BoatsNautor 39

Nautor 39

Masthead Ketch · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · 1977–1978

A Sparkman & Stephens masthead ketch built by Nautor, designed for heavy-displacement comfort and offshore stability

Designed by S&S, Sparkman & Stephens.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin With Rudder On Skeg

See her sail

The Nautor 39, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Be The Captain

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a moderate beam gives 43 — a heavy, notably soft motion offshore.

Comfort ratio 43
CoastalBluewater

1.72 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.72
LightHeavy

429 — very heavy for her waterline, a serious load-carrying cruiser.

Displacement / length 429
EasygoingPowered-up

11.3 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 11.3
TenderStiff

32% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 32%

Built heavy and sea-kindly — a boat made to cross oceans and forgive a rough night.

  • Heavier than ~94% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~83% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2894 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Nautor 39, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Nautor 39 is a masthead ketch designed by S&S, Sparkman, Stephens, and built by Nautor (Swan sailboats) from 1977 to 1978.8:56 This sailboat model has a fin with rudder on skeg hull, measures 11.9 meters LOA, 4.0 meters beam, and 1.7 meters draft, with a displacement of 12,999 kg. The Nautor 39 has a comfort ratio of 42.8.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Nautor 39 on video

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model for sale, and the asking prices that came with it.

1seen for sale
$100,000Median asking

  • 1983 Nautor Swan 391 listed for $100,000, presented as a beautiful, well-maintained offshore machine with recent updates

    from Be The Captainseen April 20254:06

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
31.5%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Ketch
Ratios
SA / displacement
11.3
Displacement / length
429.5
Comfort ratio
42.8
Capsize screening
1.72
Hull speed
7.5 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1458
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1977–1978
Units built
4
Designer
S&S, Sparkman, Stephens
Builder
Nautor

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

RM Yachts 118011.80 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Marc Lombard-designed performance cruiser featuring a wide beam, dual rudders, and a powerful cutter rig
Why This "Wooden" Sailboat Is Faster, Warmer, and Stronger - the RM 11800:47from Practical Sailor
Hallberg-Rassy 3911.85 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthProduced in two versions over twelve years, this cruiser evolved from the 1991 MK I to the extended MK II with a bathing platform
EP#384 Getting Ready for the High Seas Once Again!1:04from Sailing Into Oblivion
Warrior 4012.00 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA cutter-rigged cruiser with a skeg-hung rudder and a 1.52m draft, built for steady offshore passages
BOAT FLIES OVER TABLE MOUNTAINfrom Adventures of an old Seadog
Puma 38-K12.00 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA masthead ketch featuring a fin keel and spade rudder, offering a spirited sail area-to-displacement ratio
111. Boats of the past and boats of the future.58:48from A Son de Mar
Sabre Yachts 38 MKII11.79 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA 1988-1995 production cruiser with a 1.98m draft and a skeg-mounted rudder for offshore stability
The Amazingly Cheap Sabre 34 Mk IIfrom Practical Sailor
C&C Yachts 3911.96 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1971-1974 production masthead sloop with a moderate displacement-to-length ratio, balanced for coastal cruising
Mast climbing SRT replacing wind speed/direction indicatorfrom Epiphany Sailing

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Nautor 43A 13-metre masthead ketch whose hull molds were later adapted to create the Nauticat 43Swan 431A Sparkman & Stephens masthead sloop featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a high ballast ratio for offshore stabilityNautor 50A 15-metre fin-keeled ketch with a skeg-hung rudder, built by Nautor for heavy-displacement offshore stabilitySwan 41A Sparkman & Stephens masthead sloop designed for offshore stability with a high comfort ratio and skeg-mounted rudder

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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