Swan 48 - S&S — sailing.directory

BoatsSwan 48 - S&S

See her sail

The Swan 48 - S&S, on the water

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

Footage from 59° North Sailing

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 narrow beam gives 43 — a heavy, notably soft motion offshore.

Comfort ratio 43

CoastalBluewater

At 1.65 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.65

LightHeavy

310 — heavy for her waterline, built to carry stores and ride steadily.

Displacement / length 310

EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 15.2

TenderStiff

39% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 39%

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

Heavier than ~89% of boats her size on file
Draws more than ~86% of boats her size on file

Compared with 1997 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Swan 48 - S&S, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Swan 48 - S&S is a Sparkman & Stephens-designed masthead sloop, built by Nautor from 1971 to 1976, with a fin keel and rudder on skeg. It measures 14.6 meters LOA, 4.2 meters beam, 2.4 meters draft, and displaces 16,329 kg.1:08:55 The design, S&S #2079, was available in sloop or ketch configurations, with a tall rig option. Nautor also sold a version with an extended counter as the Swan 50 - S&S (#2079.1), and Palmer Johnson sold the design in the US as the Palmer Johnson 48/50 (#2079.2). At least one teak version was built by Sangermani of Italy. Andy Schell of 59° North Sailing considers a sail-area-to-displacement ratio between 17 and 19 to be a "sweet spot" for offshore boats, noting that anything below 15 is off his list and above 20 means constant reefing.16:09

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 59 times across 3 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Swan 48 - S&S on video

Passage Planning // Bergen - TorshavnIsbjorn's Bergen-to-Tórshavn routing session covers oil rigs, RAK currents app, and Shetland stopover options.59° North Sailing

On the Wind TV // Matt Rutherford Around the Arctic Ocean!Matt Rutherford navigates the Arctic solo, testing engine bleeding procedures and satellite connectivity for his research expedition.59° North Sailing

Matt Rutherford // Far North of RussiaMatt Rutherford navigates his Valiant 42 through the Arctic, managing satellite communications and ice hazards near Russia.59° North Sailing

Will Sofrin // The Nazi Origins of the USCG EAGLEEagle's engine room was built as an exact U-boat replica so German cadets could transfer directly to submarine service.59° North Sailing

Jimmy Cornell // The Godfather of Offshore CruisingJimmy Cornell, founder of the ARC Rally in 1986, discusses his new offline route-planning app replacing World Cruising Routes.59° North Sailing

Gunnar Christensen // From Yacht Captain to Golden Globe SailorCareer yacht captain Gunnar Kristiansen explains his Hans Christian 34 choice for the Golden Globe Race.59° North Sailing

Conrad Humphries // Captain Bligh & Rounding Cape HornConrad Humphreys on breaking a rudder in the Vendée Globe and leading the Captain Bligh re-enactment voyage.59° North Sailing

Ben Doerr // "Hose it or Lose it!"A fisherman's blunt advice — "hose it or lose it" — saved a boat from an electrical engine fire in Alaska.59° North Sailing

Winter Projects on ISBJØRNThe crew of *Isbjørn* details winter maintenance projects including boom vang repair, hatch latching, and engine servicing.59° North Sailing

JoJo Pickering // Celestial Navigation Nerd-OutAndy Schell navigated BVI to Bermuda purely on celestial, avoiding the island's northern reef on approach.59° North Sailing

Boat Shopping LIVE! With Andy & AugustAndy Schell and August Sandberg evaluate a $35,000 Ted Brewer custom one-off against Craigslist listing red flags.59° North Sailing

Mia & Andy // 2025 Year-In-Review (Only 3 Months Late!)Falcon sailed 18,404 miles across 30 passages in 2025, a single-year record for 59 North.59° North Sailing

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.

