Frers Swan 40 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used Swan 40 means looking at a Nautor sloop designed by German Frers, with 58 hulls produced from 1992. The boat is a moderate-displacement cruiser with a bulb-keel hull and a three-spreader bending-mast rig, and the brokerage examples found in the United States tend to carry a predictable set of cruising additions that matter more than stereos or dishes.
Layouts on the Used Market
The Swan 40's interior places an aft cabin with a single-double berth and a small head under the bridgedeck and cockpit, while the forward stateroom has its own head and a small seat, with about 5 feet 10 inches of headroom. Both heads are reached only by entering the staterooms. The galley sink shares the engine-box top, and the nav station has a long bench, big chart table, and angled instrument housing. A pilot-berth to port and lockers to starboard sit above the saloon settee. On deck, the slim pinched coamings, extended bridgedeck, and small cockpit are consistent across the class; a fold-down swim platform replaces a transom cutout.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Commonly fitted cruising gear on the used fleet includes spinnakers, asymmetric spinnakers, and gennakers for downwind work, teak decks, and a chartplotter at the helm or nav table. For a buyer, the sail inventory and teak decks are the highest-consequence items: a well-kept gennaker or asymmetric extends light-air range, while teak decks demand inspection for caulking and rot. The chartplotter is now baseline navigation, but verify it is mounted where it does not clutter the angled instrument housing.
What to Inspect
The hull carries an IOR-type skeglet fairing aft before the counter kicks up, and the forefoot knuckle sits just below the waterline — check for grounding damage in that zone. The keel bulb protrudes from the trailing edge, so inspect the bulb-root joint for impact or repair. The side cockpit guards are unusually thin and turned in from the trunk line, a detail to check for stress cracks where it joins. The flush anchor-windlass locker forward should be tested for drainage and lid seal.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The Swan 40 is typically found in the United States market. For a buyer, the short checklist is: confirm keel-bulb and forefoot integrity, review teak-deck condition, assess sail inventory including any asymmetric or gennaker, and verify the stateroom-head access works for your privacy needs.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Frers Swan 40. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 1 row
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26 | 2 | $305,000 | — |
Where they're listed
Frers Swan 40 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 2.
Country view
2 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $305,000 | 2 | 0 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
9 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bavaria Yachts 40 | 40.9' | $ 88,254 | 81 | 21 |
| Beneteau First 40 | 40.16' | $ 99,000 | 72 | 7 |
| Performance 40 | 40.42' | $ 115,286 | 36 | 8 |
| Elan 40 | 39.04' | $ 91,996 | 30 | 6 |
| Swan 40 | 39.3' | $ 115,228 | 14 | 5 |
| Tartan 40 | 40.25' | $ 89,900 | 13 | 3 |
| Jeanneau Sun Fast 40 | 40' | $ 167,689 | 13 | 4 |
| J/BOATS J/40 | 40' | $ 69,000 | 13 | 8 |
| Nautor Swan Swan 40You are here | — | $ 305,000 | 2 | 0 |