As an owner you will experience a boat which is fast in light winds, but still capable of sailing at close to full speed even in conditions where the sail power is beyond the optimum. This capability of being able to handle very different wind conditions, without an immediate adjustment of the sail area to keep the boat on its feet, is equally important to the cruising family as it is to the race crew. The more experienced owner will find that despite being a comfortable cruiser with a rich interior, the boat can still win races. An optimized keel, tall rig and high quality deck gear all combine give the owner and crew a rewarding sail. Powerful winches and extensive use of ballbearing blocks makes easy handling. The ergonomically shaped cockpit is comfortable for cruising as well as racing.
Deep heavy keels combined with well balanced hulls produce boats with high stability and good control. This gives the helmsman and crew a feeling of safety and being in control even in adverse conditions.
The Elan 37 has a unique interior layout. Despite being a 3 cabin yacht, it has a full width saloon, large toilet, generous galley and a forward facing chart table. These features are unprecedented in the 37 feet size. The deck layout is equally suited to family cruising as well as racing. Care has been taken to ensure excellent ergonomics for helmsman and crew. The cockpit coamings are perfectly shaped to ensure that both race crew and family members feel comfortable and safe. All control lines are easily accessible and the large diameter wheel makes steering a pleasure.

“The Elan 37’s fine entry, long waterline, high stability and refined appendages will make her really sparkle upwind, while her clean lines and generous afterbody will make her similarly slippery downwind. And with careful management of the forces acting through rig and appendages I expect the boat to be extremely responsive and forgiving to steer.” Bob Humphrys, designer of the Elan 37.

The Elan 45 - The perfect blue - water sailing yacht…Designed by top international yacht designer Rob Humphreys, the Elan range succeeds in combining modern technology and expertise with a respect for tradition, elegance and stylish good looks. When a designer of this calibre joins forces with a shipyard with more than thirty years of boat building experience, the results are bound to be impressive.

The deck layout reflects the many years of designing, building and sailing experience that were put together to conceive this boat. The clean deck features the very best deck hardware available, while the ergonomically designed cockpit guarantees comfort for both the crew and the skipper. The twin wheels steering system offers both a perfect position for the helmsman and excellent access to the well thought-out bathing platform.

The Elan 45 has a large cockpit with wide, comfortable, almost flat coamings, twin wheels, wide sidedecks and a generous foredeck . The helm’s twin wheels afford a comfortable steering position with good forward vision from the sidedeck. The crew can sit out on the wide coamings, or stay comfortable and dry on the cockpit seats.

The concept of Elan 45 is to offer five different layouts to choose from on the same hull; two different choices for the bow section, stern section and deck. All this, together with the availability of custom built solutions, enables the Elan 45 to become unique, a truly outstanding yacht with an individual character of your choice.

The subtle wooden finish interior is stylish, well proportioned and complemented with a very high standard. The saloon, aft and forward cabins are big, comfortable and well thought out. There is plenty of natural light and a good selection of stowage options. You sail because you enjoy it, so you want to be safe, comfortable, relaxed and preferably fast as well. The new Elan 45 is a spacious, big boat which manages to combine a great level of comfortable accommodation with an efficient sailing performance on all points of sail.

Rob Humphreys on the Elan 45: ”The Elan 45 fits very comfortably into the area of design in which we have enjoyed considerable success over the years, the territory of the fast cruising yacht than can also win races. As a moderate displacement yacht there is weight provision for a robust construction with Germanischer Lloyd certification, without being so heavy that the owner will miss out on the exhilaration and acceleration that can come from modern yacht design.”

Yachting Life Magazine on the Elan 45: “The Elan 45 has a gently distinctive sheer sweeping up to the bow, the beam is carried well forward and back into the stern to produce a well proportioned hull of surprising volume.”

Elan and Humphreys Design have created a robust, attractive performance cruiser. Stylish lines conceal a technical structure more than capable of dealing with the forces that will come her way, so that you can feel safe and sail fast and comfortably in any kind of weather. The hull is a very clean, undistorted form with a powerful transom to produce an easy delivery of the displaced water so that there is no great build up of quarter wave. The speed potential is high; for example, at just 2,500 r.p.m., the Elan test team were very pleased to note a speed of over 9 knots. Under sail in trade wind conditions she will be capable of much more, and with a steering sensitivity that allows the helmsman to place her where he wants her. The entry is moderately fine consistent with the needs of generous forward accommodation, and she should be able to slice upwind in a seaway very adequately. Being a long waterline boat, her motion will feel like that of a much bigger boat, reducing fatigue levels and producing a very healthy base speed for really fast passage-making.

