Visitors to Boston’s New England Boat Show in February got a first glimpse of two new boats from Elan Yachts—the 36ft Elan E4, a sharp-looking sport cruiser with twin wheels, twin rudders and a retractable sprit, and the Impression 45, a roomy cruising yacht that also promises good performance.
The boats are built in Slovenia, on the Adriatic Sea, by a company that is better known for its skis. Briton Rob Humphreys has been Elan’s “in-house” designer for 20 years, in which time the yard has become known for building sturdy boats that stand up well to the demands of both racing and cruising.
Humphreys has designed Open 60 and Class 40 racers as well as a number of boats for Oyster Marine, and his versatility was obvious in the two designs that made their U.S. debut in Boston. The 36ft E4 is a prime example of what Humphreys calls the “60/60” rule of performance cruising; the racing aficionado will feel the boat is 60 percent racer and 40 percent cruiser, while the cruising owner will feel the opposite. It looks fun and fast yet easy to sail, with an interior that gives nothing away to more cruising-optimized designs. Should an owner desire more zip, a lightweight S4 version with a carbon rig and race-oriented deck layout is available.
[advertisement]Meanwhile, the more sedately equipped Impression 45 is still plenty powerful enough to provide satisfying sailing for a family crew. It’s available in any of four layouts, with a long standard equipment list and a choice of keel configurations.
Both boats will be shown by East Coast dealer Springline Yacht Sales at the Newport and Annapolis shows this coming fall, hopefully with one or two other models from this builder.
Elan Yachts, elan-yachts.com
May 2016
