Design and Construction
The Swan 55 is a monohull of glassfibre construction with wood trim, built predominantly of solid fibreglass rather than a cored laminate. Nautor produced the boat in Finland from 1970 to 1974, with the design carrying S&S drawing number 2012.1. The hull runs to a raked stem and a skeg-mounted rudder controlled by a wheel, sitting over a fixed swept fin keel. Displacement is substantial at 45,600 pounds, of which 17,000 pounds is lead ballast — a ratio that places the yacht firmly in the heavy, seakindly end of the cruiser-racer spectrum. The standard keel draws 8 feet. Two distinct stern treatments identify the rig variants: the sloop version carries a raised counter and reverse transom at 54.63 feet overall, while the yawl stretches to 55.25 feet with a lengthened raised counter and angled transom. Both share a 38.48-foot waterline.
Rig and Handling
Sparkman & Stephens gave the Swan 55 a masthead sloop or yawl rig under a Bermuda configuration, and of the 16 built, seven carried the yawl rig. The sloop's sail plan is generous for the era: a 584-square-foot mainsail and 693-square-foot jib/genoa yield 1,277 square feet of upwind area, with a symmetrical spinnaker of 2,495 square feet available for reaching and running. The yawl's downwind kite is marginally smaller at 2,271 square feet. The foretriangle measures 63 feet hoist on a 22-foot base, driving a powerful headsail. A Volvo Penta MD21A diesel of 61 horsepower sits aboard for docking and manoeuvring, fed by an 80-gallon fuel tank. The design's hull speed is 8.31 knots, and its PHRF handicap range of 48 to 57 marks it as a creditable club racer beneath the cruising accommodation.
Accommodations
Below, the Swan 55 sleeps nine across a layout that separates private and social spaces with some care. A double V-berth occupies the bow cabin, with a head just aft of it to port. The forward salon holds two straight settees and a pilot berth, while the main salon offers L-shaped and U-shaped settees for lounging and dining. Two aft cabins each contain a double berth, and a second head sits to starboard aft. The galley is placed on the port side just forward of the companionway ladder — an L-shaped workspace with a three-burner stove, ice box, and double sink — while the navigation station faces it to starboard. A 125-gallon fresh water tank supports this nine-person capacity on extended passages.
Known Issues
The known facts concern configuration and inventory rather than failure modes.
Refits and Ownership
Ownership of one of only 16 hulls means living with a boat whose market presence is inherently limited. The engine remains the period-correct Volvo Penta MD21A, a 61-horsepower unit intended for low-speed control rather than passage propulsion. Buyers and keepers should note the three-name history — Swan 55, Swan 53, and Palmer Johnson 53 — when tracing documentation, as title and survey records may use any of the three. The yawl variant's mizzen and lengthened counter represent a meaningfully different deck and sail-handling profile from the sloop, worth weighing against intended use.
The Verdict
The Swan 55-S&S-1970 is a low-production, genuinely dual-purpose Swan that pairs a heavy-displacement glassfibre hull with a race-credentialed Sparkman & Stephens rig and a nine-berth cruising interior. Its scarcity and three-model naming history make diligent documentation essential, but the design itself is a coherent expression of early-Nautor cruiser-racer philosophy.
Pros
- Only 16 built; a true collector-grade Nautor with S&S pedigree
- 45,600 lb displacement with 17,000 lb lead ballast for offshore stability
- Nine-berth layout with dual aft cabins and two heads
- Sloop or yawl rig options, both with substantial downwind spinnaker capacity
Cons
- Very limited production complicates spares and survey comparables
- 61 hp diesel is for manoeuvring only, not auxiliary passage-making
- Three-market name overlap (Swan 55 / 53 / Palmer Johnson 53) risks title confusion