Beauty…craftsmanship… tradition…durability…speed…technology…Eperience the best that sailing has to offer - yachts combining modern know-how and classic craftsmanship. Elan - the synthesis of tradition and innovation.

At Elan they recognise that sailing is all about tradition. Of course, after thirty years of building sailing yachts, Elan is all about tradition, too. Their long-term experience and expertise ranges from sailplanes to ski-jumping, and from alpine skiing to sailing. In all these fields they have learned to combine modern know-how and classic craftsmanship to build high-quality products. But tradition alone is not enough. Today’s discerning yachtsmen expect more from a yard than an impressive history with stories of past successes. Innovation is the key word. At Elan, forward-thinking designers create new lines resulting from close contact with today’s sailors, who want comfort and performance, elegance and efficiency. Each design, therefore, introduces new concepts. At Elan they build the yachts that sailors want. Tradition and innovation: would you have thought they combine so well?

The Elan 36 - An elegant, fast cruising yacht for comfortable crossings…

Designed by top international yacht designer Rob Humphreys, the Elan range succeeds in combining modern technology and expertise with a respect for tradition, elegance and stylish good looks. When a designer of this calibre joins forces with a shipyard with more than thirty years of boat building experience, the results are bound to be impressive. Elan and Humphreys Design have created an elegant and spacious 36 ft cruiser with attractive performance. Stylish lines conceal a technical structure more than capable of dealing with the forces that will come her way, so that you can feel safe and sail fast and comfortably in any kind of weather.

The deck layout reflects the many years of designing, building and sailing experience that were put together to conceive this boat. The clean deck features the very best deck hardware available, while the ergonomically designed cockpit guarantees comfort for both the crew and the skipper. The helmsman’s seat cants forward to create easy boarding through an open transom as well as a raised platform for easier visibility. The boat is so well designed and easy to use that you could even let the junior skipper have a go – but beware, you might not get the wheel back.

Overall, the 36 is a well proportioned boat with a good sized, comfortable cockpit and plenty of easily worked deck space. The 36 has a huge, deep cockpit locker to starboard which will easily take the staysail, fenders, dinghy, outboard and have room for more. The shape and styling of the 36 from the outside is relatively straightforward - neither sleek, rounded, radical nor particularly conservative. Compression forces such as that of the tensioned rig and the weight of the suspended keel make heavy demands on the structure of the hull. The thirty-six’s carefully calculated integral frame, her backbone so to speak, ensures that the hull can safely take the enormous loads to which sailing yachts are subjected in all kinds of weather conditions.

Down below the thirty - six is just as thoughtfully designed and well laid out. It is widely considered to be a good size to sail short-handed-such as the regular husband and wife only crew - and yet is big enough to swallow a family or another two couples with ease.

The Elan 36 comes originally as a 3 cabin solution with a modern longitudinal galley to port. The 362 is an updated version of the 36 and is more of an owner’s model, using a three rather than four cabin layout. Because of the high popularity of its derivative, with a traditional interior layout and an L-shaped galley, the term 362 came in use for the two cabin version. Take a particularly close look at the high-quality joinery, flowing lines and beautiful finish; craftsmanship shines through in every detail.

Rob Humphreys on the Elan 36 : “ There is an old saying, ‘If it looks like an elephant, feels like an elephant and smells like an elephant, then it probably is an elephant’. The Elan 36 is certainly no elephant, but then it probably doesn’t look like everyone’s idea of a gazelle either. And that’s the point. How can a yacht that looks and feels like the robust cruising yacht she is go out and win the overall prize from nearly 200 boats in the 2001 Scottish Series? All one can say is that appearances can be very deceptive and the Elan 36 is, like other boats in the Elan range stable, a complex mix of abilities that is able to rise to whatever particular expectation an owner may have of her.

