Review of Swan 65 Ketch
Basic specs.
If you have a photo you would like to share: Upload Image
Looking for a new boat? Find a Swan 65 Ketch or similar boat for sale
The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.
The boat is equipped with 329.0 liter fresh water capacity.
The Swan 65 Ketch is equipped with a ketch rig. A ketch rig is generally considered easier to handle, because the sails are smaller, and because it can sail on most points to the wind with one sail completely taken down for repair or while reefing. The sail configuration of a ketch allows for better comfort and stability when sailing downwind or on a broad reach.
Fin keel
The Swan 65 Ketch is equipped with a fin keel. The fin keel is the most common keel and provides splendid manoeuvrability. The downside is that it has less directional stability than a long keel.
The keel is made of lead. Compared with iron, lead has the advantage of being 44% heavier, which allows a smaller keel and hence less water resistance and higher speed.
The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 2.93 - 3.03 meter (9.61 - 9.91 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
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.
What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?
The capsize screening value for Swan 65 Ketch is 1.58, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.
What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?
The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 9.2 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.
The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level.
The immersion rate for Swan 65 Ketch is about 476 kg/cm, alternatively 2666 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 476 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm.
Alternatively, if you load 2666 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.
What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?
The l/b ratio for Swan 65 Ketch is 3.97.
What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?
The SA/D for Swan 65 Ketch with ISO 8666 reference sail is 14.4, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 17.4.
Sorry, we do not have sufficient statistical information available for this boat to provide a significant reliable analysis.
Maintenance
When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy.
The surface of the wet bottom is about 85m2 (914 ft2).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.
Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.
Dimensions of sail for ketch 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.
| Usage | Length | Diameter | ||
| Mainsail halyard | 52.9 m | (173.6 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Jib/genoa halyard | 52.9 m | (173.6 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Spinnaker halyard | 52.9 m | (173.6 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Jib sheet | 19.7 m | (64.6 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Genoa sheet | 19.7 m | (64.6 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Mainsheet | 49.2 m | (161.4 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Spinnaker sheet | 43.3 m | (142.0 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Cunningham | 5.6 m | (18.3 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Kickingstrap | 11.2 m | (36.6 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Clew-outhaul | 11.2 m | (36.6 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.
Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.
We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Swan 65 Ketch 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.