Swede 55...a very sleek beauty

[dancrane]

I think I might have gone a lifetime without seeing this yacht, and I can find little enough about her online.

Does anybody know anything about her vintage, designer, displacement and history, and how many were built?

Is she related to the 'Sweden Yachts' company that grew popular in the 1980s?

I may have got the name of the marque wrong...possibly 'Swede Yacht', or just 'Swede 55'...

She's extremely elegant, very slender...

...I know, because I saw her on Sunday, on the Itchen...

Presumably this is her too, on Youtube?

 

[anoccasionalyachtsman]

55 square metres sail area and 52 feet of complete desirability. Penned by Johann Anker and I think 16 built. I lust after them, and very nearly made an offer on one (Rosina) in the US last year. The time wasn't right and it's on its way to Spain. I believe. I had no idea that there was one on the Itchen, I can feel an explore coming up next week! The downside is the accommodation, forced by the beautiful narrow beam there's no more room than a Contessa 32 in the forward area, and aft of the cockpit is a bed with sitting headroom and no floorspace. I don't care, the kids are grown ups. I'd also be looking at the helm load, because it's crying out for a tiller to clear the cockpit of the wheel and track.

 

[Bajansailor]

They certainly are very pretty yachts - but not designed with the 12 metre rule in marinas in mind!
Some more info about her here, including a general arrangement drawing - very slender, only 9'7" beam, and her forward accomodation is about on par with a Contessa 32, although the galley is a fair bit larger.

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/swede-55

 

[Laminar Flow]

Direct descendant of the Schaeren Kreuzer (Skerry cruiser). Fast & weatherly and never really intended to go offshore.

 

[KompetentKrew]

Reminds me of the Cayenne 42 I lusted over for a while when I was still dreaming of sailing.

One of those listed for sale at the time:

https://imgur.com/a/a8HvQhO

​

 

[Keith 66]

There was a Swede 55 in Dauntless boatyard recently, came in about 6 years back & hasnt moved since. Gorgeous boat.

 

[IAmCharlieC]

Knud Reimers design. Larger version of the S30. Stunning.

Swede 55

 

[anoccasionalyachtsman]

Knud Reimers design. Larger version of the S30. Stunning.

Swede 55

Oops, of course, I had just been rudely awoken by the cramp fairies when I attributed it to Anker.

 

[E39mad]

Used to be a Swede 55 out racing from the Hamble in the later 1980's early 1990's. Lovely looking boat.

 

[dancrane]

Lots of excellent information, thank you. I'm glad to know she wasn't a one-off.
She certainly is gloriously different from all today's high-volume designs and I especially like "hull speed 9 knots, maximum speed 22 knots".

 

[DJE]

I bet that's wet in a seaway!

 

[bedouin]

I remember lusting after a boat described as a Swede 75 - that was for sale at Berthon in Lymington several years ago. Confusingly that was 52' long.

Looking it up is seems it was the updated version of the Swede 55.

A beautiful boat but very little space in the cabin

 

[prv]

I had no idea that there was one on the Itchen, I can feel an explore coming up next week!

She's on the moorings off Quayside Marina, next door to Kemp's. I think she was already there when we moved into Kemp's in 2009, but looking a bit tatty and sad back then. I hadn't been back upriver there since we moved out of Kemp's, until I took up paddleboarding recently. I went past her the other day with the owner on board, and am pleased to see she's looking a lot smarter.

Pete

 

[[165264]]

What's the difference between a Swede and a Norwegian?

a. No one's been taken to A&E with a Norwegian stuck in their rectum.

 

[Bajansailor]

She's on the moorings off Quayside Marina, next door to Kemp's. I think she was already there when we moved into Kemp's in 2009, but looking a bit tatty and sad back then. I hadn't been back upriver there since we moved out of Kemp's, until I took up paddleboarding recently. I went past her the other day with the owner on board, and am pleased to see she's looking a lot smarter.

Pete

I am pretty sure I remember seeing her moored there in the 90's, or it might even have been the late 80's, when I used to sail with pals who kept their boat at Kemps.

 

[prv]

Fast & weatherly and never really intended to go offshore.

Certainly some advice on the Swedesail website seems to bear that out - don't top-off the water tank if you won't need all of it for the weekend, don't fit a windlass but stick with a small anchor you can lift by hand. All in the interests of keeping her light and fast. Can't be many 55-footers without a windlass nowadays!

It feels like she's a 30-footer at heart, stretched out beautifully over 55 feet of water.

Pete

 

[anoccasionalyachtsman]

She's on the moorings off Quayside Marina, next door to Kemp's. I think she was already there when we moved into Kemp's in 2009, but looking a bit tatty and sad back then. I hadn't been back upriver there since we moved out of Kemp's, until I took up paddleboarding recently. I went past her the other day with the owner on board, and am pleased to see she's looking a lot smarter.

Pete

Thanks, I'll have a little sail up next week if time and tide permit - it'd be good to see one in the flesh.

 

[Pasarell]

I spent a winter alongside her on the hard at Universal about 15 years ago. Looked beautiful in and out of the water. Owner was very pleasant but getting on a bit then. I moved into Quayside Boatyard the following year so able to keep an eye on her for a few years. Now I'm rarely in the UK but always have a look down as I drive over Northam Bridge. Not seen her for a while so good to hear she's still there and looking good

 

[Sail Skye]

We own a Swede 55 here in Cape Town South Africa one of the 2 in RCYC. Originally built in 1979 in Sweden and then shipped to the US known as Tumlare. I purchased her in November 2014 and had her shipped to SA as it was the safest. I have done a fair amount of upgrading to her over the past few years especially the rig and sail wardrobe making her easy to sail even single handed. We are about to start a cosmetic refit to restore her to her former beauty and finish off adding all the nice to have bits.

We have raced her extensively over the past few years mainly in the cruising devision of our club with good results all round and many podium positions on Wednesday nights. Sailing her is an absolute pleasure with no signs of a broach ever, Knud Reiner's definitely got the design spot on.