Elan 350 review

Design

Sporty and sleek with an exceptionally long waterline length, this stunning 34-foot boat was designed in 2011 by Humphreys Yacht Design, a British company renowned for their innovative concepts and beautiful designs. In addition to the Elan, they’ve designed boats for Oyster, Oceantec, Azuree and Arksen.

See the video from our skipper:

Predecessors and successors

The 350 has been built by the Slovenian shipyard Elan Yachts since 2011 and was awarded the European Yacht of the Year in the Performance Cruiser class that year. The Elan 350 is based on the design of it’s smaller sister the Elan 310, whose production began in 2009, and the Elan 34. Since 2016, it has been succeeded by the Elan E4.

Racing category

The 350 gained notoriety in the Czech Republic thanks, in part, to its participation in the České námořní rally (the Czech maritime rally), where it was in a separate racing category, alongside the Elan 340 and First 35, for eight years until 2020.

How much does it cost?

In high season you can expect to rent the boat for around EUR 2,000 and the Timeless Yacht Charter company from Biograd has a fleet of 11. Our experience with this company has been great, with the boats being well-maintained and in good condition. If you have aspirations of owning the boat, a used one would set you back around 2 million CZK (EUR 80,000). 

Interior

The boat was produced in both 2-cabin and 3-cabin variants. The interior is plain and simple, but well thought in relation to the boat’s small dimensions. Emphasis has not been placed on luxury and premium materials, but above all on practicality and maximum use of space. Despite its small size, there are plenty of storage spaces on board and always something to grab hold of in the salon (rail on the kitchen counter/on the captain's table/along the sides of the boat). In the lounge you’ll find a ceiling hatch which, along with the side windows, nicely illuminates the interior. We also appreciated the small ceiling hatch above the stove, providing convenient ventilation whilst cooking.

Elan 350 salon facilities  

With the 2-cabin version, you get a more spacious bathroom instead of the starboard aft cabin, plus a full-sized captain's table with seating oriented to the direction of sailing. On the 3-cabin, there’s an element of compromise in the form of a smaller bathroom in front of the starboard aft cabin and a more modest captain's table without its own seat.

If you’re looking for something spacious or you are on the taller side, it would be best to find a larger boat. The walkway to the front cabin, bathroom and galley can get a little cramped and the doors to the cabin and bathroom are both relatively narrow. On the other hand, what can you expect from a 34-foot vessel, where the designers were able to pack in a full 3 cabins? From the experience of our skipper Petr Bartoš, the 3-cabin version is ideal for a 4-member crew, but 7 people often sail on it without any real problems.  

Exterior

The cockpit is a compromise between comfort and the boat’s racing ambitions. We appreciated the pull-out table, which can be completely hidden out of the way when sailing. There is only a cockpit storage compartment on the starboard side but the port cabin has more space above the beds. Until 2012, it was manufactured with a raised traveller track but since 2013 it has been embedded in the floor, which is of course more comfortable for moving around on deck. 

The cockpit benches comfortably seat 4 people (6 gets a little cramped). However, there is plenty of room behind the rudders on the sides, and the folding footrest is a nice touch, ensuring a comfortable position for the helmsman when heeling.

Stern view of the boat 

Engine

"The Elan 350 does not have a high fuel consumption. At 7 knots the consumption is 2.51 litres per hour on the motor.", praises the Elan 350 representative of Timeless Yacht Charter.

Rigging 

The boat is equipped with six Harken winches, which work flawlessly and you’ll find them exactly where they should be (a sufficient distance from each other even when using them at the same time). The mainsheet traveller and backstay controls are just in front of the helm, where your feet can be comfortably rested on the steering column when adjusting. 

The lines lead to the clutches on deck, which may not be entirely clean from a design perspective, but from the point of view of practicality, e.g. when a quick change of lines is required, we appreciate and much prefer it. The genoa cars use a pulley and therefore work flawlessly even under load.

How does it handle? 

The best thing about this boat is when under sail. It is quite simply amazing. The sensitivity of the two rudder blades is phenomenal. It may occur to you that with two rudder blades you lose the possibility of using prop wash for port manoeuvres, but the yacht is so agile that you don’t really miss it. Thanks to the depth of the blades and their placement at the sides of the boat, it is no problem to beat at quite a steep angle of heel without broaching.  

The short genoa allows you to beat fast, with the barber haulers helping to trim, and adjust the windflow in the headsail.

"The Elan 350 is excellent at manoeuvring, both underway (even in strong winds) and in port.", says a Timeless Yacht Charter representative.

Elan 350 in action

 

The boat is relatively light and due to the low ballast displacement ratio (25 %) it heels quickly, meaning the crew need to counterbalance early. However, the lower weight of the boat is an advantage especially in mild winds, where with the 110 m² gennaker the boat can easily match wind speed (at 6–⁠7 knots AWS, with good trim you can go in a broad reach even faster than the wind - it just feels amazing!). For more information about the boat's characteristics, including a polar diagram, take a look at the brochure here.

With good sail trim, skillful handling and strong nerves, you can reach speeds of up to around 12–⁠15 kn in a broad reach. On what other boat could you comfortably cook in a fully-fitted galley, spread out on the sofa in the salon, or have a coffee at the cockpit table and, once the sails are trimmed, shoot off at breakneck speed?  

Elan 350 sailing on a gennaker 

Recommended for

In conclusion, the balance of comfort, fun and handling is exceptional and we highly recommend it to all those with a racing spirit. For these reasons, it is one of our skipper Petr Bartoš’ favourite boats, who keeps coming back to it again and again.

"The Elan 350 is ideal for regattas (it can be equipped with a gennaker), as well as for family holidays or sailing with friends. We recommend it for all sailing enthusiasts, even novices who will take away an unforgettable sailing experience.", states charter company Timeless Yacht Charter, which owns several Elan 350s.

Technical specs

Sails

Boats from Elan Yachts

Elan Yachts are currently (2021) produced in three lines: E line, Impression line and the GT line.

Elan E line

Models in the E line include the Elan E3 (30ft) Elan E4 (35ft) and Elan E5 (40ft), Elan E6 (47ft).

"The E line is typically a combination of the best features for cruising and racing. It performs well in moderate conditions as well as in stronger winds." says a representative of Elan Yachts. Typical features included two rudder blades, two rudders and a deep T-shaped keel.

According to Elan, the typical customer is "an experienced sailor who has racing experience and enjoys playing with the boat's controls, or a family or group of friends who are not after performance but enjoy barbecues, a swimming platform and a designer interior." 

Elan Impression line

This range is designed by Humphreys Yacht Design and is best suited for family cruising. It is designed to provide space, safety and durability, while being easy to maintain and operate. It has a traditional hull shape, single rudder blade, and a bright interior. Elan highly recommends them for cruising in the Mediterranean.

"The boats in this range are easy to maintain and repair, so more and more charter companies are investing in purchasing these boats.", states an Elan Yachts representative, adding "the hulls are extremely strong, they have solid wood in the most used areas and Elan offers after-sales service, all at a relatively affordable price."

The Elan Impression series can be optionally equipped with a bathing platform, barbecue, fridges, furling mainsail and can be adapted to be operated by only one person.

Elan GT line

This range includes the GT5 (42 ft) and GT6 (49 ft) boats. "The GT range is a kind of response to the trend in the automotive industry. These boats are built for performance, using the best components and with luxury designer fittings.", Elan Yachts says of the range.