Design and Development
Juan Kouyoumdjian developed the boat through detailed hydrodynamic and CFD studies. Its timeless, authentic design draws on the ClubSwan Division’s experience with Nautor’s earlier one-design models as developed for the ClubSwan 36, while the deck was stripped of everything superfluous to how it is actually used.
Kouyoumdjian believes the steering system should be balanced and sensitive enough for the helmsman to perceive feelings and emotions through the helm. That thinking informs the twin-rudder arrangement, which uses fixed connecting bars beneath the deck.
The clean deck shape and well-defined ergonomics evolved from a concept tested with scale models. Every feature reflects how the deck is actually used.
Construction and Structure
The hull is built from infused E-glass/epoxy laminate with carbon reinforcements, with major components infused and cured separately before being vacuum-bonded into the hull.
Bulkheads and longitudinal members use unidirectional reinforcements, while carbon capping adds stiffness. Watertight bulkheads ahead of the rudders are intended to provide greater safety at sea.
The keel consists of a 2.75 m CNC-milled steel fin carrying a 1,163 kg lead bulb, giving a 47% ballast ratio. Notably, the build leaves no holes through either the hull or deck. Even the retractable carbon bowsprit sits in its own recess beneath a slender deck fairing secured with a special Velcro fastener.
Rig and Sail Handling
The rig draws heavily on the Olympic Star. It uses a skinny, heavily raked and pre-bent mast, with one set of aft-swept spreaders and rod rigging terminating on a full-width chainplate base. Aerodynamic specialist Hervé Devaux developed the arrangement.
PBO running backstays and deflectors provide primary control of the mainsail. Cleats for the deflector, Cunningham and vang are fitted on both sides, within reach of the main trimmer.
Seven Harken winches divide the workload:
- Two for the runners
- Two for the mainsail
- Two for the jib or kite
- A central seventh for the C-board, halyards and other lines
The C-foil generates a combination of horizontal and vertical force according to boat speed and heel. Upwind, it produces negative leeway to improve VMG. Downwind, it simplifies gybing because the foil doesn’t need to rotate. When reaching above 15 knots, it can lift up to 40% of the boat’s displacement, allowing the hull to skim or plane. The foil has no angle-of-attack adjustment.
Deck Layout and Systems
The deck layout is organized around how the crew uses the boat. Two removable lightweight panels cover the line systems. The forward panel conceals the retractable bowsprit and retriever circuit; a second panel aft of the mast covers the remaining circuits and the restrictors that replace stoppers.
Keeping most controls outside the boat helps leave the interior drier. SeaDek anti-slip material covers the working surfaces. The chamfered foredeck gunwale reduces weight, lowers the center of gravity and cuts windage.
Protected Shelter
There’s no interior in the usual Swan tradition. An offset sliding companionway hatch leads to the Protected Shelter, which provides a dry place to rest. Removable berths can be installed occasionally, and a pair of pilot berths can be fitted.
Period reviews describe the space as Spartan and cramped for a 36-footer. All interior components are lightweight, in keeping with the boat’s racing purpose.
Propulsion
The engine sits centrally beneath the cockpit. Access is through a bulkhead aft of the companionway and from the sides.
Buyers can choose between a Nanni 10.3 kW diesel and a Torqeedo 10 kW electric drive. The electric system uses a BMW lithium battery claimed to offer 70% higher energy density and a 50% longer life cycle than typical marine lithium units.
In race mode, the drive shaft and three-bladed fixed propeller retract into the hull. The boat carries Category B CE approval with the diesel installation and Category C approval with electric propulsion.
Verdict
The ClubSwan 36 is an uncompromising one-design racer. It gives up cruising comfort in exchange for engineered speed and a foiling C-board that genuinely changes the physics of sailing upwind and downwind.
Its disciplined construction—including the absence of through-hulls, a vacuum-bonded structure and watertight forward bulkheads—reflects serious offshore racing intent within a strict owner-driver class. Those rules limit professional crew to three.
Pros
- C-foil produces negative leeway upwind and planing lift when reaching above 15 knots
- Infused E-glass/epoxy hull with carbon reinforcement and no hull or deck penetrations
- Seven-winch deck layout, with controls organized outside the shelter
- Twin rudders and balanced steering provide responsive helm feedback
Cons
- Spartan, cramped shelter with no proper interior, making the boat unsuitable for cruising
- C-foil has no angle-of-attack adjustment
- Strict one-design owner-driver rules limit professional crew to three
