The
history
The founder of Oy
Nautor Ab, Pekka Koskenkylä's plan was to build the first 10m yacht
using a fibre glass mould. His concept was a design capable of both
cruising and racing. Series production was considered key to the success
of the venture. Precise, logistical organisation was paramount at an
early stage.
A
meeting with Olin Stephens of Sparkman & Stephens initiated the enterprise.
The first design, the Swan 36, was an instant success.
In 1968, Casse
Tete II achieved seven wins out of seven at the Cowes Week regatta.
The Swan 36 was closely followed by a 43 foot design.
During
the first 12 years of the company, Sparkman & Stephens went on to design
15 models for Nautor.
Of
the first 1000 Swans, 800 were of their design.
The Swan 55 (introduced
in 1970) saw Nautor enter the market sector in which they are now dominant.
Safe, fast, liveable cruising yachts capable of high speed under sail.
It is, however, the Swan 65 for which Nautor's early history is best
remembered. This classic S&S design was, for almost a decade, the largest
fibreglass yacht built worldwide. Its race pedigree and ocean crossing
ability are legendary.
A production Swan
65 (Sayula II) won the first Whitbread Race in 1973/4 effortlessly.
The second Whitbread in 77/78 saw the Swan 65 take 2nd, 4th and 5th.
In 1976 a change
of naval architect was considered necessary. A new wave of yacht designers
were achieving prominence. Nautor needed to stay ahead and called upon
Ron Holland to initiate a new era and, with models such as the Swan
39, Nautor sustained its successful record at events such as the Admiral's
Cup and its position as the leading production yacht manufacturer.
In 1979 German Frers
was entrusted with designing a version of "Blizzard", the top race yacht
of the year - the result, the Swan 51. In 1982 a Swan 51 became the
1000 Swan launched. Frers ushered in a new era for Swan. Whilst new
lightweight, pure racers and one designs became fashionable, Nautor
held true to its traditional virtues of seaworthy construction, practical
yet luxurious interiors and undistorted hull lines. The Swan 46 first
introduced in 1983 has become the quintessential Swan. 109 were built,
with the last delivered to an American owner in 1997.
Over the years,
Nautor has set standards of consistency unmatched by other manufacturers
- only 3 designers in 32 years and only 4 managing directors - Pekka
Koskenkylä, Jens Rudbäck, Olle Emmes and, now, Luciano Scaramuccia.
During this time the building processes have been refined.
The
modular construction system based around 3 plants remains a core build
philosophy. Ongoing research and development perfects the techniques
and enables the adoption of proven advances.
Since 1966, over
1700 Swans have been built and nearly all are still sailing.
The
yard
The history
The tradition of innovation
Inside swan
A talent for design
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