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
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
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
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
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
Oyster 6820.57 mSame hull family2.7 m shorterA Holman & Pye designed cutter built for serious blue-water passage making with a stable, skeg-mounted rudder

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

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.

The newsletter

New boats, new stories. Every week, everywhere.

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

Report an issue