Elan 40 handles well both for race and cruise with the family

The Elan company may be more familiar to Americans as a manufacturer of skis, but across the street from their ski manufacturing facility in Begunjie, Slovenia, is a boatbuilding plant that’s been producing boats for 50 years. The Elan 40 is a Rob Humphreys (Kingfisher, GBR Challenge) design in a 16-knot breeze. The deck gear is a mix of Harken and Lewmar, with a Furlex furler for the headsail. The rig is an aluminum Selden section popular with European builders. The boat has a split backstay with a hydraulic adjuster on the port side. The main sheet is set up grand-prix style, running down from near the gooseneck, which is handy when you need the sail pumped or pulled in quick for a jibe. The Elan 40’s hull is solid fiberglass, the deck cored with balsa. The keel is solid iron fin with a lead bulb, and draws 6’9″.

The helm seat folds down into the sole to offer easy access to the cockpit from the aft platform of the Elan 40. The deck has an effective molded-in, diamond-shaped antiskid pattern, and the cockpit seats have teak inlays that grip the feet and are easy on the eye. The mast has double spreaders and can be specified with either wire (standard) or rod (racing option) rigging. The nine-tenths rig features a powerful full-batten main and 95 percent jib that keep the sailplan manageable while also providing excellent windward efficiency. The heart of the electrical system is the hinged panel at the nav station; opening it reveals beautiful wiring runs, bundled and routed to minimize chafe and with proper busbars for easy connections. The three batteries of the Elan 40 are securely mounted under the settee in a well-ventilated compartment. The plumbing is equally substantial, with neatly routed double-clamped hoses. The water and fuel tanks are bolted down and are foamed into place to prevent shifting and reduce noise.

There are two cabins aft under the cockpit benches, both with closets. The J-shaped galley is to starboard, opposite that, the head. The nav station of the Elan 40 is at max beam, and faces forward. The electronics panel is well laid out and easy to get behind, but there’s only a small space left for instruments, and no cabinetwork directly forward of the desk itself where you’d like to put a display screen. Overall handling the Elan 40 is delightful, with an easy, responsive helm and excellent sight lines for the skipper. Both tall and short helmsmen should find this boat easy to drive, and the crew should have no difficulty keeping out of each other’s way as they go about their jobs.

Sources: “Sailing World” & “Sail Magazine“