27 replies to this topic

[queen of the bow]

Evening

Has anyone ever sailed the Elan 350? She ticks all the boxes for what we want....short handed coastal racing with the option to drag in a full crew. Not really looking for around the cans but her light air performance under 10kts is a concern.

Anyone got any experience of what she actually can do in the light if well sailed?

Cheers

QOTB

[walterbshaffer]

Have you seen any of this?
Elan 350

[queen of the bow]

yep......and in all of it, probably a one liner suggesting sticky in the light and another one liner that says great in the light.

Just hunting down some experience form someone who has actually sailed/raced the boat.

[tuf-luf]

There is an Elan 350 sailed/raced here in our fleet in Singapore.

We have raced against it in a few events in 7-10 kts wind in flat water and, while the crew is a lovely mob, the yacht struggles to sail to her rating. I suspect, without having sailed the yacht, that it is just too heavy and with far too much wetted surface (especially in aft sections) for competitive light air performance.

in our largest annual regatta in August the Elan 350 (see IRC A, called "Naya" in this scoresheet) came last against a Ker32, Sydney40, Elan410, Archambault35 and an Esse350.

However...when the breeze came up (15-18kts wind) and the yacht was reaching with asym kite up, she lifted her skirts and that two-rudder config and big chines really started to work though.

Hope this helps.

[queen of the bow]

Thanks Tuffie

That helps.....but maybe not what i wanted to hear!

There is an Elan 350 sailed/raced here in our fleet in Singapore.

We have raced against it in a few events in 7-10 kts wind in flat water and, while the crew is a lovely mob, the yacht struggles to sail to her rating. I suspect, without having sailed the yacht, that it is just too heavy and with far too much wetted surface (especially in aft sections) for competitive light air performance.

in our largest annual regatta in August the Elan 350 (see IRC A, called "Naya" in this scoresheet) came last against a Ker32, Sydney40, Elan410, Archambault35 and an Esse350.

However...when the breeze came up (15-18kts wind) and the yacht was reaching with asym kite up, she lifted her skirts and that two-rudder config and big chines really started to work though.

Hope this helps.

[U20guy2]

Evening

Has anyone ever sailed the Elan 350? She ticks all the boxes for what we want....short handed coastal racing with the option to drag in a full crew. Not really looking for around the cans but her light air performance under 10kts is a concern.

Anyone got any experience of what she actually can do in the light if well sailed?

Cheers

QOTB

There is a Elan 310 in Seattle super nice boat and very similar in design regarding layout etc. The 310 and 350 are basically at the top of my list in a few years when we purchase our final family boat. 350 if I see us doing more family stuff or the 310 if I see dad doing more solo and short handed stuff.

[tuf-luf]

Thanks Tuffie

That helps.....but maybe not what i wanted to hear!

There is an Elan 350 sailed/raced here in our fleet in Singapore.

We have raced against it in a few events in 7-10 kts wind in flat water and, while the crew is a lovely mob, the yacht struggles to sail to her rating. I suspect, without having sailed the yacht, that it is just too heavy and with far too much wetted surface (especially in aft sections) for competitive light air performance.

in our largest annual regatta in August the Elan 350 (see IRC A, called "Naya" in this scoresheet) came last against a Ker32, Sydney40, Elan410, Archambault35 and an Esse350.

However...when the breeze came up (15-18kts wind) and the yacht was reaching with asym kite up, she lifted her skirts and that two-rudder config and big chines really started to work though.

Hope this helps.

No probs mate. Life's full of shit you don't want to hear eh.

Great medium/heavy air yacht though! I can only comment on her light air performance as this is what we sail in mostly (as I'm sure your know).

Cheers!

[Nonsense]

I have sailed the Elan 310 in Seattle in light stuff and it moves along OK. Haven't raced her, just some demo sails with prospective buyers. It was definately faster in the light stuff than the Beneteau First 30 which was out sailing on the lake at the same time.

The owner and some industry friends that have sailed the Elan 310 in heavier stuff confirm the speed & control in the heavier winds that Tuffie describes.

Jeff Carson - Marine Servicenter Seattle

[queen of the bow]

Thanks for the feedback Gents...great help. Demo sail for the 350 was similar.......ok in the light but not racing and nobody else on the water with whom to compare.

Can't help but think 'stuff the light air and have fun in the breeze'!

Cheers

I have sailed the Elan 310 in Seattle in light stuff and it moves along OK. Haven't raced her, just some demo sails with prospective buyers. It was definately faster in the light stuff than the Beneteau First 30 which was out sailing on the lake at the same time.

The owner and some industry friends that have sailed the Elan 310 in heavier stuff confirm the speed & control in the heavier winds that Tuffie describes.