“This is no accident. The Elan - Humphreys relationship has traded on the ability to remove the word ‘compromise’ from an owner’s vocabulary. If he wants to race he can win; if he wants to just cruise then he will be able to do so in a reassuring fashion, happy in the knowledge that he can reel away the miles in comfort. You sail because you enjoy it, so you want to be safe, comfortable, relaxed and preferably fast as well. Because it is nice to beat your friends to the bar. The new [b]Elan 36[/]b is the perfect tool to meet all these requirements - a boat with character, built with respect for tradition, and emphasising the need for safety, speed, comfort and durability.

As an owner you will experience a boat which is fast in light winds, but still capable of sailing at close to full speed even in conditions where the sail power is beyond the optimum. This capability of being able to handle very different wind conditions, without an immediate adjustment of the sail area keep the boat on its feet, is equally important to the cruising family as it is to the race crew. The cruising family will feel much more in control, and thus quickly gain confidence in themselves and the boat. The more experienced owner will find that despite being a comfortable cruiser with a rich interior, the boat can still win races.

The Elan 31 is a sailing yacht with capital “S”. An optimized keel, tall rig and high quality deck gear all combine to a total package which gives the owner and crew a rewarding sail. Powerful winches and extensive use of ballbearing blocks makes easy handling. The ergonomically shaped cockpit is comfortable for cruising as well as racing.
Below deck the interior will satisfy even the most demanding owner. Practical solutions with a high degree of comfort are combined with beautiful handcraft. Deep heavy keels combined with well balanced hulls produce boats with high stability and good control. This gives the helmsman and crew a feeling of safety and being in control even in adverse conditions.

Rob Humphreys is an award-winning designer known internationally for his expertise in designing sailing yachts that successfully combine fast, modern hulls with all the comfort and convenience demanded by today’s cruising sailor. The Humphreys design team has an enviable track record of designing racing boats for the world’s leading events, including the America’s Cup and the Whitbread Round the World Race, as well as for leading sailors such as Ellen MacArthur. In parallel with its ground-breaking racing work Humphreys Yacht Design has built a reputation for consistently creating popular and capable cruising boat ranges for internationally known builders such as Elan Marine, Oyster Marine and Northshore Yachts.

"For some it will be a first boat and perhaps a stepping stone, while for others it will be all that the owners will ever wish for. The pedigree lineage of the Elan 31 runs fairly emphatically through the highly successful Elan 333, a boat which has excelled itself in just this ability to be many things to many owners. Our experience with the 333 promises to imbue the 31 with similar versatility, although her genetic make-up does have slightly greater leaning towards performance. This is not just to widen the smile of the racer at the expense of the cruising man: if a smallish boat can display an unusual turn of speed, then it benefits also an owner’s cruising aspirations, given that his passage-making capability will surprise him.”

Prestigious, modern and luxurious, the new Impression 514 bluewater cruiser sets a new benchmark for yachts in its class. Streamlined and elegant, her captivating style promises blissful cruising and endless enjoyment.

The semi deck saloon opens out into voluminous space, with overhead and side panoramic windows providing welcoming natural light and an excellent view. Spacious L- shaped chef’s galley, relaxing U-shaped lounge area to starboard with two arm chairs to port and an abundance of storage throughout. The selection of various interior layouts with up to 5 beautifully appointed cabins and large en-suite bathrooms offer the owner the possibility to custom design. On deck the vast cockpit area provides excellent comfort, the twin wheel steering system offers both a perfect position for the helmsman and excellent access to the transom. Ergonomically positioned winches are designed for easy handling with minimum crew. The push of a button opens the garage door which serves as a large swimming platform when fully opened, creating easy access to the water and additional entertainment area. Designated garage space stores a Tender up to 2.60 metres in length. BBQ grill to port and sink with hot and cold water to starboard while a retractable hydraulic gangway eases the access on and off the yacht.

The Impression 514 is a sailing yacht whose illustrious pedigree is a promise for excellence and quality throughout. The hallmark of the designer Rob Humphreys guarantees performance, stability and hull speed. The latest design and technology combined with years of skilled craftsmanship, quality of the joinery and fine attention to detail are all encompassed in her distinctive style to satisfy the most discerning owner.

