Review of Swan 56 R

Basic specs.

The Swan 56 R is a large sailboat designed by the Argentine maritime architect Germán Frers in the late nineties.

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Hull

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

Rig

The boat equipped with a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a genaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

Engine

The boat is typically equipped with an inboard Yanmar diesel engine.

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Swan 56 R is 1.82, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 9.4 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Swan 56 R is about 477 kg/cm, alternatively 2676 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 477 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 2676 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Swan 56 R is 3.71.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is slimmer than 66% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a slightly more speedy hull design.

D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Swan 56 R is 146 which categorizes this boat among 'ultra light racers'.

76% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.

SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Swan 56 R with ISO 8666 reference sail is 23.8, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 27.3.

Maintenance

Rig

Dimensions of sail for fractional rig.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

**Guiding dimensions of running rig**
Usage	Length		Diameter
Mainsail halyard	58.8 m	(193.0 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard	58.8 m	(193.0 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker halyard	58.8 m	(193.0 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Jib sheet	17.5 m	(57.5 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Genoa sheet	17.5 m	(57.5 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Mainsheet	43.8 m	(143.8 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	38.6 m	(126.5 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Cunningham	8.1 m	(26.4 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Kickingstrap	16.1 m	(52.9 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Clew-outhaul	16.1 m	(52.9 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section shown boat owner's changes, improvements, etc. Here you might find inspiration for your boat.

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Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Swan 56 R it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.

References

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.