SUPERYACHT #485
September 2002
Article selected from our quarterly magazine dedicated to the largest
and most luxurious boats with information, interviews, technical
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Article by
Angelo Colombo
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SWAN 112 RS
German Frers is the architect who conceived her, and Nautor's Swan is the
boatyard that makes her. With the 112RS, Nautor's Swan has applied its exclusive
design for the first time to a super yacht. Easy to manoeuvre in all sea
conditions, the possibility of navigation with a reduced crew, and high level
sailing performance, are just some of the designers' ambitious objectives. The
experience of Nautor's boatyard, rightly considered one of the most important in
the world in the production of sailing yachts, is demonstrated in the 112RS,
with the volumes of a large cruiser and the performance of a maxi racer. For the
most demanding boat owners, those who want their yacht to be tailor-made,
Nautor's Swan offers the possibility of designing the interiors together with
the Nautor Design Team in order to structure the spaces in the most appropriate
way for each specific set of requirements. Swan is famous for producing sailing
yachts in which high level performance manages to be combined with maximum
attention to details, and with the 112RS this production philosophy is seen at
its height. Every component has been designed and produced specifically for this
model. As a result, Nauter's Swan has created original and harmonious internal
and external layouts, in which nothing, from stem to stern, looks out of place.
Technologies able to offer a particularly resistant structure under mechanical
stresses but at the same time sufficiently light to ensure high level
performance, have been adopted to construct the hull. This objective has been
achieved by using uni-directional fibres reinforced with laminated vinyl for the
hull. Before delivering a 112RS, the yard submits every model to severe tests at
sea, and thanks to which, besides controlling the quality, gives the yard the
opportunity for making adjustments to the impressive sail area and all the on-
board systems. Nautor's Swan's experience is also seen with the 112RS through
the numerous details on the deck. Here great attention has been given to
ergonomics with the aim of maximising the control of manoeuvres, thus allowing
for a reduction in the number of deck crewmembers. The deck can also be
personalised according to the requirements and habits of each individual boat
owner. The boat is made of GRP in a sandwich structure with closed cell foam
glued to the hull with a technology that ensures perfect seakeeping also under
extreme mechanical stress. The cockpit in the stern area includes a double
control station, with duplicated manoeuvring mechanisms and instruments
positioned at starboard and port, a solution that allows for maximum visibility
and total control at any speed. Astern of the area dedicated to the control of
the yacht is a large living area with two L-shaped sofas with tables, a bar and
bench fixed to the floor with the seats facing the stern. From here access is
gained to the interior, in the large padded bowels of the impressive hull that
cuts the water like a great marine predator. The copious internal spaces of the
Swan 112RS have allowed the boatyard to design and produce different layouts.
Nautor's Swan's objective, with the development of the 112RS project, was to
create a yacht with which the boat owner can travel around the world in maximum
comfort and in conditions of complete safety. The comfort is undoubtedly of a
level unlikely to be found on "pulled" sailing yachts, thanks to that fact that
the spaces everywhere are generous and fitted out with skilfully worked
prestigious materials. Every component on board reflects the intention of the
yard of making each 112RS unique. But the safety element has been Nautor's
Swan's guiding principle for attaining its objective. What's more, the 112RS is
intended for those who choose to embark on a tour of the world in complete
relaxation, without pursuing oceanic records or classifications. Nevertheless,
as we have already said, her level of performance is very high, this is a result
of her waterline length of as much as 28.16 m. and of water lines combined with
an impressive but proportioned sail surface. In order to achieve such high
standards of safety, Nautor's Swan has chosen materials able to provide maximum
performance in the mechanical resistance/weight ratio such as, for example, the
mast of more than 39 m. made entirely of carbon fibre. Remaining on the subject
of figures, the boom reaches almost 13 m. in length and the total sail surface
with the genoa jib at 110% is 583.3 sq.m, to which we can add the 712 sq. m. of
the asymmetric spinnaker. The figures are also impressive with regards to the
mechanical propulsion; the motor is an MTU of 414 HP and is located in a
spacious engine room where the generator and main mechanisms of all the on board
systems are situated. Continuing with the figures, the ballast keel has an
overall weight of 28,000 Kg., drawing 4.54 m. and the displacement at full load
of the 122RS is 129,000 Kg. Naturally, the boat's range is appropriate for the
possibilities offered by such a hull; the fuel tank in fact can hold 6,500
litres of gas oil, while the capacity of the water tank is 3,000 litres.
However, the desalinator installed on board is able to produce drinking water
every day in abundance.
With a careful reading of the technical schedule, it's
not difficult to imagine what persuaded the boatyard to sum up the possibilities
of the 122RS as "Sailing without limits". The story of the Nautor's Swan
boatyard began in 1966 when Pekka Koskenkylä, its founder, constructed the
first sailing yacht of 10 m. made in plastic reinforced with fibreglass. After
this beginning, already in itself adventurous, there was the meeting with the
great designers Sparkman&Stephens, who were responsible for designing as many as
800 of the first 1,000 sailing yachts produced by Nautor's Swan. Pekka
Koskenkylä then realised that the key to success was production in series
and the combination of high level performance with living comfort. Important
sporting successes then began to arrive such as those obtained with the "Sayula
II", the Swan 65 originating from a series production, that won the first
Whitbread Cup in the years 73/74. The design of this yacht also turned out to be
a winner also afterwards, during the second edition of the Whitbread Cup which
took place in the years 77/78 and which saw Swan 65's arrive at 2nd, 4th and 5th
place. The contact between the Finish boatyard and German Frers occurred in
1979, a partnership which leads us to this splendid 112RS via many designs that
have become famous among oceanic regatta lovers and simple pleasure boaters.
Frers has designed many boats destined to make a name for themselves for a long
time; it's worth pointing out that his first design dates back to 1957, when at
16 years of age, he designed the boat of his dreams, a sloop of 10 metres which
then made yachting history as being the first GRP hull to be constructed in
Argentina. From 1965 to '68 the designer moved to New York where he worked with
Sparkman&Stephens. So far, Frers has completed more than 500 sailing and motor
boat designs, from cruisers to regatta boats, from 20 to 200', yachts considered
as the best in the world. His hulls have won editions of the Admiral's Cup, the
Whitbread Cup, the Sardinia Cup, the Cop del Rey, the Giralia and other
prestigious sailing competitions. He came to Italy in 1989 as group leader for
the design of the "Moro di Venezia" and after the positive experience in the
Americas Cup he decided to open an office in Italy. The "Luna Rossa" design,
winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup in 2000, is his own. Nautor's Swan is now
managed by Luciano Scaramuccia, assigned to this position by Salvatore
Ferragamo, the Italian businessman who decided to purchase the boatyard after
becoming the owner of a Swan, which he literally fell in love with. Today, the
productive rhythm of Nautor's Swan is increasing, and as a result new Nautor's
Swan productive areas are about to be opened in Finland. Salvatore Ferragamo's
objective is to increase production whilst maintaining the qualitative standards
that have led Nautor's Swan to its unquestioned and merited success. Although
the boatyard's exclusive designer is German Frers, Nautor's Swan does not intend
to take part in the Americas Cup with one of his hulls; nevertheless the yard
continues to participate with success in major sailing sport events. In
addition, it has created the by now famous Nautor's Swan Cup, reaching its 12th
edition, which, will take place in Porto Cervo from 8 to 15 September 2002 in
Sardinia. At present the Swan range includes yachts from 45 to 112', all
designed for comfortable and rapid cruises, but also challenging regattas such
as those which have made Swan a point of reference in yachting.
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TECHNICAL DATA
