Oy Nautor AB was founded in 1966 by Pekka Koskenkyla in Pietarsaari, Finland.
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.
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. The result was a vessel whose behaviour and safety equalled that of the traditional wooden ones, which could provide greater steering stability, but with less weight and better living space.
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.
Nautor Swan continued to fulfil expectations entering the market for larger seaworthy, elegant and timeless yachts with the introduction of the Swan 55 and the Swan 65. These models offered owners all the joys of cruising combined with the opportunity for racing success – most poignantly, this included Swan 65 Sayula II’s victory in the first ever Whitbread Round the World Race in 1973/74.
Between 1978 and 1981, another very well-known yacht designer, Ron Holland, started his collaboration with Nautor Swan. Holland designed five boats of which approximately 300 units were produced, including the well-known Swan 37, Swan 39 and Swan 42.
During the 1980s, Nautor Swan entered a new era with the appointment of German Frers as designer, who has since been responsible for the design of all Swan yachts, maintaining that vital balance of competent racers, comfort and beauty in their design.
The contribution of Frers also allowed Nautor Swan to enter into the “one design” racing yacht division with the design of the Swan 45 in 2001, followed by the “ClubSwan 42” in 2005 developed in association with the prestigious New York Yacht Club to encourage the return to traditional Corinthian sailing competitions.
Since 1998 Leonardo Ferragamo has controlled and managed Nautor’s Swan. This management has evolved the brand by continuing to push forward a whirlwind of innovations and changes that firmly place the Swan yachts at the forefront of the international sailing world.
At the end of September 2015, Nautor Swan reached another milestone, unveiling the new ClubSwan 50 designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian. In 2019 this model was followed by the innovative ClubSwan 36. The ClubSwan 36 combines innovation and modernity, with sustainable technology.
With a well-established Swan One Design Circuit and strong participation of ClubSwan Yachts in the established regattas, in September 2022 Nautor Swan gave a new boost to the range by introducing the ClubSwan 41.
Morevoer, in 2021 Nautor entered the motoryacht segment with Swan Shadow, a 42’ power yacht, and in 2022 gave birth to her sister, the “inboard” version – Swan OverShadow.