Palmer Johnson 55
Description
The Palmer Johnson 55 refers to a classic racer-cruiser sailboat that is the US-market variant of the Swan 55 (also marketed as Swan 53 or Palmer Johnson 53 in some contexts), designed by Sparkman & Stephens (S&S design, circa 1970) and built by Nautor in Finland with importation, marketing, and some finishing handled by Palmer Johnson in the United States during the early 1970s. It features fiberglass construction, a fin keel with skeg-hung rudder, and was available in both sloop and yawl rig configurations (the yawl often associated with the "Swan 55" name), emphasizing strong offshore performance, seaworthiness, and luxurious teak-interior cruising accommodations suitable for long-distance passages and competitive racing under contemporary rules; production was limited as part of the Swan 55 series (total Swan 55 hulls around 20–25, with a subset handled as PJ versions), now long out of production but prized as a timeless S&S classic with excellent build quality.
Construction Details
| Designer | Sparkman and Stephens |
|---|---|
| Builder | Nautor Swan (Finland) |
| Length | 54.630 ft |
| LOA | 54.630 ft |
| LWL | 38.500 ft |
| Beam | 14.670 ft |
| Displacement | 45600 lb |
| Ballast | 18000 lb |
| Max Draft | 8.000 ft |
| Year Built | 1970 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 61.59 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 20.30 ft |
| p | 55.50 ft |
| e | 20.50 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61.59 ft | 20.30 ft | 55.50 ft | 20.50 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Palmer Johnson 55 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 55.5 ft - (16916 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 20.5 ft - (6248 mm) |
| Leech | * 58.32 ft - (17776 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 58.49 ft - (17828 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | 568.33 ft² |
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Palmer Johnson 55 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 51.88 ft - (15813 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 27.02 ft - (8236 mm) |
| Leech | * 44.83 ft - (13664 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 23.35 ft - (7117 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | 605.53 ft² |
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Palmer Johnson 55 - GENOA
| Luff | * 61.61 ft - (18779 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 32.9 ft - (10028 mm) |
| Leech | * 57.82 ft - (17624 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 30.45 ft - (9281 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | 938.02 ft² |
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Palmer Johnson 55 - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 61.61 ft - (18779 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 36.54 ft - (11137 mm) |
| Foot | * 36.54 ft - (11137 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | 1913.54 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.
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