Elan E5
Elan · Rob Humphreys · 2016
Updated
The Elan E5 is a 11.94 m displacement racing yacht designed by Rob Humphreys and built by Elan, first launched in 2016. It races in Class B.
Length
11.94 m
39′ 2″
Beam
3.89 m
Draft
2.36 m
Displacement
8.2 t
Sail area
93 m²
On the podium
Where a Elan E5 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
26%
of 27 starts by 4 boats
Wins
11%
Read from 27 starts by 4 boats between 2023 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Elan E5 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Campionato Invernale 2025/2026 XXXVI Edizione2026- Regata Brindisi-Corfù2026
- Campionato Invernale 2025/2026 XXXVI Edizione2025
- ORC DH World Championship2025
- Riva per Tutti2025
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
—
Not enough data yet: 2 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
26%
of these races end on the podium
Who she races against
The designs a Elan E5 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Farr 30 (7 meetings), Este 39 (7 meetings), Farr 40 (6 meetings), Sun Fast 40.3 (6 meetings), Grand Soleil 43 (Design) (6 meetings), J/35 (6 meetings), Azuree 46 (6 meetings), JOD 35 (5 meetings), Elan 410 (5 meetings), Sun Fast 3300 (Andrieu) (5 meetings), Grand Soleil 47 (4 meetings), Comet 51 (4 meetings), First 41 (4 meetings), Bonin 31 (4 meetings), Sun Odyssey 45.2 (4 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Elan E5 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
5.53
39°
Beam reach
9.00
90°
Broad reach
10.39
135°
Downwind VMG
8.22
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 a broad reach when it blows, where it does more than its size and sail area promise, and by a margin worth having.
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 broad reach.
How fast is a Elan E5
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.60 | 4.91 | 5.35 | 5.53 |
| 52° | 5.51 | 7.17 | 7.69 | 7.89 |
| 60° | 5.82 | 7.42 | 7.93 | 8.16 |
| 75° | 6.05 | 7.62 | 8.19 | 8.60 |
| 90° | 6.26 | 7.87 | 8.42 | 9.00 |
| 110° | 6.20 | 8.04 | 8.85 | 9.72 |
| 120° | 6.08 | 8.00 | 8.95 | 10.04 |
| 135° | 5.44 | 7.63 | 8.67 | 10.39 |
| 150° | 4.57 | 6.82 | 8.08 | 9.38 |
| Run VMG | 3.96 | 5.90 | 7.07 | 8.22 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. A bowsprit is standard across the fleet. Crew weight is declared around 780 kg.
Rigging
Elan E5 rig and sail dimensions
A Elan E5 carries 15.63 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.52 m boom, a forestay 15.61 m above the deck and a 5.85 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 5 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails