As renderings emerge of the first hull in the new range of Nautor's Swan performance-cruising yachts, the in-build Swan 105RS, the Finnish yard’s managing director has told Boat International that the line was only made possible by the technological advances of the last 10 years.
‘A strict equation of the past was that fast yachts had to be very narrow. The masts were much heavier, construction was much heavier, so the displacement of the yachts was completely different – in order to have high-performance yachts you were forced to have small volumes,’ says Enrico Chieffi. ‘Thanks to the design technology that came from the development of the Volvo Ocean Race and the America's Cup, we have ended up with much better overall shapes today.’
The 32m raised saloon 105, due to launch in 2014, has been tweaked from Swan’s original design to its owner’s requirements by Beiderbeck Designs in collaboration with Swan’s own design team. Beiderbeck has also been commissioned to design the interiors. But the 105RS is still recognisably a part of Swan’s cruising line (note: the renders in this story are of the unaltered Swan design).
Like the rest of the planned range, it will use the same hull design, construction techniques and materials (for example, the resin-infused fibre sprint) as the yard’s performance range, with the aim of achieving a combination of sailing pleasure and spaciousness that Chieffi believes will fill a gap in the market.
‘ have an opposite starting point, they make accommodation and volume the starting point and then make a sailing yacht with all those things inside. We come from a different direction,’ says Chieffi. ‘We envisage an owner who has in mind extensive sailing, that utilises the boat with his family and friends, who is occasionally racing on amateur level, because the boat is still very competitive. An owner who wants to live at sea in his yacht, but still have the pleasure of performance.’
The new cruising range, designed by naval architect German Frers together with Nautor’s design team, includes the Swan 60RS, Swan 80RS and Swan 105RS which will hit the water in 2014, plus the flagship Swan 115RS - the first of which will sail in 2015.