Elan 33
Elan · J&J Design · 1987
Updated
The Elan 33 is a 9.91 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by J&J Design and built by Elan, first launched in 1987. It races in Class C.
Length
9.91 m
32′ 6″
Beam
3.31 m
Draft
1.68 m
Displacement
3.4 t
Sail area
48 m²
On the podium
Where a Elan 33 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
14%
of 14 starts by 2 boats
Wins
7%
Read from 14 starts by 2 boats between 2021 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Elan 33 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Aegean Regatta2026- Νικος Γκρανιας 20262025
Vento de l'Alguer2024- Vento de l'Alguer2021
Raced one we are missing?
Report a regattaRound the buoys, or offshore
A short windward-leeward and a night at sea ask different things of a boat. Here is how this one does in each.
Round the buoys
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Not enough data yet: 6 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
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Not enough data yet: 6 races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Elan 33 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Yca 29 (6 meetings), Sun Light 30 (6 meetings), Hanse 370 (6 meetings), First 38 (6 meetings), Hanse 385 (6 meetings), Attalia 32 (4 meetings), First 31.7 (4 meetings), First 28 (4 meetings), Optima 101 (4 meetings), Sun Fizz 40 (4 meetings), First 35 (Berret) (4 meetings), Dufour 3800 (4 meetings), Dufour 35 (4 meetings), Dufour 29 (4 meetings), Atlantic 31 (4 meetings), Sun Odyssey 35 (4 meetings), Hallberg Rassy 352 (4 meetings), Dufour 34 (4 meetings), First 29 (4 meetings), Dehler 34 (Stadt) (4 meetings), Salona 45 (4 meetings), Salona 37 (4 meetings), Elan 350 (4 meetings), Queen 34 (4 meetings), Canados 33 (4 meetings), Canados 37 (4 meetings), Grand Soleil 52 (4 meetings), JOD 35 (4 meetings), Comet 105 (2 meetings), Dromor 26 (2 meetings), Bavaria Holiday 36 (2 meetings), First Class 8 (2 meetings), Grand Soleil 43 (Design) (2 meetings), Albin Ballad (2 meetings), Bavaria Cruiser 33 (2 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Elan 33 has fared against each of them, boat against boat on corrected time. Ordered by how often the two meet, not by who wins.
Speed at every angle
The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.
Upwind VMG
4.77
39°
Beam reach
7.74
90°
Broad reach
8.58
135°
Downwind VMG
7.36
170°
Speed in knots at 20 knots of true wind. Green marks the angles that pay: the closest useful beat and the deepest run worth sailing.
Where it wins and where it pays
Every boat is judged against its own measurements — length, weight, sail area. The quicker those say it should be, the more it has to deliver just to break even. Going fast is not enough: it has to go faster than its own numbers promised.
It does most things without giving much away. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is on a broad reach when it blows, where it does more than its size and sail area promise, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage on a reach as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
There is no condition where it falls away badly, which is worth something over a season of mixed weather.
Above the line it delivers more than promised and gains on the fleet. Below, it falls short. Move the wind: plenty of boats sit on one side in the light and the other when it blows.
Full width is 0.4 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the downwind.
How fast is a Elan 33
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.05 | 4.20 | 4.70 | 4.77 |
| 52° | 4.71 | 6.12 | 6.61 | 6.75 |
| 60° | 4.97 | 6.30 | 6.77 | 6.98 |
| 75° | 5.13 | 6.43 | 6.95 | 7.42 |
| 90° | 5.06 | 6.57 | 7.05 | 7.74 |
| 110° | 5.20 | 6.70 | 7.45 | 8.14 |
| 120° | 5.03 | 6.62 | 7.46 | 8.53 |
| 135° | 4.53 | 6.36 | 7.22 | 8.58 |
| 150° | 3.87 | 5.86 | 6.86 | 8.12 |
| Run VMG | 3.35 | 5.09 | 6.26 | 7.36 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Roughly half carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 450 kg.
Rigging
Elan 33 rig and sail dimensions
A Elan 33 carries 10.18 m of mainsail hoist on a 3.62 m boom, a forestay 11.79 m above the deck. Typical figures across the 7 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 56 to 68 m² depending on bowsprit and set-up. Before ordering a sail, read the figure on your own measurement record rather than the typical one for the design.