The Swan Shadow and Swan OverShadow projects are no longer idiosyncrasies for Nautor Swan. The 56-year-old sailing-yacht builder is pouring more resources into the Nautor Swan Motor Yacht division, with a few more superyacht tenders and dayboat models to come. “The entry into the motoryacht segment makes Nautor Swan a very complete brand, able to respond to any need of the market,” asserts Giovanni Pomati, Nautor Group’s CEO.
Leonardo Ferragamo, Nautor Swan’s chairman, explains, “Power is something that we have been asked for many years to launch—many, many years.” He adds, “We always resisted this temptation, basically also for the respect that we have for so many in the industry.” It was further important, Ferragamo notes, to bring something different to the market if it were to build power projects. During the early months of the pandemic, he and the Nautor Swan team began discussing how to do this. The discussions led to the first Swan Shadow (below), an outboard-powered project, debuting in 2021. The vision was for a superyacht tender, especially for a Swan Maxi yacht. Soon, though, they realized owners also might like her as a dayboat or weekender.
Today, Swan Shadows are in the hands of owners throughout Europe, the United States, and Asia. That success led to the creation of the Swan OverShadow (below) as an expansion of the range. She’s an inboard-powered version, with the same hull design, hitting the water in July. She has more below-decks space for accommodations and therefore caters to longer trips. Similar to the Swan Shadow, deck arrangements are changeable. High or low wrap-around windscreens are available, for example, as are foredeck sunpads and hull colors. A big advantage, however, is the swim platform, which raises and lowers, too. Outboard boats simply cannot offer a full platform nor this flexibility.
Additionally, power yachts overwhelmingly dominate the boat-buying landscape, especially in the United States. “When we launched the (Swan Shadow) model, we never thought to have a serial production,” says Roy Capasso, the Nautor Swan Motor Yacht division commercial director. “Today, with the feedback received, we are creating a proper range.”
Although model names and specifics aren’t yet available, “We’re proceeding with baby steps, studying the segment, listening to the clients,” Capasso continues. “After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
Furthermore, construction is taking place entirely in Italy, a significant move. Nautor Swan’s headquarters are in Finland, but motoryacht know-how is firmly closer to the Med, the management team believes. A shipyard named Oversea, which has built and serviced powerboats for decades, is the partner. It will house a dedicated production area, naturally with the name Casa Shadow. Mercury, which supplies engines for Swan Shadow, and Volvo Penta, which supplies them for OverShadow, remain involved. Other suppliers do, too, as does Jarkko Jämsén, the designer behind the Shadow and OverShadow.
“Great design is always a collaboration, and the Swan motoryacht division is no exception,” Jämsén says. “Together, we are a team of mixed nationalities, so you know it’s going to be fun.”
Look for the next Swan Shadow to appear at the Cannes Yachting Festival. The Swan OverShadow, meanwhile, will appear at FLIBS.
Nautor Swan nautorswan.com
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