InstalledIridium
The navigation station is equipped with an Iridium GO satellite phone.
aboard Practical Sailorseen October 20254:56
InstalledBalmar
A Balmar high output alternator was installed for fast charging the lithium battery bank.
aboard Practical Sailorseen October 20257:14
InstalledVulcan
A new Vulcan anchor was installed as part of the upgrades.
aboard Practical Sailorseen October 20254:42
InstalledVictron
A Victron charger inverter was installed as part of the electrical upgrades.
aboard Practical Sailorseen October 20254:31
ConsideredGarminalongside Orca display
A Garmin MFD was considered for a cockpit chartplotter but deferred due to the performance of an Orca display.
aboard 59° North Sailingseen April 202627:43
WorkingDyneema
A Dyneema line was used as a temporary workaround for a broken vang.
aboard 59° North Sailingseen April 20268:38
WorkingHarken
The yacht is equipped with large electric Harken winches for shorthanded sailing.
aboard Practical Sailorseen October 2025watch

Each line is one crew's account of their own boat. Another Swan 48 - S&S may be fitted out entirely differently.

What they go for

Market signal

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

2seen for sale

$140,000Median asking

$130,000–$150,000Asking range

Two 48-footers recently sold in Norway, with an asking price of 810,000 euros
from SEILmagasinetseen September 2019watch
A 1992 Sparkman & Stephens 48 bluewater cruiser is for sale in Australia for under $150,000
from Practical Sailorseen October 20253:20

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

39.2%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Masthead Sloop

Ratios

SA / displacement

15.2

Displacement / length

310.2

Comfort ratio

42.5

Capsize screening

1.65

Hull speed

8.2 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

1812

Hull

Hull type

Fin with rudder on skeg

Construction

Fiberglass

Ballast type

Lead

Production

Years built

1971–1976

Units built

46

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.

Oyster Marine 48514.78 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA robust cutter-rigged blue water cruiser developed from the 461, featuring a skeg-hung rudder for offshore security

I crashed my boat into the rocks. Here's the story.8:58 from Be The Captain

Swan 47 S&S14.58 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Sparkman & Stephens design #2201 featuring a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder for offshore stability

Lifting in the blue Beta engine | Saga47swan Sailing from Saga47swan Sailing

Hallberg-Rassy 4614.78 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA German Frers-designed bluewater cruiser built for stability and comfort with a high ballast ratio and skeg-hung rudder

East Coast Long Sailing Passage - Baltimore to Fort Lauderdale 1000 Mile Sailboat Voyage from SailingBritican

Gulfstar Yachts 47 Sailmaster14.45 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA heavy-displacement masthead ketch designed for comfortable cruising with a skeg-mounted rudder and shoal draft

⛵️ Hurricane damaged catamaran from TRASH to TRAMP (ramp)6:48 from Sail Life

Nicholson 4814.53 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA heavy-displacement masthead ketch designed by Raymond Wall for comfortable, stable offshore passage making

Living and Working in Urca | #SAL #2700:01 from Hashtag Sal

Tayana 4814.63 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Robert Perry-designed cutter featuring a raised salon and elevated floor for enhanced interior visibility

SAILING IBIZA - BALEARIC ISLANDS18:43 from Sailing SV Cordelia

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 50-S&SDistinguished by a traditional extended counter, this masthead sloop shares the hull of the Swan 48.Swan 47 S&SA Sparkman & Stephens design #2201 featuring a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder for offshore stability Swan 48-2 (Frers)A masthead sloop with a fin-and-bulb keel, offering a more cruising-oriented configuration than her regatta-focused sibling Swan 38 S&SA Sparkman & Stephens design #2167 featuring a One Ton sailplan variant for competitive offshore sailing Swan 44 (S&S)A Sparkman & Stephens design also sold as the PJ-44, this masthead sloop features a skeg-hung rudder and a stiff hull Nautor Pj-48Finished by Palmer Johnson for the US market, this Sparkman & Stephens masthead sloop features a 41% ballast ratio

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Swan 48 - S&S, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

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