Design and Construction
The Swan 47 is a monohull of glassfibre construction with wood trim, its hull showing a raked stem and a raised counter reverse transom that give the profile a purposeful, period-correct stance built predominantly of glassfibre, with wood trim. Beneath the waterline she carries a fixed, swept fin keel and a skeg-mounted rudder controlled by a wheel, a configuration that pairs directional stability with reasonable close-quarters authority for a boat of her length. The 15,500 lb lead ballast is a substantial fraction of the 32,400 lb displacement, and with a 13.76 ft beam over a 36.24 ft waterline she presents the beamy, volume-rich hull that the design is known for without departing from the S&S line's restraint.
Rig and Handling
Her Bermuda rig is a masthead sloop with a keel-stepped mast, two sets of unswept spreaders, and aluminium spars carrying discontinuous stainless steel rod rigging — a rig that rewards attentive tuning but is mechanically straightforward in its geometry aluminium spars with discontinuous stainless steel rod rigging.. The sail area tells the performance story: 446 sq ft mainsail, 920 sq ft genoa for 1,366 sq ft upwind, and a symmetrical spinnaker of 2,207 sq ft driving the downwind area to 2,652 sq ft. A PHRF handicap of 66 to 81 places her among credible club racers of the period, while the quoted hull speed of 8.07 kn reflects the long-waterline hull rather than a lightweight planing shape.
Accommodations
Below, the Swan 47 sleeps five across a double V-berth in the bow cabin, an L-shaped settee and a straight settee in the main cabin, and two aft cabins — a double to starboard and a single-berth cabin to port. The split galley sits on the port side just abaft the companionway ladder with a three-burner stove, ice box, and double sink, while the navigation station faces it to starboard. Two heads serve the layout, one just aft of the bow cabin on port and one aft to starboard, a distribution that keeps private and social spaces from colliding on a cruising watch.
Engine and Systems
Docking and manoeuvring fall to a Swedish Volvo Penta MD21A diesel of 61 hp, a sizeable auxiliary for a boat of this displacement and one that gives confident control in marina contexts. Tankage is generous for extended cruising: 53 U.S. gallons of fuel and 93 U.S. gallons of fresh water support passages without constant resupply anxiety.
The Verdict
The Swan 47 S&S is a thoughtfully executed cruiser-racer that wears its Sparkman & Stephens pedigree in balanced proportions rather than exaggerated extremes. She is a boat built to be sailed hard and lived aboard comfortably, with a rig and ballast scheme that still read as sensible decades after production ended.
Pros
- Substantial lead ballast and beamy hull give stable, predictable cruising behavior
- Competitive masthead sloop rig with rod rigging and versatile spinnaker capability
- Five-berth layout with split galley and dual heads suits both racing crew and cruising couples
Cons
- 7.80 ft standard-keel draft limits shallow-water access
- Discontinuous rod rigging demands disciplined tuning and inspection
- Out of production since 1984, so any replacement parts require sourcing from specialist suppliers
