New Listing – 1974 Swan 65

Grabau International is delighted to announce the new listing of the iconic 1974 Swan 65 Ketch ‘FORCE 9’.

Iconic S&S Swan 65, a true ocean greyhound with capabilities far beyond most modern yachts, FORCE 9 is known as one of the most elegant classic S&S Swan yachts of all the time.

FURTHER BROKER’S COMMENTS:

On 1st June 1973, at 79 Madison Avenue in New York, Sparkman and Stephens finish the design nr. 2110. Under this design the most well-known high quality yard soon start the production of what will be then better known as the Nautor’s Swan 65. This is the beginning of a myth.

Arguably one of the most iconic and instantly recognisable yachts of all time, the evergreen classic Swan 65, designed by S&S as one of their most successful Swan designs and built as only Nautor in Finland can, FORCE 9 offers sparkling sailing together with build quality that is never to be repeated. Perfect for serious cruising, these yachts also shine in the Regatta circuit and are rare to the brokerage market.

FORCE 9 was launched in 1974 and she took part at the 1977 Whitbread ADC ACCUTRAC skippered from Mrs. Clare Francis the first female skipper to compete in the race, finished fifth in her Swan 65 ADC Accutrac (Time 126 days 20 hours).

She is hull number 9 of the series which began in 1973 and ended in 1989 with 41 hulls launched. She is fitted with a ketch rig.

Timeless design still much sought after as the vessel that three times made its mark in the Whitbread Round the World (now Volvo Ocean).

Swan 65 named Sayula II won the first-ever Whitbread Round the World Race in 1974. Another Swan 65, King’s Legend took second place in the 1978 running of the Whitbread Round the World Race, finishing behind an aluminium boat named Flyer. That same year, the race’s first female captain finished fifth in a Swan 65 named ADC Accutrac. Quite a pedigree!

DESIGNER’S COMMENTS:

In hull form and general character, the Swan 65 clearly typifies a successful development under the IOR. She has proven to be an excellent cruising boat and it appears that the success of the class is based on the preference of the cruising owner rather than the racing owner.

Although the very happy result of the Round the World Race is convincing the evidence that the boat is not slow, two major factors in Sayula’s Round the World win were her strength and her controllability.

The major thrust of our design effort was to use the already successful Dora (e.d. design 2089 won the 1979 Fastnet Race) as a starting point for a slightly larger design and to modify that design in terms of displacement and structure so as to adopt it to fiberglass construction in such a way as to provide an extremely strong hull. Clearly these objectives were met and if the racing success of the 65 has been less than that of Dora, I think it is largely because of the conservative rig which is better adapted to cruising than to racing.

Most of the 65’s carry the standard ketch rig. The several that have been built with a single masted rig have not been engaged in very much competition.

Her interior seems both practical and attractive. She has good headroom throughout and the owner’s stateroom is generously roomy, the two guest staterooms are also roomy, and the forepeak can be used by one or two paid hands or guests. The location of the galley aft and the chart table adjacent to the companionway seems to have worked out well. Cockpit space is generous and the deck over all is both comfortable and practical. The Volvo auxiliary, an MD32, provides excellent performance under power.

While there may be some feeling that the divided keel and skeg arrangement is undesirable for cruising, I personally do not accept this criticism, feeling rather that when the skeg and rudder are adequate size and the other characteristics of the boat are in balance, one can get excellent control with a relatively shirt keel. In turn, the short keel which minimizes wetted surface permits good performance in light as well heavy weather with a small rig, which is ideal from the cruising man’s point of view. This seems to me the right way to design a modern auxiliary, whether intended primarily for cruising or for racing.

OLIN J. STEPHENS II

Swan 65 – Asking Euro 520,000 VAT paid – full details here

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