BoatsSwan 44 MK II (Frers)

Swan 44 MK II (Frers)

Masthead Sloop · Fin w/bulb & Spade Rudder · 1996–2002

A 13.44-metre cruiser featuring a bulb-fin keel and spade rudder, produced by Swan from 1996 to 2002

Designed by German Frers, built by Nautor.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin w/bulb & Spade Rudder

See her sail

The Swan 44 MK II (Frers), on the water

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

Footage from Berthon International

Is it for you?

Character

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

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a moderate beam gives 31 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 31
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.89
LightHeavy

261 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 261
EasygoingPowered-up

17.0 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 17.0
TenderStiff

35% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 35%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

  • Heavier than ~76% of boats her size on file
  • Draws more than ~79% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~77% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2434 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Swan 44 MK II (Frers), as the fleet has seen it

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

The Swan 44 MK II (FRERS) is a 13.4-meter masthead sloop designed by German Frers and built by Nautor from 1996 to 2002. It features a fin keel with a bulb and a spade rudder, a 4.2-meter beam, a 2.2-meter draft, and displaces 11022 kg. Hull number 133, a 1998 model, was equipped with a 2024 Luma windlass, a Rocna anchor, and 50 meters of chain.0:20 Its standing rigging was replaced in 2013, and running rigging was updated in 2022.1:14 The hull received a Coppercoat treatment in 2022 after a full blast.1:49 Navigation electronics include a B&G Zeus package at the helm and chart table.1:59 A 50-horsepower Volvo Penta MD22 engine, with under 1,000 hours and a 2022 diaphragm replacement, provides propulsion.4:57 The interior features two cabins with 2022 Millbrook mattresses, Eberspacher heating, and a galley with a front-opening fridge and top-loading freezer.3:04 The vessel also has a recently installed bow thruster and a sugar scoop transom.2:12

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

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.

Each line is one crew's account of their own boat. Another Swan 44 MK II (Frers) may be fitted out entirely differently.

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model come up for sale.

1seen for sale

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
34.6%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
17.0
Displacement / length
260.8
Comfort ratio
30.8
Capsize screening
1.89
Hull speed
7.9 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1690
Hull
Hull type
Fin w/bulb & spade rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1996–2002
Units built
68
Designer
German Frers
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.

Moody 44-113.41 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1973-1975 masthead sloop with a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder, built for offshore stability
Episode #82 Sea Trial Preparations!2:52from Sailing Nervous- Starting Over!
Beneteau Idylle 135013.50 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA German Frers-designed masthead sloop with a skeg-mounted rudder, also produced as the Moorings 43 for charter service
Sailing to the Bahamas on a Budget - Ep 327 - Lady K Sailing5:33from Lady K Sailing
Hylas 4413.46 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 13-metre cruiser featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a substantial 49% ballast ratio for offshore stability
BEST Cruising Sailboat for $130,000 - Ep 324 - Lady K Sailing3:10from Lady K Sailing
Lafitte Yachts 4413.51 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Robert Perry-designed cutter with a skeg-hung rudder, built for high-quality offshore cruising
Sailing Mexico to California: Couple Disappears on Sailboat - Ep 328 - Lady K Sailing6:18from Lady K Sailing
Najad Yachts 44113.50 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA heavy-displacement masthead sloop with a high comfort ratio, designed for stable, long-distance blue water cruising
PERFECT Bluewater Cruising Sailboat9:15from Be The Captain
Contest Yachts 44CS13.50 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA masthead sloop with a skeg-mounted rudder and a 36% ballast ratio, built for stable and capable offshore cruising
[OFF MARKET] Contest 44CS, TRUMPETER | ARC Bluewater Cockpit Conversations '21 (4/5)from Berthon International

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 44 (Frers)A German Frers-designed masthead sloop built for performance, distinct from the earlier Sparkman & Stephens modelSwan 40 (Frers)A 12.27-metre performance cruiser produced through the 1990s, balancing a 2.15-metre draft with a 36% ballast ratioSwan 46 MKIIA German Frers-designed masthead sloop featuring an updated keel and spade rudder, built for performance and comfortSwan 46A long-running 14-metre production cruiser with 81 hulls built between 1983 and 1997Swan 36-2A German Frers-designed masthead sloop built for performance with a stiff fin keel and spade rudder configuration

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Swan 44 MK II (Frers), or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

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