Optimised keel, tall keel-stepped rig and clear deck with high quality deck gear all combine to give the owner and crew a rewarding and relaxing sail. The design and build pedigree is the best testament for any serious bluewater cruiser. Rob Humphreys’ masterful configuration of the keel, rudder, rig and hull design produces a perfectly balanced yacht with remarkably high stability and excellent response. The hull is molded in a one step process using highly advanced technology based on environmentally friendly 3D vacuum-assisted lamination. This advanced technique considerably improves the strength and mechanical properties of the hull laminate by as much as 50%. The hull’s powerful inner structure ensures that all loads from the keel and rig are distributed effectively with a minimum flexing of the hull. All Elan sailing yachts meet the highest Germanischer Lloyd’s Type Test Standard with emphasis on both safe and fast sailing.

The largest yacht in Elan’s Impression range to date, the Impression 514 is a spacious and stylish yacht designed for leisurely warm-water cruising with family and friends. Below decks the boat is fitted out to the highest standards, with cabins capable of sleeping up to XX individuals in comfort, while a generous saloon area provides the ideal area for relaxation with its large windows ensuring that it is flooded with natural light when the sun is up and offering excellent views of its surroundings by both day and night.

On deck the large cockpit with its twin wheels provides a secure and commanding environment to enjoy the performance of this highly capable yacht while under sail. When at anchor, the transom folds down to reveal the dinghy stored under the rear of the cockpit, and to act as a convenient swimming and barbeque platform. The Impression 514 will delight at sea as well as at rest, with her sleek lines, powerful yet easily handled sail plan and excellent stability, making her a pleasure to sail and giving her exceptional range for those with less time available for cruising than they would wish. The perfect size of boat for those who like to sail with confidence and in comfort, the Impression 514 is guaranteed to be a welcome and popular addition to the sport of warm-water cruising.

The Impression 434, the first of Elan’s Cruising Range is absolutely stunning.
Distinct in design and style and destined to be the best in her class. The Impression 434 offers a host of features that will be greatly valued by the bluewater cruising family or couple.

The semi-deck saloon exudes supreme comfort with flowing space, welcoming ambiance, panoramic windows and light wood interior. The spacious cockpit steps down to a large swimming platform for days of relaxation, entertaining and pleasurable cruising. The latest in design and technology, the strength of the hull, quality of the joinery and fine attention to detail combined with years of skilled craftsmanship are classic examples of Elan’s commitment to quality. All that is encompassed in her distinctive style. The emphasis is on both safe and fast passage-making. Exceptional seaworthiness in her class, well thought design and layout of deck and hardware allows for easy handling. Her design pedigree is the best testament for any serious bluewater cruising.

Rob Humphreys is an award-winning designer known internationally for his expertise in designing sailing yachts that successfully combine fast, modern hulls with all the comfort and convenience demanded by today’s cruising sailor. The Humphreys design team has an enviable track record of designing racing boats for the world’s leading events, including the America’s Cup and the Whitbread Round the World Race, as well as for leading sailors such as Ellen MacArthur. In parallel with its ground-breaking racing work
Humphreys Yacht Design has built a reputation for consistently creating popular and capable cruising boat ranges for internationally known builders such as Elan Marine, Oyster Marine and Northshore Yachts.

The new Impression 434 by Elan is the first of a new dedicated cruising range, evolved out of the company’s highly successful cruiser/racer range but with features that are greatly valued by anyone seeking comfort at the head of their priority list. With generous internal volume and extremely spacious accommodation the lines are nevertheless performance-minded with emphasis on easy and rapid passagemaking.

The Impression 434 is a good load-carrier, designed to be mindful of the robust Germanischer Lloyd approved construction schedule that ensures structural longevity, and capable of carrying an abundance of stores and equipment that can accompany some prolonged cruising. The fresh water tankage, for example, is pretty exceptional for this size of yacht, giving her a level of independence that only watermakers would otherwise provide. With Elan’s efficient volume production keeping a lid on sailors needs, the Impression 434 offers a significant range of attributes for her price range, and its is not surprising how fast she became a significant contender in a family cruising market.

The Impression 384 offers a host of features that will be greatly valued by bluewater cruising families, friends or couples. The boat is distinctive in design, style and comfort, with more than a 25% larger volume compared to boats of its size. The spacious cabins, heads and showers are absolutely first-class, with stunning accommodations and plenty of storage. The semi-deck saloon offers supreme comfort with flowing space, a welcoming ambience, panoramic windows and its lightwood interior. The comfortable cockpit leads down to a large swimming platform for days of relaxation, entertaining and pleasurable cruising. Exceptional seaworthiness in its class, well thought-out design, volume distribution and layout of deck and hardware all contribute to easy handling without compromising boat performance. Its design pedigree is the best testament for serious, fast bluewater cruising.

