The ClubSwan 50 is the latest among Nautor‘s monotypes, heir of a successful generation started with the Swan 45 and ClubSwan 42. With more aggressive lines than those of Pietarsaari’s models, it’s the first Swan designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian, the same “author” of the three Volvo 70 models which won the three Volvo Ocean Race editions joined by these boats – Groupama 4, Ericsson 4, ABN Amro 1- and the latest maxi Rambler 88.
The Argentine designer has modelled a very attractive boat which can’t go unnoticed: reverse bow , reverse sheer, fixed bowsprit, reduced freeboards, wedge deckhouse, large stern, concave aft sections, double rudder blade, acompletely open cockpit and a very thin deck aft section which seems to float on the transom.
” Compared with the first drafts sent by Kouyoumdjian after our first briefings – told us Enrico Chieffi, CEO of the Finnish shipyard – we have softened the excessively aspects; the boat, however, is always fast and very easy to use. Suitable for rating races, she can also turn into a sport cruising yacht steerable by little crew”.
At the Boot 2017 in Düsseldorf, we had the opportunity to enter the boat. Well, if the yacht has been seen and admired since its first renderings, the very out-of-the-box side, elegant and in pure Nautor style, concerns interiors.
The first impression is an essential racing prototype perfectly furnished for a comfortable cruise.
There’s a minimal use of wood, more recalled than really showed, in the white stave motif of vertical surfaces.
The colour and flavour of natural essences is replaced by leather, sometimes combined with carbon elements like, for example, in the supporting U of the deckhouse, positioned under the mast base which stays in the deck without passing through the keel. Interiors layout is unique and includes a dinette, two cabins and a bathroom. The living zone is equipped with two C-shaped seats on each side, covered with clear tissues and a darker motif.
As regards upholstery, this is available in four different colours: navy blue with wallnut leather, brick red with wallnut leather, grey or dark brown. All versions are typically “marine” but absolutely contemporary and innovative for a boat of this size and category.
Opposite the sofa on the starboard side, there’s a table for six guests while, on the left, the dinette can be converted into a chart table. The sofa backrests, too, can be folded and converted into two additional berths for a total of 8 beds on board.
The galley is located in a separated room on the starboard side, abaft the stairs, while, on the left, we can find the guest cabin.
The master cabin, furnished with a real bed, and the bathroom are on the bow.
We particulary appreciated the nice lockers-bags solution. Instead of wardrobes, in fact, cabins have two vertical leather-and-canvas trunks which can be fastened to a support fixed to the deck thanks to two leather belts.
We are looking forward to test the new Nautor ClubSwan 50 since she promises to become a real yacht design symbol of the early 21th century.
