Swan 50 MS Buyer's Guide
The Swan 50 MS, also listed as the Nautor 50, is a Finnish-built Sparkman & Stephens ketch from 1976 with only nine hulls completed. On the used market it is a genuinely scarce boat — a 49-foot-6-inch glassfibre cruiser with wood trim, a masthead ketch rig, and a fixed fin keel.
Layouts on the Used Market
The accommodation plan places nine berths across distinct cabins. A bow double V-berth anchors the forward cabin, with two mid cabins each carrying two bunk beds. Aft on the port side are two cabins — one double, one single — while the starboard aft quarter holds a head. The main salon's U-shaped settee and the C-shaped starboard galley just forward of the companionway ladder define the living space, and a second head sits aft of the bow cabin to port. Buyers should note the port-aft double-and-single combination as a quirk rather than a defect.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
The as-built galley is equipped with a three-burner stove, an ice box, and a double sink, a period cruising layout rather than a modern refrigeration-ready module. Beyond that baseline, the nine-boat population means most upgrades are owner-driven rather than fleet-standard, so any navigation, canvas, or energy systems should be judged on the individual hull.
What to Inspect
Confirm the solid glassfibre hull with wood trim for crazing or delamination at the trim joints, and check the fixed fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder for grounding damage or skeg cracks at the rudder post. Verify the masthead ketch rig for mast step corrosion and shroud terminals, and walk the accommodation to confirm the nine-berth count and the C-shaped galley configuration match the original plan.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
This is a boat you wait for rather than chase. When a hull appears, prioritize a survey that confirms the glass-and-wood construction, the ketch rig integrity, and the keel-rudder structure.
- Confirm hull is solid glassfibre with sound wood trim
- Inspect fin keel and skeg rudder for impact damage
- Verify ketch rig mast steps and terminal fittings
- Check nine-berth layout matches original accommodation plan
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Swan 50 MS. 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. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 26 | 1 | $737,158 | — |
Where they're listed
Swan 50 MS listings appear across 1 country. Spain has the most listings with 1.
Country view
1 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | $737,158 | 1 | 0 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
3 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shannon 50 | 50.92' | $ 175,000 | 13 | 1 |
| Gulfstar 50 Kth | 50' | $ 59,900 | 12 | 6 |
| Swan 50 MSYou are here | — | $ 737,158 | 1 | 0 |