Swede 68
Classic Swedish Yachts – SWEDE
Heroes come and go, but legends are forever
Swede 68 – The flagship representative of Scandinavian design heritage. The most exquisite lines and materials combined for the benefit of the sophisticated sailor. “The thrill of sailing” taken to the next level. The luxurious Swede 68 has production-ready 3D drawings. Designer: Håkan Södergren.
Measurement:20,78 x 4.40m
Draft2.75m
Displacement18.3 tons
Keel Wight7.10 tons (39%)
BuiltTo CE Class A (Ocean)
Sail surface206+ m2
Legacy
CSY is firmly rooted in the Swedish/Scandinavian sailing boat designs originating 1907 and resulting in the famous Skerry Cruisers. CSY is today a yacht development company within the niche segment of “Spirit of Tradition” building modern lightweight classics. The company was founded by Olof Hildebrand, a board member of the Royal Swedish Yacht Club for 70 years. Read more about the heritage legacy of the Swede yachts.
One of the holy grails in a yacht designer’s life is to find the quality of line. Lines that speak to the heart as well as to the mind. This is what turns design into art and a yacht into a legend.
Sometimes these perfect lines have already been drawn. They are called “classic”
The classic Scandinavian Skerry cruiser designs had that quality of line, hence why they became so popular around the world as day-sailors.
How it all started 1907
Everything started in 1907, when the Swedish Sailing Federation established a committee to design a national racing yacht class. This created sleek designs called Skerry Cruisers. Renowned as beautiful and fast, they were easily handled and offered a superb performance and an exhilarating thrill of sailing Just like the timeless classic lines of for example the J-class has its roots back in racing, so does the Scandinavian classic lines. And today, Classic Swedish Yachts, with its long lineage of Scandinavian designers, is the only custodian of Scandinavian classic design heritage producing new yachts.
Classic Swedish Yachts begins with great wins
In 1973 Olof gathered a team of highly renowned Swedish sailors and discussed what qualities should be built into a modern classic family cruiser. These discussions resulted in what became the Swede 55/75/52. They successfully raced in some of the world’s most difficult ocean races and won. They not only won, but set new records in both the Transpac race and the Bermuda race, both under very harsh conditions.
Legendary Designers
Swede 41’s lines were originally drawn by Knud H Reimers, Scandinavia’s most influential yacht designer. The 1970´s so-called S30 following the Skerry cruiser rule of measurement. Olof was the one who took the lines of the S30 and together with Reimers turned it into the elegant and exhilarating day-sailor Swede 41.
Another great name was involved in refining the underwater body and designing the keel- Sven-Olof Ridder. Ridder, perhaps the most understated yacht designer in the world is the innovator of the canting keel and the much copied B&R rig identified by its swept-back spreaders and lack of a backstay. Ridder was also the man behind the “Thursday Child” who became the mother of all IMOCA 60’s. And what very few know is that Ridder was the brain behind the space-frame system on Ron Hollands perhaps most famous designs: “IMP”. The “IMP” was also one of the first to use the B&R rig. And Håkan Södergren, one of Scandinavia’s leading yacht designers for some of the most well-known boat builders in Scandinavia, Northern Europe and USA, designed the soon to be legendary Swede 68 that was turned into 3D art by his talented son Oscar Södergren.