Jeff Carson - Marine Servicenter Seattle

[jolly]

Evening

Has anyone ever sailed the Elan 350? She ticks all the boxes for what we want....short handed coastal racing with the option to drag in a full crew. Not really looking for around the cans but her light air performance under 10kts is a concern.

Anyone got any experience of what she actually can do in the light if well sailed?

Cheers

QOTB

I take it you might sail most in a light air venue?



I'd advise you therefore to look no further than the J111.....it is double the price though......but it is a foot longer!!

[NucMed]

I concur with tuf-luf, we have one in our summer series in Sydney and as the breeze increased in each race, so did the performance (wind and tide conditions for the race duration are at the bottom of the page);

http://www.halsracer...54&SeriesKey=17

The name is Ellipse II and is in Division A. The owner had a Northshore 369 previously and competed quite well.

This page also has links to the scratch results with the types of yachts it is competing against. Use the pull down menu at the right of the page to view the individual race times (it is an approximately 11 nm course).

Cheers, Peter

[Toddy]

I crew on Ellipse II mentioned above albeit in the Sat series. This is our first season on her and as one can imagine we have been moving up a very steep learning curve. Whats more we have had numerous issues with boat set up the most significant being the No1 Gen being cut too long and stretching across the cabin top making it impossible to sheet in. This significantly effected our performance in the first few races both in the Wed and Sat series. Last Sat we won in 8-10kts in what I considered to be a more competitive series. She definitely shines in stronger breeze particularly down wind however if sailed well she can win in the lighter stuff.

[NucMed]

Hi Toddy, thanks for the updated info on your nr 1 problems (is it all good now?). I only ask, as I might need to look at doing a bit of handicap adjusting, I trust that Brian saw the recent e-mail about gear changes .....

Watching Ellipse II in the last few races of the RANSA winter series, it seemed they were struggling to get a grip, although in the last couple of RPEYC races they seemed to have got a bit better grip.

As I am a lazy sod at this hour of the morning and couldn't be bothered to go searching, which boats were you racing against in the Saturday series (were iSuper and Amante, the Sydney 36 CRs, involved)?

Cheers, Peter

I crew on Ellipse II mentioned above albeit in the Sat series. This is our first season on her and as one can imagine we have been moving up a very steep learning curve. Whats more we have had numerous issues with boat set up the most significant being the No1 Gen being cut too long and stretching across the cabin top making it impossible to sheet in. This significantly effected our performance in the first few races both in the Wed and Sat series. Last Sat we won in 8-10kts in what I considered to be a more competitive series. She definitely shines in stronger breeze particularly down wind however if sailed well she can win in the lighter stuff.

[Luigi]

You should check out the ELAN 350 RP..... lighter, carbon rigged, crazy fast!!

[Luigi]

ELAN 350 RP doing wind speed (with 5kn of wind only) on white sails !! http://www.youtube.c...h?v=kj0hIpKVOJY

[JL92S]

You should check out the ELAN 350 RP..... lighter, carbon rigged, crazy fast!!

where at Elan do you work?

[tuf-luf]

You should check out the ELAN 350 RP..... lighter, carbon rigged, crazy fast!!

where at Elan do you work?

Beat me to it!

[Ballast Technician]

You should check out the ELAN 350 RP..... lighter, carbon rigged, crazy fast!!

where at Elan do you work?

Beat me to it!

Indeed. Even more of an Elan fanboy/cheerleader/salesperson than U20guy2! Who would have thought it possible?

[JL92S]

*****everyone buy a J111*****

*****like the elan 350 only a lot faster*****

*****this will plane wildly crazy fast downwind*****

*****allot better built and won't bend like an elan*****

*****Johnstone has better design record than humphs*****

*****will do 24kts+ dowwnind*****

*****prettier boat than the elan*****

hows my effort at being a sales rep?

[Jambalaya]

Leave him to it, he's not smart enough to realise how he's damaging the brand with these tactics on this and other threads

[U20guy2]

You should check out the ELAN 350 RP..... lighter, carbon rigged, crazy fast!!

where at Elan do you work?

Beat me to it!

Indeed. Even more of an Elan fanboy/cheerleader/salesperson than U20guy2! Who would have thought it possible?

Only a fan boy when a mass production boat maker builds boats that are different than the boring crap built by B-boats here in the states. Not to mention with better quality and competitive pricing.

Just a heads up I noticed someone in CA has recently purchased the distribution rights to Elan Yachts in CA. So any hard sell posters show up you might ask why.

[port tack]

Actually for me this boat also check a bunch of the boxes. Is there a Dealer in the states? What would one of the racer versions cost all up? How would it compare to a J111? Seems very interesting, and no I don't work for Elan.

