IOR Influence on Swan 37
Hello all...without you knowing it, all of your posts helped me make a purchase decision on a Swan 37...so thank you!

I am the new owner of Hull #015, currently not named. The previous names were Columbine, then changed to The World Is Mad. I have been fortunate to speak to prior owners, as well as crew past members when the boat was raced in the Race to Mackinak (lake Michigan) a few years in the late 80's and 90's, best I can tell...

Anyway, on to my question. I have read a lot about the IOR influence on sailing performance. I have read that some boats 'suffer' the negative aspects more than others.

I read that the SS designed boats did not aggressively sacrafice sail quality to push the limits of the rules.

Was the Swan 37 built as an IOR race boat or was it designed and marketed as more of a Racer/Cruiser?

If it was designed as an IOR race boat, were the builders of the time, late 60's and very early 70's building boats that were aggressively styled to maximize and take advantage of the rules...I ask as maybe, if the boat was designed as a racer, but the designs of that era were not too drastic, then my boat will still exhibit nice sailing qualities...

For some background, I purchased the boat to sail in the San Francisco bay...I have a wife and twin 12 year old daughters, none of which are 'sailors', but take command well and respect the dangers of sailing. I will not race, perhaps a social beer can 'race' and I will not fly a spinnaker, kite etc....just day sail with perhaps an overnight up the coast a bit when weather models look ideal for a long window...The boat is rigged with a larger than desired Genoa for the San Francisco Bay, so, this will have to go, or get furled beyond an appreciable shape...

Thanks again for all that contribute as this is a valuable resource to us few remaining babysitter of these fine vessels!

Dear acastell
The IOR heydays were around 1977, then boats needed bumps on the hull, a flat bottomed forebody, and a low stability range in order to rate well.
The stability issue was corrected after Fastnet 1979, unfortunately after some loss of life, and new rating rules made the other features obsolete.
Swan 37 was designed 1969, some ten years earlier, and does not have the mentioned IOR "developments".
S&S used their experience to create a coordinated design without bowing too much towards the rating rule of the day. She is a stiff boat, this can be felt as fairly high sheet and halyard loads.
Kind regards
Lars

Thank you so much for your repsponse! This is refreshing to hear...