YARD VISIT Nautor’s Swan
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Finnish brand Nautor’s Swan is owned
by an Italian consortium and continues to
thrive despite the recession 8/939/D/</56@3>=@BA
autor’s Swan was racer/cruiser packed with N
established in the innovations. Apart from being
north of Finland one of the first production
in 1966 and since boats of over 10m (32ft) to be
then has built " built in wood-trimmed GRP, Full time staff, with as
nearly 2,000 boats, almost she also had a revolutionary many subcontractors
all of them still sailing and skeg-hung rudder, a tear-
with a strong and passionate drop hull, and a keel with
owner’s club. Traditionally # # significant thickness aft to Boats produced
Swans are best known for their aid steering.each year
racing pedigree, but luxury Success came immediately.
performance cruising is now In 1968 the British yachtsman delivery this year and the launch of four
their main appeal. Dave Johnson skippered his new models — including two over 30m
There are currently 12  Swan 36 to a string of regatta (100ft) — set to drive the brand forward.
models in the range, from Sailing models from triumphs around the UK and Nautor’s has never been tempted to
12.6m-39m (42ft-130ft). 12m-39m (42ft–130ft) his competitors quickly took build motorboats, focusing instead on
Despite the powerful sail note. Nautor’s had found a pushing the boundaries of sailing yacht
plans and low drag hulls, 40 winning formula — stylish design. The savings in weight from a
recent emphasis has been boats that were just as new generation of carbon composites
on adapting technology for
short-handed sailing. As such, 39m20
customers now have push- “Your best salesman is a proud
button control for virtually 12m
anything aboard. They can owner telling everyone what a 0
raise the anchor, hoist and great boat you built him”
trim the sails — and even
tension the backstay without
leaving the helm console. thrilling to sail around the combined with blade-like keels and
Nautor’s Swan has always been world as they were around the buoys. semi-planing hull design allows even
a pioneer. When Pekka Koskenkyla Larger models followed. However, a fire the biggest boats to be sailed with the
started his business in the Finnish town at the factory just before Christmas in finger-tip response of a large dinghy.
of Pietarsaari 43 years ago, he wanted 1969 destroyed dozens of hulls in-build, Nautor’s combines this performance
to build yachts that would be ‘beautiful meaning Koskenkyla was forced to sell with the opulence and conveniences of
forever’. He persuaded acclaimed naval shares to finance the rebuild. a luxury motoryacht.
architects Sparkman & Stephens of Recovery was swift. Now, in 2009, the
New York to create a design that could production facilities are spread over 1/CB7=CA1:73<BA
be moulded entirely from a brand new three factories in northern Finland. Despite a good flow of work, the
material called fibreglass. The order book remains healthy with company isn’t recession proof. More
The result was the Swan 36, a thirteen boats worth
66m due for than 50 per cent of orders come from
" August/September u0s www.europeanboatbuilder.net
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