DATA CLUBSWAN 36

SPECIFICATIONS

LOA 11.00m 36ft 1in • LWL 10.59m 34ft 9in

• Beam 3.60m 11ft 10in • Draught 2.75m 9ft 0in • Displacement 3,140kg 6,922lb • Ballast 1,163kg 2,563lb • Jib 34.5m2 371ft2 • Mainsail 59.0m2 635ft2

• Gennaker 134m2 1,422ft2

• Engine 10.3kw 13.8hp diesel or 10.0kw Torqeedo electric www.clubswan36.com

OUR VERDICT

Although our trial sail didn’t deliver the type of downwind sleigh ride that its looks suggest it’s capable of, I have little doubt this will be an exhilarating and rewarding boat to sail.

Getting it onto the scene hasn’t been easy. After several delays, at times the birth of the 36 has been a tricky one. This in itself has triggered plenty of dockside gossip about whether the project was too ambitious. But to see and sail it for real reveals an innovative boat where time has clearly been taken to work out the detail. In some ways fitting C-foils is a gamble, the pay-off of which is not yet really known. Only time on the race course will tell if it has worked. Sticking with a modest step forward, an evolution of grand prix racer, would have been both easier and possibly a safer bet. But that was not what this project set out to do and in that respect Nautor’s Swan has made an impressive statement of intent in seeking to move the racing game on.

At €385,000 excluding sails, electronics and tax, this is an expensive boat, but given the company’s reputation for delivering models that remain on the scene for many years there’s a good chance the 36 will be able to convince owners it’s a good bet that will go on to hold its value.

In short, I liked the 36. The more time I spent aboard the more I appreciated the detail. It’s a boat that’s been on my ‘must test’ list for some time, but has now moved across to ‘must race’.