BoatsSwan 76

Swan 76

Masthead Ketch · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · 1979–1981

A Sparkman & Stephens masthead ketch built by Swan, offering a heavy-displacement, stable platform for blue-water cruising

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 76, on the water

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

Footage from Living For Sail

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 narrow beam gives 46 — a heavy, notably soft motion offshore.

Comfort ratio 46
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

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

Displacement / length 191
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 15.5
TenderStiff

24% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 24%

A capable offshore cruiser with an easy motion when the sea gets up.

  • Heavier than ~91% of boats her size on file
  • Draws more than ~95% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~90% of boats her size on file

Compared with 150 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Swan 76, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Swan 76 is a Sparkman & Stephens-designed masthead ketch built by Nautor from 1979 to 1981, measuring 23.3 meters LOA with a 5.8-meter beam and a 3.7-meter draft. It displaces 44,769 kg and features a fin keel with a rudder on a skeg. At the Annapolis Boat Show, a Swan 76 was briefly inspected by John from Living For Sail.1:01 Heitmann Marine, a Norwegian importer, includes Swan models ranging from 48 to 125 feet in its high-end performance cruiser sales, noting that customers often upgrade through the brand over decades.4:32

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

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
24.3%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Ketch
Ratios
SA / displacement
15.5
Displacement / length
191.0
Comfort ratio
45.9
Capsize screening
1.65
Hull speed
10.5 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
4170
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1979–1981
Units built
5
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.

Hallberg-Rassy 6922.22 mSame hull family1.0 m shorterA German Frers-designed flagship featuring a fractional rig and dual rudders, built for high-comfort blue water cruising
Hallberg-Rassy 69. Part One. A Yacht Delivery from Kiel to Cannes. An Epic delivery!!!8:21from Halcyon Yachts - International Yacht Delivery
Oyster Marine 74522.74 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterA Rob Humphreys-designed fractional sloop featuring a high-volume hull with dual rudders for stable, long-range cruising
Oyster 745 ! WTF are they doing 😳4:14from Reversing Entropy
Swan 7724.01 mSame hull family0.8 m longerA 24-metre masthead sloop built from 1992 to 2003, featuring a high comfort ratio for long-range offshore cruising
Nautor Swan 77 “INVICTUS” Yacht for Sale | Significant Optional Upgrades | Tour with Simon Turnerfrom Berthon International
Swan 65120.02 mSame hull family3.2 m shorterA 20-metre masthead sloop with a deep 3.51-metre draft and a heavy ballast ratio for offshore stability
Ian Herbert-Jones | Ocean Globe Race crew on Spirit of Helsinki | Practical Boat Ownerfrom practicalboatowner
New York Yacht Club 5725.98 mSame hull family2.7 m longerA 26-metre cutter built to the Universal Rule 57 rating, raced as a three-boat class by NYYC members starting in 1906
27. Designing the Boat You Want to Sail: Steve Dashew on Becoming a Yacht Designer18:44from Berthon International
Swan 6820.63 mSame hull family2.6 m shorterA 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

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 57 S&SA Sparkman & Stephens masthead sloop designed for blue-water cruising with a heavy, stable displacement hullSwan 76 DHA Sparkman & Stephens deckhouse ketch featuring a keel/centerboard configuration for versatile deep-water cruisingSwan 77A 24-metre masthead sloop built from 1992 to 2003, featuring a high comfort ratio for long-range offshore cruisingSwan 86A 26-metre masthead sloop featuring a wing keel and a high comfort ratio for stable, long-range blue water cruising

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Swan 76, 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 76

The newsletter

New boats, new stories, from everywhere.

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

Report an issue