Great choice! Your favorites are temporarily saved for this session. Sign in to save them permanently, access them on any device, and receive relevant alerts.

We will occasionally send you relevant updates. You can opt out or contact us any time.
1967 — 1970
Designers
Sparkman & Stephens
Olle Enderlein
Builder
Nautor (Swan sailboats)
Associations
?
# Built
80
Hull
Monohull
Keel
Fin
Rudder
Skeg
Construction
FG
Also Known As
S&S design #1710.51

Dimensions

Length Overall
35 8 / 10.9 m
Waterline Length
25 11 / 7.9 m
Beam
9 8 / 3 m
Draft
6 0 / 1.9 m
Displacement
14,300 lb / 6,486 kg
Ballast
7,940 lb / 3,600 kg (Lead)
Drawing of Swan 36
  • 1 / 3
  • 2 / 3
  • 3 / 3

Rig and Sails

Type
Sloop
Reported Sail Area
546′² / 50.7 m²
Total Sail Area
548′² / 50.9 m²
Mainsail
Sail Area
249′² / 23.2 m²
P
35 7 / 10.9 m
E
14 0 / 4.3 m
Air Draft
?
Foresail
Sail Area
299′² / 27.7 m²
I
42 7 / 13 m
J
14 0 / 4.3 m
Forestay Length
44 10 / 13.7 m

Auxilary Power

Make
Volvo
Model
Penta MD2
HP
15
Fuel Type
Diesel
Fuel Capacity
13 gal / 50 l

Accomodations

Water Capacity
45 gal / 170 l
Holding Tank Capacity
?
Headroom
?
Cabins
?

Calculations

Hull Speed
6.7 kn
Classic: 6.82 kn

Hull Speed

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Formula

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

A more accurate formula devised by Dave Gerr in The Propeller Handbook replaces the Speed/Length ratio constant of 1.34 with a calculation based on the Displacement/Length ratio.

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio.311
Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

6.7 knots
Classic formula: 6.82 knots
Sail Area/Displacement
14.8
<16: under powered

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

Formula

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64)2/3

  • SA: Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
  • D: Displacement in pounds.
14.83
<16: under powered
16-20: good performance
>20: high performance
Ballast/Displacement
55.5
>40: stiffer, more powerful

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Formula

Ballast / Displacement * 100

55.5
<40: less stiff, less powerful
>40: stiffer, more powerful
Displacement/Length
366.6
>350: ultraheavy

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

Formula

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

  • D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
  • LWL: Waterline length in feet
366.63
<100: ultralight
100-200: light
200-300: moderate
300-400: heavy
>400: very heavy
Comfort Ratio
37.0
30-40: moderate bluewater cruising boat

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Formula

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam1.33)

  • D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
  • LWL: Waterline length in feet
  • LOA: Length overall in feet
  • Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet
36.98
<20: lightweight racing boat
20-30: coastal cruiser
30-40: moderate bluewater cruising boat
40-50: heavy bluewater boat
>50: extremely heavy bluewater boat
Capsize Screening
1.6
<2.0: better suited for ocean passages

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

Formula

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

  • Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet
  • D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
1.6
<2: better suited for ocean passages
>2: better suited for coastal cruising

Notes

From BlueWaterBoats.org:

The Swan 36 is the boat that kicked it all off for the prestigious Finnish yacht maker Nautor’s Swan, a name recognized among sailors as makers of some of the best production boats built. Its founder, Pekka Koskenkylä, way back in 1966 approached the hallowed New York design firm Sparkman and Stephens while they were working on some design projects in Finland. Koskenkylä’s idea was to build a yacht in the 10 metre range that would be strong, seaworthy and fast enough to be suitable not only for cruising but racing as well. He wanted to utilize fiberglass molding techniques which were still in its relative infancy at the time.

The outcome of the agreement was Sparkman and Stephens design number 1710.51 which was a hull form already being used in boats being built by Cantieri Benello (Gaia Class), Cheoy Lee (Sigma 36, S&S Design #1710.8) and by Chantier Bertin in France. Where the Swan 36 design differed significantly was the use of a separate rudder from the keel, quite an innovation for its day and a configuration for which Sparkman and Stephens was having great success with in their Americas Cup designs (in 1967 and 1970 their separate rudder 12m boat -Intrepid_ went on to claim successive defense victories.)

With her departure from a full keel, the Swan 36 stands somewhere between the classic and a new generation of design thinking. She still retains moderately long overhangs and a deep bilge yet her hull has a pronounced tumblehome with a pointed diamond shaped plan profile which was becoming popular in RORC racing designs of that era. Her interior layout was simple and functional.

She was introduced in the spring of 1967 with the first Swan 36 delivered to British sailor Dave Johnson, whose racing successes around the UK generated a good reputation for Swan as a maker of performance racing yachts. Notably, in 1968, Casse Tete II won seven wins out of seven at the Cowes Week regatta. As the Swan 36 continued to impress on the racing circuit, owner feedback and wish for improvements propelled Swan to produce the Swan 37 in 1970, the same year the Swan 36 production ceased with a total production of 90 boats.

Great choice! Your favorites are temporarily saved for this session. Sign in to save them permanently, access them on any device, and receive relevant alerts.

We will occasionally send you relevant updates. You can opt out or contact us any time.
Measurements:

©2024 Sea Time Tech, LLC

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.