Nautor Swan 44

VERY special S&S Swan 44 in only her third ownership since new and completely rebuilt and upgraded over recent seasons at substantial cost. Without a doubt one of the best S&S Swans afloat today.

FURTHER BROKER’S COMMENTS:

Arguably one of the finest S&S generation Swans on the water today. Purchased by her current owner in 2011, PEPPER III returned to Finland in 2011 and has undergone a complete refit of decks, engine, electronics, rigging, sails, topsides paint, interior varnish etc etc… the list just goes on. With a vast ammount invested in the boat by her current owner, all works have been carried out sympathetically in respect of the original Nautor style, to ensure that PEPPER III remains authentic to her classic Swan heritage.

Her specification highlights include:-
• Standard 2.30m keel making her ideal for Baltic cruising
• Taller Rig alternative
• Rig painted 2023
• Teak deck replaced in Italy 2006 and refurbished with new caulking - 2019
• Hull topsides repainted - 2012
• Underwater sections epoxy treated – 2012
• New Yanmar 4JH 53hp engine fitted – 2012
• Retractable bowthruster fitted – 2012
• Rig repainted – 2012
• Standing rigging replaced – 2017
• Mast-step rebuilt – 2015
• Comprehensive recent sail wardrobe from UK Sails and North Sails including furling Code 0 and gennaker
• Full Raymarine instrument package including radar, plotters, AIS, mast-mounted repeaters
• Domestic electrics replaced 2018 including twin chargers, inverter, DC-DC isolators and new wiring throughout
• Mastervolt Lithium service battery – 2023
• Reckmann furler and rod headstay – 2022
• Harken Vangmaster – 2022
• Axxon Carbon avenue boom - 2022
• All deck fittings re-chromed – 2012
• Interior joinery sanded and revarnished – 2020
• Through-hull fitting/hoses replaced 2020

Successfully raced in the Baltic Sea, PEPPER III would make a perfect family cruiser racer with the capabilities to sit at the very top in some of the world’s most prestigious regattas. PEPPER III is now offered for sale to make way for a larger Nautor SWAN.

OWNER’S COMMENTS:

PEPPER III designed by legendary Sparkman & Stephens and built by world famous Nautor’s Swan in Finland in 1974. A total of 76 hulls were built. PEPPER III is hull No 65. Most of them are still sailing all over the World. Professionals and skilled sailing enthusiasts fell in love with the model right from the launch in 1972. S&S Swan 44 won the London Boat Show Yacht of the Year award in 1973.

For her first 31 years she sailed in Italy under the name KRATOS. In 2006 She was sold to the UK where she sailed under the name SOLO. In 2011 she was found in relatively poor but original condition in Southern England. Her current owner sailed her back to his home water in Finland where she has undergone a complete refurbishment. Today PEPPER III is in mint condition and for sure one of the most stunning S&S Swan 44 on the Planet. Despite her age and beautiful classic lines, she has an awesome sailing performance and she can be a tough competitor at the race course too! You can spot her in the Finnish or Swedish archipelago. Homeport is HSS in Helsinki. PEPPER III crew is well known for their team spirit and welcoming hospitality. If the crew is not on board, they are usually hanging at the local bar – together with other nice sailors and people.

MANUFACTURER’S COMMENTS:

With hundreds of years of Finnish boat building tradition, Pekka was inspired by a vision to start producing high-quality and high performance sailing yachts, made for the those, like him, who had the passion for cruising and racing in full contact with the water and nature. This was despite the challenging environment around the small town of Pietarsaari, where temperatures can fall to -30 C in the depths of winter and the sea can be frozen for up to five months of the year.
Pekka, educated in the USA, had the intuition and the ability to convince Sparkman & Stephens – New York, one of the most acclaimed yacht designers at that time, to design his first sailing yacht in fibreglass trimmed with wood. No one before had built a vessel over 10 metres in length with this material, which was still in its infancy for shipbuilding. He had a vision that this material would dominate the production of vessels in the years to come.

The first Swan yacht produced was the Swan 36, a yacht that introduced, in addition to the fibreglass used for the hull, a significant number of innovations such as the rudder positioned fully aft, the skeg separated from the fin keel, the centre of the hull shifted back with the application of a bustle, and the swelling of the keel aft thus providing great steering stability. The result was a fibreglass vessel whose behaviour and safety equalled that of the traditional wooden vessels, that could provide greater steering stability but with less weight and better living space. It was a vessel that marked the beginning of one of the most prestigious boat yards in the world. These yachts have come to embody the ultimate luxury and quality in the sailing industry with full respect for the founder’s motto – “the very best”.

In the spring of 1968, a Swan 36 was delivered to British sailor, Dave Johnson, who skippered the yacht with remarkable success in regattas around the British Isles, and in particular at Cowes. These racing achievements generated such a positive feedback that Nautor’s Swan rapidly established its reputation as the foremost manufacturer of high performance racing yachts. This led to the development of the new Swan 37 and Swan 43, with the latter winning the Admiral’s Cup in 1969. Swan became the preferred choice of the most discerning of sailors such as Herbert von Karajan with his Swan 43 – “Helisara II”.

Sparkman & Stephens were the designers of approximately the first thousand Swan yachts sold by the Yard. These included the memorable and iconic Swan 38 and Swan 47 which, together with the other models, have positioned Swan as synonymous with performance coupled with quality and elegance, enduring reliability, and timeless lines. The unmistakable “Arrow” indented in the hull of every Swan, has eliminated the need to display the brand name.

YACHTING PRESS REMARKS:

Of all yacht designers there is perhaps only one name that stands as a reasonable guarantee that a new design will be successful in the racing sphere. And even when that name is Sparkman and Stephens tere are certain of the firms boats which are expected with more than the usual anticipation of grandeur. The most recent production boat that fits this description is the Swan 44. The reason for this has much to do with Noryema VIII´s win in the Bermuda Race this year. A Swan 48, to which the new 44 is closely related, she went a long way towards knocking the belief that large production boats cannot compete against more expensive one-offs. The Swan 44 therefore is expected to respond well to fine tuning and any prospective Admirals Cup contender not wishing to play a stake in the uncompromising one-off game might do no better than to invest his money in this Nautor built Swan.

As a prestigious cruising boat, of course, one would be hard put to find a better appointed one. With only six permanent berths and two pipecots forward one can hardly call her cramped. There are two quarter berths aft, a separate toilet compartment and navigation table to starboard and a large galley and hanging locker to port. Forward of this “working “area is a set of opposing pilot and settee berths with a dining table amidships. IN the fo`c`s`le is another hanging locker and aforementioned pipecots. One word to the cruising man however- Access below is through a hatch in the deck. Since S&S cannot guarantee to keep the rain off, she will be suited to the tolerance of a racing crew than to mother-in-law.

Yachts & Yachting – December Issue 1972