Rob Humphreys is an award-winning designer known internationally for his expertise in designing sailing yachts that successfully combine fast, modern hulls with all the comfort and convenience demanded by today’s cruising sailor. The Humphreys Design team has an enviable track record of designing racing boats for the world’s leading events; including the America’s Cup and the Whitbread Round the World Race, as well as for leading sailors such as Ellen MacArthur. At the same time Humphreys Yacht Design has built a reputation for consistently creating popular and capable cruising boat ranges for internationally known builders such as Elan Marine, Oyster Marine and Northshore Yachts.

“[i]When we designed the Impression 384 we set out to create a fast cruising boat capable of extending the cruising range available to the owner or charterer over a given time, and without any sacrifice in comfort or ease of sail handling. The Elan 384 retains the same live-aboard qualities as her bigger sister, the highly successful 434, and like her is also available with a range of internal layouts to match the requirements of individual owners. All the options have at their heart the spacious and airy saloon, with an abundance of natural light and comfortable seating to make extended periods on board a real pleasure.

“In keeping with the Humphreys ethos, the Impression 384 has a powerful but easily driven hull, combining excellent stability with generous freeboard to keep the crew dry. The well-protected cockpit is both spacious and comfortable, with generous seating space even around the aft end of the cockpit in the form of pushpit seats. With the Impression 384 now a reality we are confident that in partnership with Elan Marine we have created an attractive, high specification boat that will reward owners with many hours of fast, comfortable cruising. We’ve been delighted by the success that her sistership the 434 has met in her first year and we are confident that the 384 will likewise make an early mark[i].”

The Impression 344, the third in Elan’s Cruising range is absolutely sensational, offering a host of features that will be greatly valued by cruising families, friends and couples. The boat is distinctive in design, style and comfort, with more than 25% bigger volume compared to the boats of its size. The spacious cabins, head and shower are absolutely first – class, with stunning accommodations and plenty of storage. The semi
– deck saloon offers supreme comfort with flowing space, a welcoming ambience, panoramic windows and its lightwood interior. The comfortable cockpit leads to a large swimming platform for days of relaxation, entertaining and pleasurable cruising.

Exceptional seaworthiness in its class, well thought – out design, volume distribution and layout of deck and hardware all contribute to easy handling without compromising boat performance. Its design pedigree is the best testament to its serious, fast bluewater cruising.

Rob Humphreys is an award-winning designer known internationally for his expertise in designing sailing yachts that successfully combine fast, modern hulls with all the comfort and convenience demanded by today’s cruising sailor. The Humphreys design team has an enviable track record of designing racing boats for the world’s leading events, including the America’s Cup and the Whitbread Round the World Race, as well as for leading sailors such as Ellen MacArthur. In parallel with its ground-breaking racing work Humphreys Yacht Design has built a reputation for consistently creating popular and capable cruising boat ranges for internationally known builders such as Elan Marine, Oyster Marine and Northshore Yachts.

“Working on the Impression 344 has been a very interesting task because it takes the Impression ethos of comfortable living down into the most competitive sector of the family cruising yacht market. Her distinctive looks immediately mark her out as an Impression, but the overall design has enabled us to produce the feel of an altogether bigger boat than her 10 metre hull length. We were very conscious that this size of sailing boat is popular with cruising families and charterers throughout the sailing world, putting space both above and below decks at a premium. By making maximum use of the volume inside the generously proportioned hull we have created an exceptionally roomy and airy boat that provides more living space then many boats of considerably greater length. The saloon, galley, heads; all feel as though they belong to a much larger craft, characterized by extravagant headroom and plenty of natural daylight.

“On deck we continued the theme of easy spaciousness by creating a cockpit with the space to seat the crew in comfort around a permanent table, while providing nearby corner seats mounted on the pushpit to give panoramic views from a snug and secure vantage point. All sail controls have been also been brought back to the cockpit, enabling the boat to be easily handled by a small crew if required.

