Model maintenance instead of completely new development - that is currently the order of the day at many shipyards. From Bavaria to Hallberg-Rassy, there are a number of boat builders who prefer to tweak existing models rather than throw everything overboard and start from scratch. A perfectly sensible approach, as the model cycles since the turn of the millennium have been unnecessarily, not to say unhealthily, short anyway.
Now Elan too. The Slovenian shipyard is turning the successful Elan 350 into the new Elan 360, a further development that is not least an adaptation to the new lines of the company's performance cruisers. The Elan 400 set this trend at the beginning of the year. Previously, the 310 had already been modified in a similar way to become the Elan 320.
The hull and deck of the 350 remained largely identical. From the outside, it is mainly the windows and hatches as well as the decorative stripes above the waterline that make it distinguishable from its predecessor.
It was one of the bestsellers in the model programme for a long time and convincingly won the coveted title of "European Yacht of the Year" in its class in 2010/11. With twin rudders, chine edges, a wide stern and high, easily retrievable sailing potential, designer Rob Humphreys had transferred features of modern offshore racers such as the Class 40 and Open 60 into the series.
The Elan 350 needed quite a lot of wind in order to be able to glide continuously - but under gennaker and with 20 to 25 knots of wind, speeds of between 12 and 15 knots were possible.
It therefore made sense to make few changes to the basic configuration of the Elan 360. Perhaps the most important and sensible item in the list of extras is the so-called "S" package, which brings a significant weight saving of seven per cent.
The hull and deck are laminated with vinyl ester resin using a vacuum infusion process, the interior is fitted out with furniture made of veneered foam sandwich, and the main bulkhead is also made of lightweight sandwich laminate instead of solid marine plywood. This purification treatment is good for the boat, which is relatively heavy at five tonnes as standard, which is partly due to the fully-fledged interior below deck.
This has also been revised. The proportion of white plastic surfaces has increased significantly, which should make the Elan 360 relatively light; the 350 with far more veneer wood looked darker, but also cosier.
Instead of conventional hatches with aluminium frames, the new model now has flat windows, which gives the deck a tidier appearance. There are now also additional cockpit windows at the end of the berth aft, where there is a choice of one or two aft cabins. However, two small hatches on the cabin roof have been removed. The companionway is somewhat flatter and therefore easier to walk on.
In the cockpit, the first thing that catches the eye is the now recessed traveller; previously, the aluminium rail was raised and also bent to ensure the same angle of pull on the sheet car and to prevent it from catching and jamming. Functionally, this was the better solution, but it was also a barrier for the skipper if he wanted to leave his position under autopilot.
In addition, there are now swivelling plotter mounts on the steering columns. This is a feature that many owners on single or double-handed regattas will appreciate - and also simplifies navigation for cruising sailors travelling with a small crew. The shipyard even offers a cockpit table in the cockpit floor on request. However, this increases the weight - and actually dilutes the sporty character of the boat.
The price for the Elan 360 is 132,080 euros (including VAT, without sails). The "S" package costs around 12,000 euros extra.
More shortly on the Homepage of Elan and at the dealers.
YACHT tv took part in the vote for European Yacht of the Year 2011. Here are the pictures of the predecessor Elan 350 in the Glitsch off Barcelona.
This content is no longer available.
And here is the test video of the bigger sister Elan 400:
This content is no longer available.
Jochen Rieker
Herausgeber YACHT
