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Grand Soleil GS 52 LCvsNautor Swan Swan 51

GS 52 LC is the heaviest at 44,754 lb, 13% more than Swan 51. Swan 51 draws the least water, 6.7 ft — 1.5 ft less than GS 52 LC. Swan 51 carries the most sail for its weight (SA/D 21.8, Performance); GS 52 LC the least (18.7, Cruiser).

Anyone with the link sees this comparison.

Key differences

Worked out from the published figures below — arithmetic, not opinion.

At a glance

Dark icons are the standard layout; faded ones are what the larger layout adds.

Length : beam is length divided by beam — the higher it is, the slimmer the hull. Multihulls read low by nature.

A figure marked with a quote mark was read from the builder's page. Open it for the exact line, the page and the date.

Model
GS 52 LC underway

Grand Soleil

GS 52 LC
Hull

Nautor Swan

Swan 51
Overview
BrandGrand SoleilNautor Swan
ModelGS 52 LCSwan 51
GenerationUnknownUnknown
Hull typeSailing MonohullSailing Monohull
PropulsionSailSail
Production statusIn productionIn production
Production start yearUnknownUnknown
Production end yearUnknownUnknown
DesignerUnknownLucio Micheletti
Dimensions
LOA55.7 ft55.4 ft
Hull length52.8 ft51 ft
Beam16.1 ft15.9 ft
Draft8.2 ft6.7 ft–8 ft
Displacement44,754 lb39,683 lb
Accommodation
Cabins33
HeadsUnknown2
Berths6Unknown
Performance & Rig
Main sailUnknown861 ft²
JibUnknown722 ft²
GenoaUnknownUnknown
Upwind sail area1,475 ft²Unknown
Downwind sail areaUnknownUnknown
Engine power75 hp–110 hp80 hp
Engine count11
Materials
Hull materialUnknownUnknown
Deck materialUnknownUnknown
Mast materialUnknownUnknown
Keel typeUnknownUnknown
Rudder typeUnknownUnknown
Sources

Figures read fromwww.grandsoleil.net/products/gs-52-lc· TECHNICAL INFOread 9/22/2026

9 of 10 figures here carry the builder's own words

11 of 12 figures here carry the builder's own words

Size, to scale

Each boat's published length and beam seen from above, and its mast height and draft from the side, all drawn on one scale.

From above — length × beam
0 ft10 ft20 ft30 ft40 ft50 ftGS 52 LC: 55.7 ft × 16.1 ftSwan 51: 55.4 ft × 15.9 ftGS 52 LC55.7 ft × 16.1 ftSwan 5155.4 ft × 15.9 ft

Outlines are schematic; the dimensions are the builder's.

From the side — height above and depth below the water
WaterlinePerson, 5.9 ftGS 52 LC: air draft not published / 8.2 ftair draft not published8.2 ftGS 52 LCSwan 51: air draft not published / 8 ftair draft not published8 ftSwan 51

Drawings side by side

Each boat's layouts, profiles and sail plans as its builder published them. Step through each column to line up the drawings you want to compare.

No drawings collected yet for GS 52 LC.

Speed, power & tanks

What the builders publish about how fast, how strong and how far — each figure on one scale for every boat.

Tanks

One scale per liquid across every boat: a tank twice the height holds twice as much.

  • GS 52 LC

    Fuel79 gal
    Water159 gal

    26 gal of water per berth

  • Swan 51

    Fuel172 gal
    Water132 gal

How they sail, in numbers

Classic yacht-design ratios worked out from each builder's published figures. They compare boats; they don't grade them.

Sail area / displacement

How much sail the boat carries for its weight — its power in light air.

ModestCruiserPerformanceRacing162024GS 52 LC: 18.7Swan 51: 21.8
  • GS 52 LC18.7· Cruiser
  • Swan 5121.8· Performance
How it is worked out

sail area (ft²) ÷ (displacement as ft³ of seawater)^⅔

GS 52 LC: published upwind sail area

Swan 51: mainsail + jib, added up

Displacement / length

How heavy the boat is for its waterline length. Lower is lighter and quicker; higher is steadier and roomier.

UltralightLightModerateHeavyVery heavy100180270350Swan 51: 159
  • GS 52 LCnot published: waterline length
  • Swan 51159· Light
How it is worked out

displacement (long tons) ÷ (0.01 × waterline length in ft)³

Ballast ratio

The share of the weight carried in the keel — a rough guide to stiffness, though how deep that weight sits matters as much.

LowModerateHigh3040Swan 51: 35
  • GS 52 LCnot published: ballast
  • Swan 5135· Moderate
How it is worked out

ballast ÷ displacement × 100

Comfort ratio

Ted Brewer's measure of how gently a boat moves in a seaway. Higher means a slower, easier motion.

LightCoastalModerate offshoreHeavy offshoreVery heavy20304050Swan 51: 30.3
  • GS 52 LCnot published: waterline length
  • Swan 5130.3· Moderate offshore
How it is worked out

displacement (lb) ÷ (0.65 × (0.7 × LWL + 0.3 × LOA) × beam^1.333), lengths in ft

Capsize screening

A guide from the inquiry after the 1979 Fastnet race: below 2 was taken as suited to ocean passages. It ignores hull shape and where the ballast sits.

Below 22 and above2GS 52 LC: 1.81Swan 51: 1.87
  • GS 52 LC1.81· Below 2
  • Swan 511.87· Below 2
How it is worked out

beam (ft) ÷ (displacement as ft³ of seawater)^⅓

Hull speed

Roughly the speed a displacement hull reaches before it has to climb its own bow wave.

  • GS 52 LCnot published: waterline length
  • Swan 519.3 kn
How it is worked out

1.34 × √(waterline length in ft), in knots

Most builders publish a light displacement. The ratios were defined on a loaded boat, so every boat here reads a little lighter than a surveyor's figure would — all alike, which keeps them comparable.

Worth adding to this comparison

The boats most like the ones above, by hull form, size and use.