Swan 53 Mk I

The Swan 53, sometimes called the Swan 53 Mk I, is a Finnish sailboat that was designed by Germán Frers as a cruiser-racer and first built in 1987.

The design was later replaced in production by a new Frers design, the Swan 52-2 or Mk II in 2004.

Production
The design was built by Oy Nautor AB in Finland, from 1987 to 1995 with 50 boats completed, but it is now out of production.

Design
The Swan 53 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of glassfibre, with wood trim. It has a masthead sloop rig, a raked stem, a reverse transom, an internally mounted spade-type rudder controlled by a wheel and a fixed fin keel or optional stub keel and centreboard. It displaces 44000 lb and carries 18518 lb of lead ballast. A tall mast was also available.

The keel-equipped version of the boat has a draft of 10.20 ft, while the centreboard-equipped version has a draft of 11.7 ft with the centreboard extended and 7.1 ft with it retracted, allowing operation in shallow water.

The boat is fitted with a Swedish Volvo TMD31A diesel engine for docking and manoeuvring. The fuel tank holds 106 u.s.gal and the fresh water tank has a capacity of 200 u.s.gal.

The design has sleeping accommodation for six people, with a set of bunk beds in each of two forward cabins, an L-shaped settee and a straight settee in the main cabin and an aft cabin with a centred double island berth. The galley is located on the port side just aft of the companionway ladder. The galley is of straight configuration and is equipped with a four-burner stove, an ice box and a sink. A navigation station is opposite the galley, on the starboard side. There are two heads, one just forward of the bow cabin in the forepeak and one on the starboard side, aft.

The design has a hull speed of 8.79 kn and a PHRF handicap of 21 to 45.