It took almost 20 years for the Finnish shipyard to get back on the road to success following its takeover by Italian fashion czar Leonardo Ferragamo. But the luxury brand is now on an absolute roll.
New models sell almost by themselves as soon as the first illustrations appear. Twenty-two of the Swan 58 alone, which was launched last year, have already been sold, and over 50 of the 48, which is a few years older - so many that the shipyard is bringing out a Mark II version next year that has been modified in 100 details.
The Finns are also completing their sporty model line, which no other series boat builder in the world offers in this range. It ranges from the purist ClubSwan 36 to the super-maxi and line-honours hunter ClubSwan 125. The barely less spectacular CS 80 is currently celebrating its world premiere in Porto Cervo. Michael Good has already travelled with her for YACHT; his report will be published shortly.
Ambitious: The ClubSwan 41 should be suitable for regattas and travelling
However, the foreseeably best-selling and probably most important model for the brand will only be launched next season: the new ClubSwan 41, which bridges the large gap between the 36 and the 50 in terms of length and concept, both of which are more extreme in their own way. And it should, one could almost say: will keep those owners who have been sailing very successfully and happily with the comparatively old Swan 45 and ClubSwan 42 - both of which have been discontinued for years - in line.
The development of the CS 41 was therefore overdue on the one hand, but tricky on the other because the boat has to fulfil several functions at the same time. It is conceived as a one-design class that has its own ecosystem within the international Swan regattas, but should also be successful under ORC, which opens up access to many ocean classics. The specifications also included suitability for cruising. No easy task for designer Juan Kouyoumdjian, who designed the entire current sports range for Nautor.
The hull and deck are laminated under vacuum from E-glass fabrics, sandwich core and epoxy resin. In this respect, it is more similar to the 36 than the 50, which is constructed in carbon fibre. The L-shaped keel with narrow fin and ballast body projecting far aft is also modelled on the smaller Sportster. This design creates a slight twist when the boat is in position, which generates more lift to windward, similar to a trim tab.
The ClubSwan 41 has a two-saling rig with a relatively large mast drop aft and split backstays. This allows her to carry a powerful squarehead mainsail, while the genoa only overlaps slightly. With 97.4 square metres of sail area on the wind and a moderate displacement of 6.2 tonnes, she has a sail carrying capacity of 5.4 - significantly more than conventional performance cruisers.
Because of the backstays, she has eight winches, which requires a well-orchestrated crew when racing. If you want to cruise with her, tie in a reef and leave the backstays in place. She should then be easy to handle for one or two sailors on autopilot.
Modular: the ClubSwan 41 below deck
There are no renderings of the interior yet, only sketches by designer Lucio Micheletti. With Nautor, it can be assumed that the atmosphere below deck will be warm and of high quality, even if living comfort is not the top priority here.
The ClubSwan 41 will have plenty of storage space; the berth dimensions appear generous. However, there will only be one wet room, which will be quite spacious. According to YACHT information, the overall spaciousness will be roughly between that of the older CS 42 and the Swan 45. This should make it attractive to many owners who find the 36 too sporty, the 48 too heavy and the 50 too expensive. With the wave of success that Nautor has been surfing for a few years now, it takes little imagination to suspect a new hit here - even if the price has not yet been finalised.
