Elan 450
Elan · Rob Humphreys · 2007
Updated
The Elan 450 is a 13.58 m displacement racing yacht designed by Rob Humphreys and built by Elan, first launched in 2007. It races in Class A. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 42% of the designs it races against.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 42% of the boats it races against.
27th of 46 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 43 starts across 17 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
13.58 m
44′ 7″
Beam
4.36 m
Draft
2.29 m
Displacement
12.5 t
Sail area
109 m²
On the podium
Where a Elan 450 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
14%
of 43 starts by 8 boats
Wins
9%
Read from 43 starts by 8 boats between 2014 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Elan 450 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Aegean 6002026
151 Miglia - Trofeo Cetilar2026
Rolex Middle Sea Race2025- 151 Miglia - Trofeo Cetilar2025
- Aegean 6002024
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
7%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
22%
of these races end on the podium
Better the longer it gets. Boats that settle into a groove and hold it gain ground once the course stops turning.
Who she races against
The designs a Elan 450 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Salona 37 (6 meetings), Canados 33 (6 meetings), Pogo 40 (6 meetings), Salona 44 (6 meetings), Show 29 (5 meetings), First 45 (Briand) (6 meetings), Queen 34 (4 meetings), First 38 (4 meetings), Hanse 370 (4 meetings), X4.6 (3 meetings), Grand Soleil 52 (3 meetings), Salona 45 (3 meetings), Solaris 44 (3 meetings), Sly 42 (3 meetings), Grand Soleil 44 (Polli) (3 meetings), More 55 (5 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Elan 450 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
5.77
39°
Beam reach
9.27
90°
Broad reach
10.31
135°
Downwind VMG
8.41
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.
This design is even-tempered. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is on the beam in moderate air, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage cracked off as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short downwind once it pipes up, giving away time it never gets back. That is a displacement hull working to its designed speed.
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 beam reach.
How fast is a Elan 450
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.57 | 5.01 | 5.56 | 5.77 |
| 52° | 5.50 | 7.39 | 8.01 | 8.23 |
| 60° | 5.81 | 7.65 | 8.27 | 8.49 |
| 75° | 6.02 | 7.83 | 8.51 | 8.90 |
| 90° | 6.22 | 8.12 | 8.73 | 9.27 |
| 110° | 6.26 | 8.32 | 9.10 | 9.91 |
| 120° | 6.12 | 8.25 | 9.17 | 10.18 |
| 135° | 5.48 | 7.83 | 8.88 | 10.31 |
| 150° | 4.60 | 6.91 | 8.33 | 9.54 |
| Run VMG | 3.98 | 5.98 | 7.28 | 8.41 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Roughly half carry a folding propeller. A bowsprit is standard across the fleet. Crew weight is declared around 860 kg.
Rigging
Elan 450 rig and sail dimensions
A Elan 450 carries 17.40 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.81 m boom, a forestay 17.58 m above the deck and a 6.58 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 9 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 151 to 191 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.