Swan 48 Buyer's Guide
Shopping for a used Swan 48 means chasing one of the scarcer early Nautor cruiser-racers: a Sparkman & Stephens design built between 1971 and 1975, with 46 hulls total and sold in the United States as the Palmer Johnson PJ48. It is not the Frers-designed Swan 48 from 1995 to 2003, so the first task for any buyer is confirming the earlier boat's identity before weighing equipment and condition.
Layouts on the Used Market
On the used market, owner three-cabin layouts are the more common, though both layouts are available, and ex-charter examples are common. That pattern means a buyer will more often find a privately configured three-cabin boat than the alternative, but should expect either to appear, and should not be surprised to encounter a former charter hull among listings.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Electric winches, chartplot Ier, radar, autopilot, air conditioning, AIS, and teak decks are commonly fitted on these boats. Often-seen equipment includes inverter, asymmetric spinnaker, watermaker, bow thruster, freezer, life raft, lithium batteries, spinnaker, furling main, and hot water. Less commonly seen are heating, swim platform, code zero, bimini, dodger, and cockpit shower, which tend to show up as owner upgrades rather than standard fittings.
What to Inspect
The available documentation records no structural defect or recurring failure for the Swan 48; the emphasis is instead on the extremely strong structure that suits transocean racing and circumnavigation. A buyer's inspection should therefore confirm the boat's identity as the Sparkman & Stephens design number 2079 from the 1971–1975 run, and guard against confusion with the later Frers model — verification of the build window and designer is the central documented known-issue avoidance step.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats are typically found in the United States, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, France, and Greece. For the buyer, the practical checklist is short and documentation-driven: confirm design number 2079 and the 1971–1975 production dates, distinguish the hull from the 1995–2003 Frers Swan 48, note the Palmer Johnson PJ48 badge on US examples, and expect a three-cabin owner layout to be the more common configuration with ex-charter boats frequent.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Swan 48. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 11 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 25 | 1 | $ 1,198,287 | — |
| May 25 | 1 | $ 234,677 | -80.4% |
| Jul 25 | 2 | $ 247,500 | +5.5% |
| Sep 25 | 3 | $ 1,415,120 | +471.8% |
| Dec 25 | 1 | $ 1,820,255 | +28.6% |
| Jan 26 | 1 | $ 307,371 | -83.1% |
| Feb 26 | 2 | $ 1,366,618 | +344.6% |
| Mar 26 | 1 | $ 273,780 | -80.0% |
| Apr 26 | 9 | $ 564,907 | +106.3% |
| May 26 | 2 | $ 712,125 | +26.1% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $ 225,934 | -68.3% |
Where they're listed
Swan 48 listings appear across 10 countries. Italy has the most listings with 4 (20.0%), followed by Spain and France.
Country view
20 listings · 10 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | $ 564,907 | 4 | 0 | 20.0% |
| Spain | $ 1,135,519 | 3 | 1 | 15.0% |
| France | $ 273,809 | 3 | 1 | 15.0% |
| Greece | $ 225,963 | 3 | 3 | 15.0% |
| Germany | $ 1,415,120 | 2 | 0 | 10.0% |
| Australia | $ 307,371 | 1 | 0 | 5.0% |
| Denmark | $ 1,820,255 | 1 | 0 | 5.0% |
| United Kingdom | $ 267,531 | 1 | 0 | 5.0% |
| Turkey | $ 1,198,287 | 1 | 1 | 5.0% |
| United States | $ 247,500 | 1 | 0 | 5.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
4 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swan 48You are here | — | $ 564,907 | 20 | 6 |
| Solaris 48 | 48.88' | $ 452,496 | 10 | 4 |
| Moody 48 DS | 50.59' | $ 1,174,585 | 10 | 3 |
| Grand Soleil 48 Performance | 52' | $ 741,797 | 9 | 3 |