BoatsSwan 37

Swan 37

Masthead Sloop · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · 1970–1974

An IOR 1-ton racer also marketed as the Palmer Johnson 37, featuring a masthead rig and a skeg-mounted rudder

Designed by Sparkman & Stephens, built by Nautor.

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

See her sail

The Swan 37, on the water

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

Footage from Untide

Is it for you?

Character

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

LivelyComfort 34Sea-kindly
CoastalCapsize 1.72Bluewater
LightD/L 340Heavy
EasygoingSA/D 15.5Powered-up
TenderBallast 47%Stiff

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

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

The channels sailing this model, and where they were last seen.

UntideMax and Rachel document their ongoing circumnavigation and technical refits of Elixir, a 1970 Swan 37, while cruising through the South Pacific.

Seen 26 times across 2 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Swan 37 on video

Getting SMASHED in the Pacific! Our Rough Sail to FijiElixir's 1,200-mile New Zealand-to-Fiji passage delivers sustained 35-knot reinforced trade winds and short-period 3-meter swell for a week.UntideWe Spent HOW MUCH on Our Boat REFIT?! (Full Breakdown)A Swan 37 circumnavigation refit in New Zealand cost $24,842 across 16 itemized categories.UntideI Crossed an Ocean on a $1k Boat: Here’s How You Can TooMax crossed the Atlantic twice at 21 on a £500, 22 ft boat — here's his three-tier budget framework.UntideBuilding the Ultimate Off-Grid Sailboat (Step-by-Step)A Swan 37 gets lithium power, a Schenker watermaker, and full engine overhaul for South Pacific cruising.UntideI Sailed Halfway Around the World and Found Love (Girlfriend Reveal)After a full refit in New Zealand, Elixir resumes her circumnavigation north to Fiji and the Solomon Islands.UntideHow to Sail Around The World (Without a Trust Fund)Aspiring cruisers can achieve self-funded circumnavigations by combining RYA qualifications, affordable older fiberglass boats, and remote income.UntideI Left My Boat to Crew for a 27-Year-Old Female CaptainA 36-foot cutter completes a 700-mile coastal passage around New Zealand’s North Island via the East Cape.UntideWe Took a Tiny Boat Into New Zealand’s Most Savage WaterThe crew navigates New Zealand’s volatile Cook Strait by timing tides and managing frequent, intense wind shifts.Untide27 Year Old Female Captain (I’m Crew)The crew chooses the East Coast route through the Cook Strait to avoid adverse weather systems.UntideSailing 800 Miles to Save Her Boat (From a Toxic Ex)Rachel and crew prepare to sail a Jack Brook cutter 650 miles along the New Zealand coast.Untide6,000 Miles from Paradise to... THIS?A Swan 37 completes a 2,700-mile North Pacific passage from Hawaii to Port Townsend, Washington.UntideThe Unforgiving North Pacific: Our Toughest Challenge Yet.The 80-foot classic yacht Latifa navigates the North Pacific by sailing north to clear high-pressure systems.Untide

What broke, what changed

Gear aboard, as the crews told it

Moments from individual boats of this model that the fleet has filmed — one crew, one piece of kit, one day on the water. Not a review of the class, and not a count of anything.

  • InstalledVictron

    The speaker upgraded to a new lithium electrical system, including Victron batteries with an external BMS.

    aboard Untideseen March 20264:00

  • InstalledSchenker

    A Schenker watermaker was installed, requiring a new seacock and plumbing.

    aboard Untideseen March 20266:40

  • BoughtStarlink

    The speaker purchased a Starlink dish for editing and uploading content while at sea.

    aboard Untideseen March 20268:53

  • BoughtFacebook Marketplace

    Kauri wood for the interior was purchased from Facebook Marketplace.

    aboard Untideseen March 20268:56

  • WorkingSikaflex

    Sikaflex was noted for its strength when removing a hatch.

    aboard Untideseen March 20265:40

Each line is one crew's account of their own boat. Another Swan 37 may be fitted out entirely differently.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
47.4%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
15.5
Displacement / length
339.8
Comfort ratio
33.9
Capsize screening
1.72
Hull speed
7.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1039
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1970–1974
Units built
59
Designer
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.

Pacific Seacraft 3711.25 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthOriginally launched as the Crealock 37, this cutter features a 38% ballast ratio and a hull speed of 7.06 knots
Sailing to Sydney Harbour + First Solo Sail on my New Boat16:05from Garrett’s Adventure
Rustler Yachts 3711.28 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA masthead sloop with a fin keel and skeg-hung rudder, designed by Stephen Jones for modern offshore cruising
Rustler 37 - A Yacht Delivery from Falmouth to Largs9:48from Halcyon Yachts - International Yacht Delivery
Irwin Yachts 37-111.28 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA masthead sloop designed by Ted Irwin as a no-compromise cruiser, featuring a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder
Sailing in SEVENTY FOUR Knots3:48from Be The Captain
Hunter Marine 3711.28 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA John E. Cherubini-designed cutter featuring a fin keel and spade rudder, built for stable cruising since 1978
We Built an Off-Grid Life in Puerto Rico… Now We’re Letting It Go11:58from Sailing Good, Bad, and Ugly
Nicholson 3611.05 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthThe first fiberglass hull from Camper & Nicholson, reinforced with alloy frames for structural integrity
Gunnar Christensen // From Yacht Captain to Golden Globe Sailor1:50from 59° North Sailing
Moody 36S10.97 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterAn aft-cockpit variation of the Moody 36, featuring a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder for balanced coastal cruising
Sell up and sail17:59from Sailing Gently

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.

Swan 38 S&SA Sparkman & Stephens design #2167 featuring a One Ton sailplan variant for competitive offshore sailingSwan 41A Sparkman & Stephens masthead sloop designed for offshore stability with a high comfort ratio and skeg-mounted rudderSwan 40 (S&S)A versatile S&S design offered with a centerboard option and a taller rig for varied cruising performanceSwan 36The original Swan, featuring an interior by Ole Enderlein and a hull derived from the 1965 Gaia ClassSwan 43 (S&S)Drawn for the RORC rule, this masthead sloop features a high ballast-to-displacement ratio for a stiff, stable ride

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Swan 37, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the Swan 37

The newsletter

New boats, new stories, from everywhere.

One email from the fleet — boats newly added, videos newly analyzed. No noise.

Report an issue