The square metre boat cruising variant Swede 55 delights sailors all around the globe. Although series production ended in 1979, with Gamle Swede as hull number 27 launched by Fisksätra Yard, 18 more boats followed. One of them, and the most interesting technically and in terms of sailing, is Cheyenne. Göran Lindgren got his dream boat for the Stockholm archipelago.
The result is a powerful and fun-to-sail boat with a heavier, deeper, and correspondingly effective 4.2-ton keel to counterbalance the substantial sail area. Nevertheless, at approximately 7.4 tons, Cheyenne became 350 kg lighter than Swede 55 designer Knud Reimers had planned in 1975. Further, she turned out significantly lighter than Fisksätra finally delivered Swede 55.
1,600 kg lighter, 800 kg more lead, 39 sqm more upwind sail area
Draft limited to 2,12 m and a long/crashsave keel – hull transition – Photo Göran Lindgren
The keel, designed by fluid dynamics expert Prof. Sven Olof Ridder (1929–2012), is thickened at the bottom, reminiscent of the last 12-metre America’s Cup designs, where the goal was to put the lead as deep as possible within limited draft. Note the long transition from the keel fin to the hull, with the bilge accommodating 190 litres of fresh water with a low centre of gravity. And in case it touches the granite of the Swedish archipelago, the forces are distributed well to the hull. Modern boats with short modern keel roots are usually severely damaged then.
Note the lead at the bottom of the keel fin – Photo Göran Lindgren
Cheyenne: Swede 55 reloaded
A slim boat relies on keel weight and on the lead put as low as possible below the hull. As the figures below with according ballast ratios reveal, Swede 55 was significantly heavier than designer Knud Reimers had intended. Cheyenne impressively adjusts this.
Swede 55 as planned
7.75 t
3.4 t, 44% Ballast ratio
Swede 55 as built
≈ 8.75 t
3.4 t, 39%
Swede 52 Cheyenne
7.15 t
4.2 t, 56%
The ballast ratio for a classy skerry cruiser like the 75 sqm boat Gustaf is 50 percent. At Swede 55, this ratio was reduced due to the construction method and concessions to cruising. On Cheyenne, it is nearly 60 percent. This is similar to the weight ratios of impressively stiff classic metre yachts. Owner Göran Lindgren reports that, according to precise measurements, the finished boat, including rig and sails, weighes a whopping 7.15 tons upon completion.
Details of Cheyennes construction
How is a boat about 1.6 tons lighter with 800 kg more lead possible? By building it using modern fibre composite technology with a reduced resin content, using a sandwich construction instead of heavy solid laminate. And by omitting everything unnecessary: the two inner shells housing the interior and making it nice, the teak interior, heavy tanks, the steering wheel, bow and stern pulpits with railings, and so on. The freeboard height indicates that Cheyenne floats significantly higher than the Swede 55 and also the Swede 75, two of which were built in 1988. As always in life, there is a price for the weight savings. The finish of the Fisksätra interior of Swede 55 is a lot nicer.
Further, the comparison of the general rig dimensions of Cheyenne and Swede 55 as built by Fisksätra from 1975 to 1979 reveals a lot.
General rigging dimensions
Swede 52 Cheyenne
Swede 55
Spar length
20.70 m
1.44 m
P (Luff mainsail)
17.50 m
15.20 m
E (Foot mainsail)
5.95 m
4.85 m
I (height headsail ∆)
16.51 m
13 m
T (headstay length)
13.70 m
J (headsail ∆ base)
4.92 m
4.40 m
height spinnaker hoist
17.40 m
≈ 13.25 m
Sail areas of Cheyenne and Swede 55
Here is a comparison of the sail areas and handicap of Cheyenne. The close-hauled sail area with mainsail and jib has grown from 74 to 113 m², with a correspondingly advanced rating.
Sail areas
Swede 52 Cheyenne
Swede 55
Main
68.28 m2
44 m2
Jib
44.89 m2
30 m2
Spinnaker
150.33 m2
130 m2
Code 0
100 m2
Up wind sail area
113.17 m2
74 m2
Weight/sail ratio, referring to 7,15 t
5.5
7.75 t = 4.34
Bei der Segeltragzahl handelt es sich um eine dimensionslose Zahl.(2√Segelfläche in m2 / 3√Verdrängung in t). Je höher der Wert, desto mehr Segelfläche hat das Boot im Verhältnis zur Verdrängung. Fahrtenyachten ≈ 3,5 – 4, moderne Boote ≈ 4,3 – 5. Die Segeltragzahl von Cheyenne entspricht der von modernen Regattabooten.
Der deutlich schwerere Fisksätra-Werftbau Gamle Swede von 1979 – Foto Swedesail
Carbon spar with swept spreaders
Sven Olof Ridder further advised Kåre Ljung regarding the design of the carbon fibre mast made by Marstrom Composites, which further contributes to the boat’s stiffness with roughly half the tube weight of a standard aluminium mast. As is common today, it was fitted with swept spreaders for sailing without runners and winches. This makes sailing in the narrow waters of the archipelago easy. Göran Lindgren enjoys sailing singlehanded.
The boat was built by Sören Lund, who had built two Swede 75s in 1988 and four Swede 41s in the mid-1990s.
Swede 52 Cheyenne mit pflegeleichtem Deck – Foto Göran Lindgren
Swede 55 uncluttered
Development and construction
2000–2002
Construction
Knud Reimers 1975
Underwater body, keel & rudder
Prof. Sven Olof Ridder 2000
Length
15,99 m
Beam
2,96 m
Draft
2,12 m
Lead
4,2 t
Water tank in keel fin
190 l
Volvo Penta/Saildrive
30 HP
Fuel tank
50 l
SRS handicap with Gennaker/Code 0
1,185 (measured 2024)
SRS handicap without Gennaker/Code 0
1,143 (measured 2024)
Stretched rudder of Swede 52 Cheyenne without skeg and Swede 55. Note the removed fin above the blade – Foto Göran Lindgren/Swedesail
The high aspect rudder blade was laminated in carbon by the composite specialist Marstrom in Västervik. It weighs 14 kg compared to the 82 kg of my rudder, which I repaired in 2013. The bottom line is that the Cheyenne version with tiller steering saves about 100 kg compared to the Fisksätra version (including quadrant, steering wires, pulleys, rudder beam, steering bracket, and wheel). One of several contributions to an agile boat. You can find details about the Fisksätra rudder here. And if you looker closer, you note that the original fin above the rudder was removed.
The Rudder is nearly a deep as the keel – Photo Göran Lindgren
This is how Cheyenne turned out a fifth lighter, while powered by 150 percent of the original. Watching the clip, you will note how nice the aft overhang extends above the sea and how easily Cheyenne moves through the water.
Swede 55, 75 and 52
Don’t get confused by the three type designations. It is essentially one, the Swede 55 hull. The 55 was derived from the nominal sail area according to the skerry cruiser rule: Mainsail ∆ + 85% of the headsail ∆ = 55 sqm. When the boat was rigged with a significantly longer mast in the late 1980s, it was then called Swede 75, following this logic.
The type designation Swede 52 now refers to the boat’s length in feet. I suggested this during my sales work in the mid-1990s, when I received inquiries for Swede 75 from clients believing it was a 75-foot boat.