“The Impression concept is all about creating an onboard environment that is easy to live with over a long period, and in this respect the Impression 344 will invite long stay-aboard periods. And with a fine turn of speed under sail and power, she will offer her owner considerable cruising scope.”

Designed by Humphreys Yacht Design the new Elan 450 sets new standards in design and short handed sailing in its class. The elegant Elan 450 builds on success of the redesigned Elan performance range which main features are: open transom, flush hatches on coachroof, open bow pulpit, lines below deck, long length at waterline, pure bow lines, designers hull and deck portlights, bright and spacious interior. The traditional interior 3 cabin layout offers luxurious owner’s forecabin with large island double berth and generous head department with separate shower stall. Identical aft cabins offer lots of storage and optimum ventilation.

For larger crew 4 cabin layout makes sense. Additional bunk bed cabin on starboard side can accomodate extra 2 crew members. The bright and airy saloon with U-shaped sattee and large saloon table on starboard can accommodate the crew onboard whilst the saloon’s port side offers a settee with an optional entertainment area, practical chart table and wet locker along with the spacious second head department provides a relaxing feeling. Fully equipped L-shaped galley fulfils even the toughest chef‘s demands. The modern look is provided by horizontally grained Aningre wood with Wenge type laminated floorboards. The classic teak interior is also offered as an option.

An impressive sail plan with tall fractional rig, swept aft double spreaders, increased mainsail area, non-overlaping headsail and optional large spinnaker handled by retractable bow sprit maximises her sailing performance and taking full advantage of precise combination of deep lead keel and twin rudder steering system.

The new Elan 450 ergonomic cockpit is designed for easy movement. Twin steering wheels, main sheet traveler mounted on cockpit floor, 3 pairs of powerful winches, German main sheeting system are the essentials for fast passage-making. The cockpit table is stored in a dedicated space in the cockpit floor, life raft storage, large cockpit lockers, recessed space for sprayhood, optional innovative hydraulic driven helmsman seat/ gangway are just the features which makes Elan 450 more comfortable whilst cruising or moored. The transom can be open for more comfortable access to the sea and a useful space for storage. The deck is foremost designed for efficient sailing and safety for crew. The head stay furler is recessed under deck as is the swiveling stemhead fitting for the anchor. Twin rudders offer great directional control and allow much easier navigation in more difficult sailing conditions. Twin rudders have the advantage that they further immerse with heel – which results in a higher level of rudder control at increasing heel angle. When sailing the leeward rudder will always be in its most efficient position whilst the windward rudder will be creating very little or no drag. Twin rudders deliver outstanding performance under sails without sacrifing the responsiveness while steering, and capability of fast blue water passage making.

Sailing has many layers of activity, and while there is always some form of osmosis between them it is sometimes surprising how long developments enjoyed in one sector take time to trickle across into another. Two cases in point are the general production boat industry and the short-handed, trans-oceanic environment. The former is a sector where boats must be appealing and affordable to enthusiasts who have to justify their investment, not only to themselves but often to their families as well; the latter, on the other hand, is a sector where form follows function in a most overt way, with rapid development improving the breed and producing lessons for all who choose to notice.
For the private owner versed in the wider aspects of sailing it can be frustrating to be trapped in the sometimes conservative world of the production boat arena, deprived of the virtues he can see being enjoyed in the short-handed sector. Is he not often short-handed himself, sailing with friends who may not be so experienced, or with his family who may love the sailing life but not necessarily its technical aspects? Why, for once, can’t he enjoy some of the refinement he can see taking place elsewhere, but in a package that isn’t going to deprive him of his investment return? Well, now he can because this, precisely, is what the Elan 450 is all about. It is a boat for the man who knows what he wants but hitherto has been unable to find. A series-built, affordable yacht that offers all the comfort of its peers but in a package that brings with it a level of sailing experience that will delight him.

The core of the Elan 450 concept is the twin-rudder installation, a well proven arrangement that opens the door to a host of other benefits. At Humphreys Yacht Design they have enjoyed a great deal of twin-rudder experience in a number of different formats, from Ellen MacArthur’s Open 60 Kingfisher to a range of lifting keel cruising yachts, and in all cases the winning feature is a level of control that is hard to behold for anyone who has not enjoyed the experience.

