Oy Nautor AB was founded in 1966 by Pekka Koskenkylä in Pietarsaari, Finland. With hundreds of years of Finnish boatbuilding tradition, Pekka was inspired by a vision to start producing high-quality, high-performance sailing yachts. The first Swan yacht produced was the Swan 36, a yacht that introduced, in addition to the fibreglass used in the hull, a significant number of innovations. The result was a vessel whose performance and safety equalled that of traditional wooden yachts, offering greater steering stability, while being lighter and providing improved living space. Sparkman &
Stephens was the designer of approximately the first thousand Swan yachts built by the yard, including the iconic Swan 38 and Swan 47, which positioned Swan as synonymous with performance, quality, elegance, reliability, and timeless lines. Nautor Swan continued to evolve with larger, seaworthy yachts such as the Swan 55 and Swan 65, including the Swan 65 Sayula II, winner of the first Whitbread Round the World Race in 1973/74. Between 1978 and 1981, Ron Holland designed five yachts for Swan, including the Swan 37, 39, and 42. During the 1980s, German Frers became the main designer, combining performance, comfort, and beauty, and introducing the one-design racing division with the Swan 45 (2001) and ClubSwan 42 (2005).
Since 1998, Leonardo Ferragamo has led Nautor Swan, continuously innovating and positioning Swan yachts at the forefront of international sailing. At the end of September 2015, Nautor Swan reached another milestone with the unveiling of the new ClubSwan 50, designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian. In 2019, this model was followed by the innovative ClubSwan 36, which combines modernity, performance, and sustainable technology. With a well-established Swan One Design Circuit and strong participation of ClubSwan yachts in major regattas, in September 2022 Nautor Swan extended the range with the ClubSwan 43, followed by the ClubSwan 28 in 2024, the smallest ClubSwan ever built, easy to sail, ideal for new generations of sailors, and a gateway into the ClubSwan world.
Moreover, in 2021 Nautor entered the motoryacht segment with Swan Shadow, a 42’ power yacht, followed in 2022 by her sister, the “inboard” Swan OverShadow, and more recently by Swan Arrow. In August 2024, Nautor Swan joined the Sanlorenzo Group, marking a new chapter in its history while continuing to preserve its tradition of innovation, quality, and high-performance sailing. Sustainability has become a core focus for Nautor Swan, with electric and eco-conscious solutions integrated across models such as the Swan 88, Swan 51, and Swan 128, reflecting the brand’s commitment to responsible innovation. 2025 marked the return of an icon with the new Swan 51 and the launch of the Swan 128, the largest Swan ever built.
Nautor Swan also continued to develop new ranges, including SwanScape, introducing an all-new deep-sea cruising concept for lifestyle-oriented sailing, and Swan Alloy 44, the brand’s first aluminium supermaxi, combining advanced construction with a distinctive and enduring design identity.