Beneteau Swift Trawler 30, the Pocket Swift Explained

The Beneteau Swift Trawler 30 in the Swift family tree

The Swift Trawler line grew from the original 42, which Motor Boat & Yachting tested in 2004, and between 2003 and 2020 Beneteau delivered more than 1,300 Swift Trawlers. The Beneteau Swift Trawler 30 was the youngest member, launched in Europe late in 2015 and shown in the US at Yachts Miami Beach in February 2016. Soundings called it the fifth boat in a fleet that then included a flybridge 34, a sedan 34, a 44 and a 50.

BoatTEST described the mission as the Swift Trawler 34's layout in a reduced envelope, aimed at couples who always wanted the cruising life but could not quite afford it, with a starting price under $300,000. The boat stayed in the range for about five years. Motor Boat & Yachting notes it was retired around 2020 and never directly replaced; the Swift Trawler 35 became the entry point.

A deep forefoot that behaves at both speeds

Beneteau Power and the MICAD studio drew a semi-displacement hull with a near vertical stem, a deep forefoot and 20.6 degrees of transom deadrise, per Boating's test. That shape gives the boat two personalities. At slow speeds the draft and forefoot keep it tracking with minimal wheel input, and around the dock they add enough lateral resistance to give the skipper a beat between maneuvers in a gusty slip. On plane it runs like a small express cruiser.

Boating highlighted two economical cruising speeds rather than one, a displacement pace and a planing pace, and said the boat behaves well at both. A single engine makes thrusters important, and Motor Boat & Yachting called the optional stern thruster, along with the bow thruster, highly advisable.

Single Volvo D6 numbers from three tests

Boating's test boat had a 370 hp Volvo Penta D6 and topped out at a little over 26 mph, about 23 knots. It cruised easily at 23 mph, or 20 knots, burning 16 gallons an hour, and stayed on plane down to 2,500 rpm and 13 mph, useful when slowing for a head sea. The engine reached 3,650 rpm against a 3,500 rpm rating, which the magazine took as evidence of correct propping. Soundings reported about 23 knots top, a 15 knot cruise and roughly 200 nautical miles of range; Beneteau itself quoted about 200 miles at 14 to 15 knots.

Motor Boat & Yachting's owner-review boat, also D6-370 powered, topped out at just over 20 knots, a reminder that real boats with full tanks, gear and a dirty bottom run slower than new test boats. Beneteau's 2020 list shows a 380 hp D6 as standard and caps engine power at 380 hp, while Motor Boat & Yachting mentions D4-300 and D6-480 variants, so confirm the actual engine and its rating on any boat you inspect.

• Top speed: about 23 knots (Boating and Soundings)
• Fast cruise: 20 knots at 16 gph (Boating)
• Minimum planing speed: 2,500 rpm, about 11 knots (Boating)
• Range: about 200 nm at 14 to 15 knots (Beneteau)

One cabin with a real shower, or two cabins

The key layout decision on a Swift Trawler 30 is below the waterline. In the one-cabin version, the head and washbasin are to starboard and a separate shower room is to port; Motor Boat & Yachting thought both spaces more generous than on many larger boats, and Beneteau marketed the arrangement as rare in the category. In the two-cabin version, the shower room becomes a compact bunk cabin, fine for a weekend with children but not much more. Beneteau's 2020 list also shows a one-cabin version with a workshop in that space.

The owner's cabin forward has a king-size berth on gas struts over a large locker and hanging lockers on both sides. Boating liked that the vertical stem and hull depth allow the berth to sit at residential height rather than as a perch, and Soundings measured 6 ft 4 in of headroom in the stateroom. The saloon settee converts into a double, so the boat can sleep up to six with the second cabin.

Deckhouse, cockpit and a flybridge without a dinghy

In the deckhouse, the lower helm is to starboard opposite an L-shaped galley with a two-burner hob and oven, so the cook and the skipper can talk on passage. A three-panel glass door opens the deckhouse to the cockpit, and a sliding door at the helm gives instant access to the starboard side deck. Motor Boat & Yachting found the dinette table heavy to move when accessing the engine and the wood-effect floor slippery when wet.

Aft, the transom opens to the swim platform and, by Beneteau's figures, adds about 5 square meters to the cockpit, turning it into a terrace over the water; fold-down seats can be mounted on the transom doors. The flybridge ladder hinges up against the deckhouse to free cockpit space. Up top there is a single helm, which folds flat to reduce air draft, facing a C-shaped settee. There is no room for a tender on the bridge, so Beneteau fitted retracting davits in the transom corners. There is also no wet bar or grill up top.

Great Loop potential and sea state limits

Boating considered the boat as suited to a couple planning the Great Loop as to a family harbor hopping on weekends, and the numbers help: a 3 ft 5 in draft, 185 gallons of diesel and a bridge clearance Boating listed at 11 ft 7 in. Beneteau's 16 ft 11 in maximum air draft is measured to the top of the radar mast, which lifts off.

The limit is weather. Short flybridge boats roll when the sea builds, and Motor Boat & Yachting's owner said he starts thinking about heading home above Force 4 and slows from about 15 to 10 knots when it gets lumpy. Treat the Swift Trawler 30 as a coastal and inland cruiser that can make open-water hops in a good forecast.

Buying a used Swift Trawler 30

Expect asking prices of about $170,000 to $260,000. Look for boats with both thrusters, a generator if you need air conditioning, documented Volvo D6 servicing including heat exchanger and aftercooler maintenance, and the layout that suits your crew. Annual costs, including slip, insurance, haul-out and engine service, typically run from $14,000 to $28,000.