Design and Construction
The 45 has a fin-and-bulb hull, a spade rudder, and a powerful carbon rig. She displaces around 27,400 pounds on a 39-foot waterline, with a beam of 13 feet 7 inches. Roughly 11,500 pounds of lead gives her a ballast ratio near 42 percent.
The hull uses fiberglass sandwich construction, a method the builder employed to improve the indoor climate below. Multiple lead-keel alternatives were offered: a standard fin drawing about 7 feet 6 inches and a wing keel drawing 6 feet 6 inches. Deeper loaded drafts are reported at around 5.9 to 6.2 feet, depending on load.
A capsize screening value of 1.82 and a Motion Comfort Ratio of 31.3 place her in the stable, offshore-capable band. She also carries CE Class A (Ocean) certification for extended voyages. Her displacement-length ratio of 205 puts her among what one database calls “moderate racers,” while the 41.94 ballast-to-displacement figure and 333 kg/cm immersion rate describe a stiff, heavily loaded hull that resists heeling and settles predictably under stores.
Rig and Handling
The sail plan is a defining feature of the 45. Her masthead-sloop carbon rig is slightly overrigged, carrying more rig than two-thirds of comparable sailboats, with a reported sail area of 1,130 square feet.
A 44-square-meter self-tacking jib is a genuine advantage when short-tacking in fresh upwind conditions. The standard mainsail measures 61 square meters, while the 150-percent genoa is 73 square meters. A 140-square-meter gennaker extends her light-air range.
The deck was designed to remain as clear as possible without compromising sailing or safety components, an arrangement that suits short-handed maneuvering.
Under power, a fresh-water-cooled Volvo Penta D2-75 diesel with saildrive delivers a reported 7.7 knots, just short of the boat’s theoretical hull speed of 8.4 knots.
Accommodations and Tankage
Below, the standard layout is practical and spacious. Finished in mahogany, it provides three double berths, an open saloon with a comfortable dining area, a generous galley, a navigation table, and two roomy head compartments with showers.
Two alternative layouts were also available. The builder stated that any layout could be altered to meet a customer’s bespoke requirements, offering a degree of semi-custom flexibility that was unusual at this production volume. Used examples may therefore differ below.
Tankage is stainless steel throughout, with roughly 115 gallons of water, 75 gallons of diesel, and two 18.5-gallon holding tanks.
Known Issues and Ownership Considerations
The deeper keels can limit marina access. Loaded draft of around 5.9 to 6.2 feet restricts entry to major harbours. The spade rudder has no skeg protection and carries the vulnerability to debris impact typical of fin-and-bulb hulls.
Owners also need to account for the saildrive diesel and carbon rig. The saildrive transmission requires attentive seal maintenance over time, while the rig uses precisely sized running rigging. The mainsheet is 34.8 meters of 16-millimeter line, the genoa sheets are 13.9 meters, and the spinnaker halyard matches the 45.7-meter mast-length runs.
Although interior layouts may vary, the structural and mechanical baseline remains consistent: a lead-ballast fin or wing keel, stainless-steel tanks, and a CE Class A hull.
The Verdict
The Sweden Yachts 45 is a thoughtfully engineered performance cruiser that balances racing pedigree with genuine liveaboard comfort. Her powerful, slightly overrigged carbon rig and self-tacking jib make her manageable upwind, while the semi-custom interior and Class A certification suit extended cruising.
The deeper drafts call for careful marina selection, and the unprotected spade rudder remains vulnerable to debris. Even so, the hull’s stability figures inspire confidence.
Pros
- Stiff, stable hull with a 42 percent ballast ratio and CE Class A (Ocean) certification
- Powerful carbon rig and self-tacking jib for short-handed upwind sailing
- Spacious, adaptable three-cabin mahogany interior with generous tankage
- Named Sailboat of the Year 2000 by SAIL
Cons
- Deeper keel options limit access to shallow marinas
- Spade rudder has no skeg protection and is vulnerable to debris
- Saildrive transmission requires attentive seal maintenance over time
