SUPERYACHT #509
September 2004
Article selected from our quarterly magazine dedicated to the largest
and most luxurious boats with information, interviews, technical
articles, images and yachting news
Summary
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Article by
Angelo Colombo
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SWAN 82S
The Nautor's Swan boatyard was founded in 1966 in Finland and right
from the start gained an international reputation for the production
of luxury sailing yachts that efficiently combined comfort and
performance. The yard's boats have taken part and distinguished
themselves in numerous international races to such an extent that
there are now sports events - such as the Swan Cup -
created ad hoc for Swan owners. So right from the start of its
activities the yard has aimed at a marriage of comfort and
performance, developing designs that can stand as points of
reference for this type of yacht, and also obtaining favourable
responses on international markets.
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TECHNICAL DATA
LOA: 24.89 metres
Length on waterline: 21.26 metres
Beam: 5.86 metres
Draft: 4.02 metres
Ballast: 13.300 kilos
Light displacement: 37.000 kilos
Fuel tank: 1.750 litres
Water tank: 900 litres
Engine: 1 x 180 HP Cummins
Sail area (mainsail + genoa 110%): 322.70 square metres.
For further information
contact OY Nautor OB, P.O. Box 10, FIN-68601 Pietarsaari, Finland;
tel. +358 6 760 1111; fax +358 6 760 7364; website
www.nautorgroup.com; e-mail email@nautors-swan.com.
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We've already had occasion to
talk about the 82, but this time the yard is offering a version that
lies between the 82RS and the FD, the former designed for cruising
and the latter a pure racer. The Swan 82S, or Semi Raised Saloon, is
a compromise between the two earlier versions, built to suit those
who not only love racing but are also partial to cruising. The
demand for sailing yachts that can hold their own in a race yet
include all the comforts it is legitimate to expect on vessels of
this size is constantly increasing. State of the art technology
means that boats can be built with spaces and furnishings suitable
for long periods aboard while maintaining weights within limits that
do not jeopardise performance. Of course a sailing racer has deck
features different from those of a yacht conceived mainly for
cruising, just as the sail plan and the immersed appendices will be
different. The Finnish yard developed the 82S design seeking to best
combine the characteristics of the racing and cruising versions: the
result is a yacht which has open air and deck spaces that can be
enjoyed for long periods and which is capable of high performances
without a numerous and expert crew. One of the stylistic elements
that leaps to the eye in this new version is, precisely, the
deckhouse: not for nothing does the name of this model derive
precisely from the form of that element, smaller in size than that
of the RS but thrusting to the point of leaving much of the deck
unencumbered. For development of the design the yard employed the
expert pencil of German Frers who, in the past, has already talked
to us about similar projects oriented precisely towards racing and
fast, comfortable cruising. The choice of building materials fell on
composites reinforced with carbon fibres in order to ensure
structural rigidity to a high standard of toughness, thus making the
vessel suitable for facing heavy seas and extreme conditions. In the
course of developing the design German Frers paid special attention
to the safety factor, envisaging devices and constituent elements of
the structure with the objective of producing an ocean-going vessel,
i.e. one capable of safely encountering adverse conditions. As for
the quick-works, they were designed to emphasise the qualities of
stability, even though the keel, compared with the standard version
for the other 82' models (3.75 metres deep and L-design with bulb),
at 4 metres is deeper and has a slimmer profile to optimise
performance while reaching. The sail plan, though not as extensive
as that of a pure racer, is nevertheless designed to guarantee the
high performances required of the 82S. So mast and boom are in
carbon, with four orders of quartered crosstrees with crow's nest,
double backstay and shrouds. The mast is 32.5 metres tall on the
deck and the sail area is decidedly great: with main and genoa at
110% it is 322.7 square metres. The mainsail has five full battens
and is 11 square metres larger than the initial version of the Swan
82, but if the owner prefers he can also choose a roller type main.
The deck is in carbon sandwich with technological materials inserted
to guarantee tough structure in spite of light weights, in view of
the high workload it must bear from the powerful sail plan. As for
the superstructure, it was designed setting out from the RS version,
with the owner and guests' relaxation area aft of the deckhouse
followed by the complete two-position wheelhouse. As we said
earlier, both the deckhouse and the relaxation area are low-profile
in accordance with the sporty aspect of the design, but the size of
the superstructure ensures adequate volumes in the saloon. The
interiors of course may vary in function of each individual owner's
specific requirements, but the standard design envisages a roomy
owner's cabin aft, developed over the whole width of the hull and
with private bathroom, wardrobes, sofas and plenty of space. Between
this cabin and the saloon situated amidships, there are two double
cabins, both with private bathroom and twin beds. The very spacious
living area amidships features a C-shaped sofa with a table and,
opposite, an L-shaped sofa with a coffee table. Over and above
entertainment equipment, there is a chart table with armchair and
instrument repeaters. The crew's quarters occupy the whole forward
zone and consists of skipper's cabin with double bed and private
bathroom, a galley with dining and relaxation area for personnel, a
cabin with bunk beds and private bathroom plus a sofa and coffee
table for the sailors' leisure moments or to accommodate an extra
crew member. So while maintaining the same waterlines as the yard's
two previous versions, the Swan 82S is substantially an evolution of
the design which to date has been much appreciated and is now aimed
at a vaster public, attracted by racer performance together with the
comfort of a cruiser.
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