[akasideshow]

ELAN 350 RP doing wind speed (with 5kn of wind only) on white sails !! http://www.youtube.c...h?v=kj0hIpKVOJY

By this you mean white spinnaker and main (dacron), while beam reaching, and not quite getting to 5 kts,
shown for a grand total of 2 seconds. So what speed did the boat actually slow down to once its momentum gave up?
Oh right you clearly weren't there or you might have noticed the kite being up
hmmm facinating

[indifferent]

Like many of you, I've been watching the Elan 350 on Sydney Harbour to see how its been going, given that its the special with the carbon rig etc and the dealer at the boat show told me it was a very fast boat. It ticks a few of the boxes for me. I've since had some concerns about its performance against the Sydney 36's even taking into consideration the Elan had some issues initially with the sails.

I've also had my eye on the J/111 which has been doing very well in the Div 1 offshore races. The J/111 joined in with the RSYS fleet for the first time this weekend and we were absolutely stunned by its performance beating the Elan (Ellipse) over the line by nearly 15mins in a 97min race. Heres the results http://www.rsys.com....001P054_003.TXT
They were only 1min 45 behind the Jutson 50, and talking to the J/111 crew afterwards they said the Jutson (Braveheart) only got past them on the last reach.

Does anyone know of any other races where the J/111 has gone head to head with the Elan.

[tuf-luf]

Like many of you, I've been watching the Elan 350 on Sydney Harbour to see how its been going, given that its the special with the carbon rig etc and the dealer at the boat show told me it was a very fast boat. It ticks a few of the boxes for me. I've since had some concerns about its performance against the Sydney 36's even taking into consideration the Elan had some issues initially with the sails.

I've also had my eye on the J/111 which has been doing very well in the Div 1 offshore races. The J/111 joined in with the RSYS fleet for the first time this weekend and we were absolutely stunned by its performance beating the Elan (Ellipse) over the line by nearly 15mins in a 97min race. Heres the results http://www.rsys.com....001P054_003.TXT
They were only 1min 45 behind the Jutson 50, and talking to the J/111 crew afterwards they said the Jutson (Braveheart) only got past them on the last reach.

Does anyone know of any other races where the J/111 has gone head to head with the Elan.

Try results sheets for Cowes Race Week last year. I heard a J111 was tearing it up there as well.

SA-er and J-Boat junkie, Jamabalaya, will most likely chime in as well.

[ColinG]

Like many of you, I've been watching the Elan 350 on Sydney Harbour to see how its been going, given that its the special with the carbon rig etc and the dealer at the boat show told me it was a very fast boat. It ticks a few of the boxes for me. I've since had some concerns about its performance against the Sydney 36's even taking into consideration the Elan had some issues initially with the sails.

I've also had my eye on the J/111 which has been doing very well in the Div 1 offshore races. The J/111 joined in with the RSYS fleet for the first time this weekend and we were absolutely stunned by its performance beating the Elan (Ellipse) over the line by nearly 15mins in a 97min race. Heres the results http://www.rsys.com....001P054_003.TXT
They were only 1min 45 behind the Jutson 50, and talking to the J/111 crew afterwards they said the Jutson (Braveheart) only got past them on the last reach.

Does anyone know of any other races where the J/111 has gone head to head with the Elan.

was a bit of a soldiers course yesterday so may have not been the best test, but I agree that the J looked very quick.

As to the Elan, having watched it on the water, I think that the design compromises work against it. For such a wide boat, it just carries too much rocker. Unlike the volvos, class 40's etc, when it heels, the hull is not flat enough to clear the water, so there is a lot of wetted surface area.

[indifferent]

Thanks Tuff Luff and Colin for your input, looks like the J/111s and J/122s dominated their IRC divsion in Cowes. I've also been on the net looking at IRC certifcates for the Elan 350 as RSYS posted the IRC results for Saturadys race today and the J/111 won that with ease too so they got the double! I found this article on the web from Rob Humphries about trial IRC certificates for the Elan and its mighty confusing - it looks like they have 7 versions of the 350.The way the article is written they don't do themselves any favours. My interest in the Elan 350 is diminishing quickly plus I never realised they had iron keels, some of which are very deep for a 35 footer.

http://www.bjpo.com/...0_IRC Study.pdf

[Bobbo.bob]

I tracked an Elan 350 yesterday on a 10k beat. Didnt point high or track fast. Lovely looking boat and id have one in a flash - or in a big win, but. It is a performance cruiser as advertised. I suspect too much wetted surface area for pace and poor sheeting angles plus rudders stuff pointing. Otherwise lovely.