reach.
How fast is a Swan 57
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.86 | 5.22 | 5.74 | 6.00 |
| 52° | 5.90 | 7.64 | 8.22 | 8.47 |
| 60° | 6.22 | 7.90 | 8.43 | 8.71 |
| 75° | 6.43 | 8.08 | 8.66 | 9.04 |
| 90° | 6.30 | 8.06 | 8.75 | 9.28 |
| 110° | 6.07 | 8.16 | 8.93 | 9.46 |
| 120° | 5.95 | 8.10 | 9.00 | 9.75 |
| 135° | 5.33 | 7.68 | 8.85 | 9.93 |
| 150° | 4.49 | 6.81 | 8.38 | 9.54 |
| Run VMG | 3.88 | 5.89 | 7.44 | 8.84 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 1020 kg.
Rigging
Swan 57 rig and sail dimensions
A Swan 57 carries 19.73 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.79 m boom, a forestay 22.09 m above the deck and a 7.40 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 8 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 202 to 220 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.