Just when conventional, single-rudder boats are living on the edge of control, a properly-designed twin-rudder boat is just getting into gear, giving its helmsman the feel that he is running the boat down a railway line. This level of control means that boats do not have to be so symmetrical longitudinally, but can be wider aft to enhance form stability and increase the power of the boat at no cost to its steerability. Thus the owner wins the feel and motion of a bigger boat, with a more tolerant sailing envelope that is not so demanding of sail changes as a conventional production boat. And with an essentially non-overlapping rig the sail-handling aspects of the boat again play into the short-handed philosophy, creating an upwind permutation that is easy to work and the source of a disproportionately healthy upwind VMG. For downwind gratification he can roll out his A-sail, projected off the end of its extending sprit and giving him a rig he can gybe with impunity and increase his light air horsepower. Of course, the robust construction of the Elan 450 means that it can only replicate in part and in flavour the performance of its carbon cousins, but unlike these ocean greyhounds it concedes nothing in terms of comfort level, either to them or to others in the mainstream production sector. Indeed, the Elan 450 is a well-worked hybrid design where the whole, in most respects, is greater than the sum of its parts. For aficionados only, those that want their cake and eat it; a glass of wine in their hands while savouring the refined aspects of sailing which they thought they would only be able to watch from afar as spectators.

The Elan 410 is an exciting cruiser racer with emphasis on style and outstanding performance. Her racing characteristics makes the Elan 410 a contender at weekend regattas and yet perfect fast cruiser for sailing family during holidays. Her long waterline length enhances her performance under sails as well her interior volume. Below deck the Elan 410 is designed to set new standards for comfort and superior finishing throughout allowing the crew of up to eight members to enjoy their stay onboard. The fractional rig doesn’t hide its competitiveness and the cruising oriented sailor additionally can use non-overlapping headsail for balancing the powerful mainsail.

The spacious open cockpit will find very affective both racing crew and cruising family. Her large steering wheel speaks out racecourse but it makes her responsive and easy to control for a leisure helmsman. The deep heavy lead keel with its very low centre of gravity enhances stiffness and safety – attributes that benefits all yachtsmen whatever their preferred kind of sail.

In designing the Elan 410 they set out to create a boat that, while it offers the very best in fast and comfortable cruising, has more than a little racing pedigree that will quicken the pulse of any sailor looking for some excitement out on the start line.

While the 410 is the natural successor to the Elan 40, it is in fact a considerably larger boat with over a metre of additional waterline length greatly enhancing her performance as well as her interior volume. The fractional rig gives the spectator an instant clue as to her competitive inclinations, yet for the cruising sailor we have added the option of balancing the powerful mainsail with non-overlapping headsails making her easily managed by a small or family crew. The large wheel again speaks of the racecourse, but it also makes her easy to control for the leisure helmsman who likes to give the autohelm some occasional time off. Elan also included a combination iron / lead keel with its very low centre of gravity for enhanced stiffness, another attribute that benefits all yachtsmen whatever their preferred kind of sailing.

The Elan 410 is instantly recognisable as an Elan with her streamlined coach roof and large cockpit, and to that Elan have added the feature, usually found on much larger boats, of running all her control lines under the deck to the cockpit to give her a smooth, eye-catching finish both when under sail and at rest in harbour. Down below we have made the best use of the interior volume to provide a comfortable saloon with plenty of space for meals and relaxation, and three double cabins with a choice of layouts in the forward section allow for plenty of privacy for families and guests.

Elan are delighted with the way this project evolved, and are confident that the graceful and versatile sailing yacht that resulted will give a great deal of pleasure to sailors however they choose to enjoy their time spent on the water. They believe she really extends the ethos they have been trying to define for the Elan range, exuding power but with finger-tip sensitivity. If she were a vehicle she would be described as a driver’s car, but no passenger would complain.

The Elan 380 is a new high performance cruiser designed to capture the spirit of the performance oriented sailor and at the same time offering comfortable cruising in style for his family or friends. The Elan 380 is unmistakable an Elan performance yacht. She features the same outstanding characteristics as the other Elan performance yachts. Her elegant and refined lines with clean decks maximize freedom and safe movement on board. The side view of the new Elan 380 show her exceptional length at waterline and designer hull and deck portlights. These are just small details that make her look aesthetic and harmonious. The open transom with efficient cockpit layout is designed to fulfil the needs of racing crew as well the ease of handling while
horthanded cruising. All lines including German mainsheet system under deck lead back to the cockpit via powerful self-tailing winches accompanied by a large diameter wheel for full control and optimum sailing performance. Elan sailing yachts come with a prestigious pedigree that is a promise of excellence and a commitment to quality throughout.

