BoatsSwan 65-S&S

Swan 65-S&S

Masthead Sloop · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · 1972–1989

A Sparkman & Stephens-designed masthead sloop that famously won the inaugural 1973 Whitbread Round the World Race

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 65-S&S, on the water

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

Footage from SEILmagasinet

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 50 — a heavy, notably soft motion offshore.

Comfort ratio 50
CoastalBluewater

At 1.58 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.58
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 301
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 17.6
TenderStiff

44% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 44%

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

  • Heavier than ~91% of boats her size on file
  • Draws more than ~86% of boats her size on file

Compared with 450 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Swan 65-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 65-S&S is a 19.8-meter masthead sloop designed by Sparkman & Stephens and built by Nautor from 1972 to 1989. It was the world's largest fiberglass sailboat at its 1971 introduction and won the first Whitbread Round the World Race in 1973.0:35 The design is derived from the 61-foot aluminum hull *Dora 4*, which won the 1979 Fastnet Race.0:53 The Swan 65-S&S was available as a sloop or ketch, with reverse or traditional counter stern options, and engine choices including a Volvo Penta MD 32 or Perkins H6.354M. Aboard *SEILmagasinet*, the interior prioritizes the saloon and galley, with most of its 12 berths in narrow forward cabins.2:27 Deck hardware was often manufactured in-house by Swan due to the boat's scale. *Berthon International* toured hull number 01, *Peak*, a 1973 model in Palma de Mallorca, featuring 2023 teak decks, original spars dye-tested and repainted in 2024, and a 2021 sail inventory.0:05 Hull number 65037, a 1982 model in Port Corbiere, has a 2020 teak deck, a retractable bow thruster from 2019, and updated B&G navigation electronics from 2023.1:21 The 1983 ketch *Arion*, hull number 37, in Alicante, retains original spars and teak decks, with a 2018 engine rebuild and recent B&G navigation.0:11

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 4 times across 2 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Swan 65-S&S on video

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 65-S&S 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
43.7%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
17.6
Displacement / length
301.0
Comfort ratio
50.3
Capsize screening
1.58
Hull speed
9.2 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
2732
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1972–1989
Units built
41
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 6820.57 mSame hull family0.7 m longerA Holman & Pye designed cutter built for serious blue-water passage making with a stable, skeg-mounted rudder
How We Get Paid to Sail in Paradise (Full-Time Boat Life)5:23from Untide
Oyster Marine 6219.30 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterA Rob Humphreys-designed cutter built on a semi-custom basis, offering a high comfort ratio for long-range blue water cruising
[OFF MARKET] Oyster 62 (IXION), with Simon Turner - Yacht for Sale - Berthon Internationalfrom Berthon International
Swan 65120.02 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA 20-metre masthead sloop with a deep 3.51-metre draft and a heavy ballast ratio for offshore stability
Gurra Krantz // Över Atlanten TV Show2:05from 59° North Sailing
Swan 6820.63 mSame hull family0.8 m longerA 20.63-metre masthead sloop produced for over a decade, balancing a 3.3-metre draft with a high comfort ratio
Nautor Swan 68 “TITANIA OF COWES” Yacht for Sale | Highly Capable Offshore | Tour with Tim Carbury0:29from Berthon International
Contest Yachts 63CS20.54 mSame hull family0.7 m longerA Judel-Vrolijk designed fractional sloop built for performance cruising with a high sail area to displacement ratio
SEILmagasinet TV Episode 1 - 202531:15from SEILmagasinet
Hallberg-Rassy 6419.85 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA German Frers-designed flagship featuring a high-volume hull and a powerful masthead rig for comfortable blue-water cruising
Epic Solo Adventure: Thrilling Encounter With A Massive Crocodile - Learning By Experience Ep246!13:15from Sailing Learning By Doing

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 65-S&S KetchA Sparkman & Stephens design #2110 offering flexible configurations with optional stern profiles and engine setupsSwan 57 S&SA Sparkman & Stephens masthead sloop designed for blue-water cruising with a heavy, stable displacement hullSwan 55-S&S-1970A Sparkman & Stephens classic featuring a traditional counter stern and a robust skeg-mounted rudderSwan 50-S&SDistinguished by a traditional extended counter, this masthead sloop shares the hull of the Swan 48.Swan 55-S&S-1970 YawlA Sparkman & Stephens masthead yawl with a fin keel and skeg-hung rudder, one of only seven built in this configuration

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