Swan 57 S&S Ketch Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Owner three-cabin arrangements are the more common configuration seen on the used market, though both owner and ex-charter versions are available and ex-charter boats are common. The interior is a classic racing type: no centerline queen aft stateroom, but rather a bow V-berth, a guest cabin situated amidships with both an upper and a lower berth, and a master with slide-out double to port. The main salon seats eight around an expanding teak table, with the galley to port and nav station opposite. A buyer should decide early whether the racing-style sleeping plan suits their cruising style, since the layout is not easily converted to a contemporary aft-queen arrangement.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Well-found examples on the market commonly carry an inverter, autopilot, chartplotter, AIS, and life raft, reflecting a turnkey offshore intent. Power and energy systems frequently include a generator and often solar, while sail-handling upgrades such as an asymmetric spinnaker, gennaker, or conventional spinnaker are commonly fitted or often seen. Canvas and comfort items — bimini, cockpit shower, hot water, and freezer — are usual, and many boats have made a circumnavigation. Less universally, but often present, are air conditioning, bow thruster, electric winches, teak decks, and radar. A buyer should confirm generator location, as aft installs are noisy for the aft staterooms.

What to Inspect

The earliest Swan 57 hulls carried a floor-framing defect in which the stiffening support structure was not right and the boats were not handling stress correctly under testing; the floors were not designed or built correctly. Any early-series boat needs a survey focused on that structural region. Separately, teak decks were optional and must be replaced if not already renewed, so assess deck condition and any prior teak work carefully. The original 73 HP Perkins remains the baseline propulsion; verify service history and any generator placement issues.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

These yachts typically appear in the United States and Antigua and Barbuda. For a buyer, the short checklist is: confirm which layout (owner three-cabin vs ex-charter) and verify early-hull floor framing; budget for teak-deck renewal if deferred; check generator location for aft-cabin noise; and validate the inverter, autopilot, and navigation suite are operational. The Swan 57 rewards the buyer who wants a last-of-line S&S Swan with period-correct bones and sensible upgrades.