Nautor Swan occupies a particular place in yachting: the yard that builds proper sailing yachts for owners who actually sail. The Swan 88, at 28.27 metres, is its answer to the owner who wants maxi-yacht volume and genuine offshore capability without commissioning a full custom build. It is also, in its first hull, a quiet technology statement: DreamCatcher launched in 2024 with a hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system, and the installation won the Eco Award at the BOAT International Design and Innovation Awards.
The platform
The numbers describe a serious sailing machine. The hull is SPRINT pre-preg carbon fiber with a Corecell core, displacing 54,100 kg with 15,050 kg of ballast. The rig is carbon throughout, with 432.7 square metres of upwind sail area and 926 square metres downwind under gennaker. Naval architecture is by German Frers, with deck engineering by Lucio Micheletti of Micheletti+Partners and interiors by Misa Poggi.
Keel options tell you who this boat is for: a standard 4.0 metre fin, a telescopic keel ranging from 3.0 to 4.60 metres for cruising grounds with thin water, and a racing keel for the owner who wants to be competitive. The hull was kept deliberately under the 24 metre waterline threshold, which keeps chartering under less restrictive MCA rules, a canny commercial decision.
Specifications
| Builder | Nautor Swan, Finland |
|---|---|
| Length overall | 28.27 m (92 ft 9 in) |
| Beam | 6.79 m (22 ft 3 in) |
| Construction | Carbon fiber composite |
| Upwind sail area | 432.7 sqm |
| Downwind sail area | 926 sqm |
| Engine | Cummins 172 kW diesel; hybrid electric option |
| Displacement | 54,100 kg |
| Fuel / water | 2,800 l / 1,500 l |
| Design | German Frers (naval architecture), Micheletti+Partners, Misa Poggi (interior) |
Under sail and power
Yachting World's review placed the 88 at the top of the semi-custom maxi scene, and the sailing figures explain why: this is a yacht that will genuinely sail at wind speed in moderate airs and stay comfortable doing it. Under power, the hybrid first hull offers silent electric maneuvering in harbour, the feature owners notice every single day, while the conventional Cummins installation remains available for the pragmatist.
Below decks, the layout is owner's-forward with guest cabins amidships and crew aft, in the Swan tradition of yachts designed to be sailed by their owners with a small professional crew rather than run as floating hotels.
The verdict
The Swan 88 is not trying to be all things. It is for the owner who measures a yacht in passages sailed rather than anchorages visited, and who wants the build quality and resale logic of a series yacht with near-custom sailing performance. A new 2026 hull was publicly listed at EUR 11,750,000 ex. VAT. In a market full of motorsailers pretending to be sailing yachts, the 88 is the real thing.
What we have and have not done
This review is based on published specifications, builder documentation, and Yachting World's boat test. Yacht & Ocean has not sailed this yacht. Cabin counts vary by hull fit-out.
The hybrid first hull
The first hull, DreamCatcher, launched with a diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system with silent electric maneuvering, and the installation won the Eco Award at the BOAT International Design and Innovation Awards. The engineering package is serious: SPRINT pre-preg carbon fiber with a Corecell M-grade core, 54,100 kg displacement with 15,050 kg of ballast, a standard 4.0-metre fin keel with a telescopic 3.0 to 4.60-metre option, and a 172 kW Cummins diesel for the conventional installations.
The design team is a roll call: naval architecture by German Frers, deck engineering by Lucio Micheletti and Micheletti+Partners, interiors by Misa Poggi. The waterline is kept deliberately under 24 metres so the yacht charters under less restrictive MCA rules, a commercial detail that will matter to owners who want the boat to earn. A 2024 brokerage hull was listed at EUR 9,506,000 excluding VAT; a new 2026 hull, number 003, was publicly listed at EUR 11,750,000 excluding VAT.
Photography: Don Ramey Logan via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Representative image, not the reviewed yacht.
