Design and Construction
The underbody is an "Intrepid" 12-meter derivative: a moderately high-aspect wing-shaped fin keel with a skeg-hung barn-door rudder. The keel was state of the art when drawn and gives the 38 significant lift when sailing to weather, while the rudder adds little lift and the skeg introduces steady drag. The hull itself is solid, hand-laid fiberglass with fore-and-aft stringers, and down the centerline a galvanized I-beam of six square inches is glassed in, serving as backing plate for the keel bolts and mast step and as the base for ring bulkheads, with a huge steel eye welded to its top under the mid-cabin hatch for single-point hoisting. Nautor built the decks as hand-laid laminate around a foam core, so the core will not rot if water enters, but it will be weakened. Water gets in around deck-fitting bases and through teak plank screw holes, and on many Scandinavian boats the teak was kept to minimum thickness for weight and cost. Mid-1970s hulls in particular may need deck replacement at substantial cost. The rudder installation and engineering is robust and logical, and the 12-volt electrical system of 190 amp-hour capacity was assembled with clean soldered connections and logical schematics, though limited by modern standards.
Rig and Handling
The Swan 38 carries a high-aspect main with a full IOR overlapping genoa, and most hulls left the yard with the tall rig (IOR MkIII) of 51-foot I and 42.25-foot P, though a few were built with short or extra-tall options; early hulls to 38/009 used roller reefing, with slab reefing from 38/010. An inner forestay and baby stay allow a storm jib rigged inboard. On the wind she wants to go upwind and will reliably tack through less than 90 degrees true, making very little leeway and balancing like a thoroughbred at a fast trot. At about 7.5 knots the stern wave mounts the transom and speed peaks near hull speed. The hullform, ballast ratio, and rudder form make her directionally stable and less likely to broach than lighter sisters, and sweet elliptical sections forward let the hull surge in heavy seas instead of crashing.
Accommodations
The cockpit seats four comfortably forward of the wheel for simultaneous trimming and lunch. Headroom is just over six feet at the companionway, decreasing to about 5 feet 10 inches in the head. The main saloon has two pilot berths and two settee benches as sea berths around a centerline table with folding leaves. The aft cabin sits under the cockpit bridgedeck without standing headroom. The galley sink sits near the centerline to drain on both tacks, and a three-burner stove is serviceable though its top is too small for real three-pot meals. Across from the galley, the chart table faces forward with room above for electronics. The forward cabin was originally conceived as a sail locker but was converted by owners to a double cabin.
Known Issues
The central ownership concern is the deck. Water ingress through fitting bases and teak screws weakens the foam-cored composite, and mid-1970s boats may require a full deck lay-up at substantial cost. Access to the quadrant and steering cables lies at the far end of the aft double berth, an awkward service path. Tankage is limited: sources differ on capacity — a period review cites 55 gallons water and 30 gallons diesel, while manufacturer data lists 87.2 gallons water and 56.8 gallons fuel — so long-term cruising range is constrained.
Refits and Ownership
Early hulls with roller reefing to 38/009 differ from later slab-reefing boats, a point to verify by hull number. The Bukh DV20ME 20-horsepower diesel at 3000 rpm is the specified auxiliary. Given the deck-core vulnerability, any purchase should document prior deck work. The robust rudder engineering and logical electrical layout ease some ownership burdens, but the aft-berth steering access remains a layout penalty.
The Verdict
The Swan 38 is a finely engineered S&S design that rewards the windward sailor with lift, balance, and directional stability rare in her class, wrapped in a solid hand-laid hull with a central I-beam backbone. She is let down by a drag-producing skeg rudder, a vulnerable teak deck core, and tight tankage and aft-cabin access that date the cruiser side of her character.
Pros
- Significant keel lift and less than 90-degree tacking upwind
- Solid hand-laid hull with centerline I-beam backbone
- Directionally stable, low broach risk, surging forward sections
- Logical rudder engineering and clean electrical schematic
Cons
- Foam-cored teak deck vulnerable to water ingress; mid-70s decks costly to replace
- Skeg rudder adds drag and little lift
- Steering access at far end of aft berth
- Limited tankage for extended cruising
