There are 11 Swan 46’s with CB keel, draught 1.7/ 2.9 m, same ballast weight, rudder area is 9% smaller.

1. The long and low CB lead keel is much stronger in case of grounding. The board is of GRP, and hinged so it folds up if touching the ground. The boat sails quite well also without the board. There a some details not found on other boats – the lifting pennant is a continuous loop, and can be hauled around for inspection of its entire length, and there are adjustable guides in the CB slot enabling play to be adjusted thereby eliminating noise from the board. Early boats have the board lifting system visible in the saloon, later a hidden hydraulic system.

2. With equal rig lengths the CB is about 7 seconds per mile slower according to IMS GPH. A more detailed comparison can be made provided suitable IMS certificates are found.

3. It is not known that conversions were made. The existing keel plinth needs to be made wider and longer for the CB keel, and the entire bilge emptied for access to the inside, also under the engine. 

5. The mast step is the same, but bolt spacing may differ. Added steel floors aft for the longer keel attachment.

4. The builder has the drawings, but it is unlikely that they would be available. Here a side view found on the web. 

For some reason the rudder is standard depth, this is not correct. Regards, Lars

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I am in the process to by a Swan 46 Mk1, therefore I have been investigating the pros & cons with the Swan 46 CB version vs. the standard 2,5 meter keel.
I have the following questions:
1. How reliable/strong is the CB solution for longdistance sailing.
2. Is there any performance differences?
3. Has anyone converted a standard 46 to a 46 CB version. (Is it realistic?)
4. Is there any drawings or photos of the centerboard solution?
5. Is the steelframe the same in the CB version for keel fixation?
Stefan