Review of Swan 53
Basic specs.
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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 757.0 liter fresh water capacity.
The Swan 53 has been built with different keel alternatives.
Deep keel
One option is a deep keel. A deep keel provide a better healing moment than a shallow 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 3.11 - 3.21 meter (10.20 - 10.50 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
Unknown keel type
Swan 53 can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 2.17 - 2.27 meter (7.12 - 7.42 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
CentreBoard
Another option is a centreboard keel. A centreboard keel is a pivoting lifting keel, allowing to sail both coastal and inland waters.
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 2.16 - 2.26 meter (7.09 - 7.39 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
The boat may be equipped with an inboard Volvo Penta TMD 31A diesel engine
The fuel tank has a capacity of 401.0 liters (105 US gallons, 88 imperial gallons).
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 53 is 1.76, 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 8.8 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 53 is about 415 kg/cm, alternatively 2328 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 415 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm.
Alternatively, if you load 2328 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 53 is 3.41.
The ballast ratio for Swan 53 is 42%.
What is Displacement Length Ratio?
The DL-ratio for Swan 53 is 246 which categorizes this boat among 'light crusers & offshore racers'.
What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?
The SA/D for Swan 53 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 17.8, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 21.2.
Maintenance
When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy.
The surface of the wet bottom is about 77m2 (828 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.
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 | 49.8 m | (163.3 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Jib/genoa halyard | 49.8 m | (163.3 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Spinnaker halyard | 49.8 m | (163.3 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Jib sheet | 16.1 m | (53.0 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Genoa sheet | 16.1 m | (53.0 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Mainsheet | 40.4 m | (132.5 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Spinnaker sheet | 35.5 m | (116.6 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Cunningham | 6.0 m | (19.8 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Kickingstrap | 12.1 m | (39.6 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Clew-outhaul | 12.1 m | (39.6 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.
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