Only 76 Swan 44s were ever built. Nanea is number 74.
That detail alone tells you something about where this yacht sits. Built in 1974 by the Nautor yard in Finland to a Sparkman & Stephens design, the Swan 44 is one of the most respected offshore production yachts of its era. At 52 years old, Nanea carries that heritage in every detail, from her navy blue hull with waterline pinstripes to the full-length teak deck running stem to stern. She is, as the saying goes, the real McCoy.
In 1991, Practical Sailor put it plainly: “Nautor construction is as good as it gets for a production boat, and the S&S design is truly timeless.” More than five decades on, that assessment has not dated.
The construction tells the story. The hull is a solid uncored laminate of roving and chopped strand mat, stiffened by three full-length longitudinal stringers with all furniture securely bonded in place. The deck is a fibreglass and balsa sandwich. The hull-to-deck joint is bolted through an anodised aluminium toerail and glassed over on the inside, a detail that speaks to the build quality Nautor brought to every boat that left the yard. These are not yachts that were put together in a hurry.
As a racing design, the Swan 44 was drawn with performance in mind. The type carries a PHRF rating of around 84 with the tall rig, and with her sail wardrobe in order, Nanea can take that number to the line. The masthead sloop was designed to carry a foretriangle of just over 534 square feet and a mainsail of around 395 square feet, giving a total sail area of 930 square feet. She has a hull speed of 7.8 knots and displaces 12,701 kg, with 5,715 kg of that as lead ballast. She is a stiff, heavy boat that rewards good sailing and handles rough offshore conditions with authority. Nanea, as hull 74, benefits from the additional ballast fitted to boats built after hull 64, giving a positive stability range of 130 degrees, the number that matters when the weather deteriorates.
On deck, Nanea presents well. The navy hull is clean, the teak deck is in good order, and her black canvas dodger and solar arch with panels aft give her a purposeful, well-set-up look. She also has an in-boom furling system, making it easy to raise and lower the mainsail single-handed, a practical upgrade that adds genuine convenience without compromising the classic lines. The overall impression is of a sleek, tidy yacht that has been looked after.
Below, the layout is comfortable and well considered. Accommodation runs to eight berths: a double V-berth in the bow cabin, two settee berths and two pilot berths in the main cabin, and two single aft berths. The main cabin has headroom of around six feet two inches, with a varnished traditional timber interior balanced by white furnishings that keep the space feeling warm without being oppressive. It is traditional in character, and a new owner with a taste for something slightly more contemporary would find plenty to work with. Importantly, storage is generous and accessible throughout.
The galley sits on the port side just forward of the companionway, L-shaped and well equipped: a gimballed two-burner stove, an icebox, a double sink, and a more modern fridge. It is a practical working galley, well positioned for offshore cooking. Opposite, the navigation station is on the starboard side: a large chart table, a comfortable seat, and a tidy, well-organised setup. The head is located just aft of the companionway steps on the starboard side.
Nanea has spent much of her life in New Zealand, passing through a succession of owners who have treated her accordingly. The teak decks have been replaced, the engine is a 2017 Yanmar with just 380 hours on it, and the sail wardrobe has been upgraded for both racing and extended cruising. She came out of the water for fresh antifoul in October 2025.
For anyone wanting to understand the life this yacht has lived, there is an older blog at nanea.wordpress.com that follows her history in detail. Although last updated in January 2012, it makes for worthwhile reading.
The Swan 44 does not need a great deal of selling. The type’s reputation carries the weight. Boats of this lineage hold their value, turn heads in any anchorage, and go offshore without reservation. Nanea is one of the last of 76 ever built, and she is ready to sail.
Nanea is asking NZD $150,000 and is listed through Busfield Marine in Auckland.
Contact: boats@busfieldmarine.co.nz or 09 376 4006.
