Swan 128 test, pre-preg carbon and 90° post-cure

This service was published as a preview in issue 4-2025 of the Yacht Upstream supplement available at this link

Pietarsaari (Finland) – With a hull length of 38,98 metres, the Swan 128 is the second longest yacht ever built by the shipyard after the 131-footer from 2006 and completes the Swan Maxi range which also includes the 88, 98, 108 and 120 models. Giovanni Pomati, CEO of the shipyard, explained that “More than twenty years ago, Nautor built the 131-footer, which still remains our longest boat today. It wasn't a one-off; only one was built. It had a classic style, similar to that of the 112—of which four were built—with a large, recognizable deckhouse. In 2019-2020, the 120 arrived, a milestone, especially for its interiors, which opened the shipyard's doors to the superyacht world. The story goes that during the Monaco Yacht Show, the owner of one of our Swan 98s saw the 120, fell in love with the space, and asked for an upgrade: he wanted a production yacht over 120 feet but with the lines of the 108, which in the meantime had become the forerunner of the most recent generation of maxi yachts, with new hull lines also designed by Germán Frers. The rest of the team consisted of Micheletti for the deck design, Misa Poggi for the interiors, and Odo Giordo in the role of owner's representative thanks to his long experience in the superyacht world".

The team remains unchanged for the 128: the naval architecture is by Frers, the deck and coachroof styling by Micheletti+Partners, and the interiors by Misa Poggi. For the hull design, the Argentine designer collaborated with Cape Horn Engineering to verify and optimize the canoe's body shapes under all dynamic sailing conditions. The yacht is built using a sandwich lamination process with carbon fiber fabrics pre-impregnated with epoxy resin using Sprint technology and a Corecell core, produced and engineered by Gurit. The process involves post-curing in an oven for approximately 18 hours, with a characteristic curve reaching up to 90°. Post-curing occurs in two main phases plus a final third.

SUPER YACHT 24 tested her in her home waters on one of her first outings immediately after her launch. Aboard was a mostly Italian crew led by Luca Serra, one of Italy's most experienced captains. The outing was scheduled for the previous day, but weather conditions, with winds of 20-25 knots, forced a 24-hour postponement, and the conditions are very light. Before heading out to sea, we spoke with Frers himself to discuss the yacht's design: "The evolution of the sector is leading to increasingly larger boats, designed for cruising, and the 128, originally slightly smaller and then 'grown up' during development, perfectly interprets today's shapes, proportions, and needs. It's a boat designed for sailing, particularly with excellent performance in light winds. The owner is a keen regatta enthusiast and wanted a boat that conveyed the most authentic sensations of sailing and didn't feel like a large 'truck.' It's not a Ferrari, but it's close. Even guests, who are often not sailors, are surprised by the sailing experience that a boat of this size still manages to offer. The 128's design has been refined thanks to new tools that have allowed us to optimize the hull's shape. We discovered how these modifications reduce drag as the boat heels, improving stability and balance. The hull was designed to perform at its best at different speeds, remaining symmetrical at the different heeling angles which remain contained, around 20° in optimal conditions, for notable comfort when sailing. 

Completing the package are efficient appendages, which guarantee great control, and a telescopic keel that improves performance in strong winds. The deep draft, close to 7 meters, helps make this boat extremely pleasant to handle.

Reaching the open sea requires a 40-minute motorboat journey at a cruising speed of 10,3 knots, powered by a 550 hp Scania engine and a Danish propeller from Hundested Propeller (part of the BSI Group). The top speed reaches 13 knots, while the cruising speed can reach up to 11 knots. For the record, the second 128 will have hybrid propulsion with Danfoss systems. When the engine finally shuts down, we're sailing in winds ranging from 5,8 to 8,8 knots—not much, but still enough to see the 128 consistently outperform the wind. Sailing with a self-tacking mainsail and jib, the top speed is 10,1 knots with 7,6 knots of wind and an apparent wind angle of 30°. Otherwise, the speed is often above 8 knots, with peaks of 8,8 and 9,5. The 128 has mechanical steering with a bicycle-style chain that allows the helmsman to choose a more or less direct mode. In strong winds, a softer feedback is better, while when maneuvering, a more direct one is preferable. The telescopic keel is made by APM Keels and takes about two and a half minutes to fully lower. According to Davide Legati of APM, "To date, it is the largest keel we have ever built; it is made of high-strength super duplex steel. It has a stroke of 2,30 meters with a maximum draft of 6,70 and a minimum of 4,40, while the bulb, which we did not make, weighs 23 tons. The keel stands out for its minimal invasiveness on the interior, while it is now a fact that even telescopic keels, once considered less performing than lifting keels due to the ratio between profile length and chord, are suitable for cruising/racing boats."

The boat is rigged with a Southern Spars carbon mast and boom (installed by RigPro), North Sails sails, and Future Fibres rigging with AEROsix shrouds and ECsix forestay/backstay. The owner made specific choices regarding the sail plan: a traditional full-batten mainsail (no square top), a self-tacking jib for shorthanded sailing, and a bowspritless bow. Regarding deck hardware, Emanuele Cecchini, Harken's EMEA and APAC sales director, told SUPER YACHT 24 that "the owner's goal was to have deck hardware that was at the highest levels in terms of performance and weight. The deck is notable for its cleanliness, with just four winches in the cockpit and two more on the mast. The mainsail halyard and the mainsheets and self-tacking jib are managed by three air-captive winches installed belowdecks. These are an evolution of traditional Harken models, lighter and specifically sized for specific maneuvers with heavy workloads. The mainsheet and jib winches are also combined with tensioners, devices that keep the sheet taut in the direction of the captive and therefore on the drum, preventing the lines belowdecks from overlapping, a situation that can cause damage or problems when easing. Of course, sensors are also installed to prevent such situations. The captive winches They facilitate, as well as make it safer, the management of the sail plan. The six "traditional" winches come in two sizes, 12-35 and 13-35, and have a reduced first speed, especially useful for mast-mounted vessels when hoisting a headsail: unlike the others, they ensure a slightly slower but continuous speed. Both have a working load of 11 tons; the first is used to manage headsails such as the gennaker, while the second is equipped with an auxiliary motor that allows the winch to counter-rotate, lightening the load on the drum and easing more harmoniously, effectively, and safely. Finally, a Clr 4000 series winch has been installed at the bow for warping during docking. 

All the lines are made by Gottifredi Maffioli and specially prepared by VelaMania. Paolo Torre, the company's technical director, explained, "Our work begins when the shipyard provides us with the mast and deck drawings with the maximum working loads they will experience during navigation. With these elements, we study the rigging and, in particular, the type of sheath to use for that rigging. The rigging is made of a Dyneema or polyester core, while for the outer sheath, there are many different types depending on the type of rigging and the accessories used: polyester, Technora, PBO, Cordura, Kevlar, and other materials. On most rigging, we also replace about two or three meters of the chosen sheath with a Dyneema sheath, which helps the line slide. There are also rigging, such as the gennaker halyard, which must resist abrasion on the winch during a quick lowering. A Technora sheath is usually chosen, as it can withstand high temperatures and is very durable." abrasion. The 128 uses captive winches for the mainsail and jib sheets, which require very stable lines that don't expand in diameter, which risks overlapping the lines. It's important to ensure that the supply is as readily available as possible around the world to be able to handle any emergency. A yacht like this requires approximately 500-600 kg of rope for the various rigging. Once the material is prepared, we not only ship it to the shipyard, but we also install and test it at sea to ensure all the choices made are correct. Of course, we are available 24 hours a day for any need.

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