Below deck there are several options: 3 cabin, 2 cabin with 1 head or 2 cabin 2 heads to provide enough space for privacy and relaxation. Fully equipped L-shaped galley fulfils even the toughest chef‘s demands. Spacious and airy saloon offers extraordinary comfort for crew and plenty of efficient storage with a forward facing chart table. The modern look is provided by horizontally grained Aningre wood with Wenge type laminated floorboards.

Practical solutions with superb comfort are combined with beautiful craftsmanship and attention to detail to satisfy even the highest standards normally applied on much larger yachts. Rob Humphreys’ masterful configuration of the keel, rudder, rig and hull design produces a well-balanced yacht with optimum weight distribution along with a remarkably high level of stability and excellent response. The hull and main stringers are molded in a one shot process using highly advanced technology based on environmentally friendly vacuum-assisted lamination called 3D VAIL. This advanced technique considerably improves the strength and mechanical properties of the hull laminate by as much as 50%. The hull’s powerful inner structure ensures that all loads from the keel and rig are distributed effectively with a minimum flexing of the hull. The result of the extensive hydrodynamic research with the superior method of keel fixing gives the helmsman and crew a confident feeling of safety, control and comfort during navigation in every kind of sea and wind conditions.

The Elan 340 is a complete new hi-tech design performance cruiser with the emphasis on top level performance to capture the spirit of the competitive sailor and at the same time offering the well appointed comforts and style for the enjoyment of the cruising family.

Designed to be responsive and fast in light wind, the boat easily handles various weather conditions with only a minimum adjustment of the sail area, a feature equally important to the cruising family as it is to the race crew. For a boat of less than 10 metres the Elan
340 has a hull designed with a long waterline to lift her performance to a new level in its class. The optimised lead keel, tall rig and clear deck featuring high quality deck equipment all combine to give the owner and crew the most rewarding sail.

Creating the successor to the highly successful Elan 333 was a challenging, yet exciting, project. The 333 had proved herself to be an exceptionally popular sailing yacht with a range of features that appealed to a broad spectrum of sailors. Elans task was to take these elements and build on them without losing the spirit of the original concept, and this we think they have achieved. There is no doubt that the 340 is an even faster boat than her predecessor. They wanted both to extend her cruising range for a given period of time, and make her more competitive for those owners who enjoy weekend or even offshore racing. Elan began this process by giving her leaner lines forward, resulting in a finer entry that allows her to slice through the waves with the minimal resistance, and a slightly fuller afterbody to increase her form stability and create further improvement in downwind speed.

With a big and powerful rudder the boat is extremely controllable, allowing Elan to give the boat a masthead spinnaker with confidence that it can be easily managed by a family crew. In other respects the rig is a fractional configuration, with two interchangeable options - an overlapping headsail rig for predominantly light air areas and a non-overlapping, 110% headsail rig for generally windier regions and for relaxed cruising where a family crew will find her a very easy boat to sail, with slightly more stability than the 333. Up on the deck of the 340 we sought a look that was both elegant and purposeful. The wheel is placed well aft, creating a much more spacious feel to the cockpit than the 333 but with all the ergonomic refinement that had been a hallmark of the 333. All the sail controls lead back to the cockpit, making her an ideal craft for family and short-handed sailing.

Below decks the 340 immediately feels more spacious, having increased and better optimized internal volume than the 333. The forward cabin, for example, is more generous than the 333, yet the saloon, galley and aft cabins also represent gains as compared with her predecessor. Given that the overall length of the 340 remains at under 10 metres this might seem like a bit of magic, but with extensive feedback from the 333, including six years’ ownership of a 333 by the designer himself, it was a case of juggling an already successful formula into an outstanding one.

When the 333 was launched she very quickly became the benchmark by which other boats of this class were judged. Now, with the Elan 340, we feel confident that we have raised the bar significantly and believe that she will become as iconic a craft as her predecessor. Elan look forward to her becoming a familiar sight in the waters of Europe and beyond.