Elan Express
Elan · Peter Norlin · 1981
Updated
The Elan Express is a 7.78 m displacement racing yacht designed by Peter Norlin and built by Elan, first launched in 1981. It races in Sportboat. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 33% of the designs it races against. It is at its best in light air and struggles to hold that once it blows.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 33% of the boats it races against.
19th of 28 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 33 starts across 4 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
7.78 m
25′ 6″
Beam
2.49 m
Draft
1.44 m
Displacement
1.9 t
Sail area
34 m²
On the podium
Where a Elan Express finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
24%
of 33 starts by 3 boats
Wins
6%
Read from 33 starts by 3 boats between 2023 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Elan Express was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
ORC prvenstvo Slovenije2026- ORC Slovenian National Championship2025
- ORC Slovenian National Championship2024
Regata Dan Državnosti2023
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
15%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
—
Not enough data yet: 6 races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Elan Express actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
H 22 (1 meeting), Elan 340 (1 meeting), Fiumanka 33 (1 meeting)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Elan Express 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
4.44
38°
Beam reach
7.13
90°
Broad reach
8.18
135°
Downwind VMG
6.93
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.
There is no obvious weak spot here. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is off the wind when it blows, where it does more than its size and sail area promise, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage downwind 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 Express
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 2.92 | 3.99 | 4.38 | 4.44 |
| 52° | 4.46 | 5.75 | 6.12 | 6.24 |
| 60° | 4.70 | 5.90 | 6.28 | 6.44 |
| 75° | 4.85 | 6.03 | 6.46 | 6.80 |
| 90° | 4.98 | 6.22 | 6.59 | 7.13 |
| 110° | 5.04 | 6.33 | 6.98 | 7.62 |
| 120° | 4.87 | 6.27 | 7.00 | 8.05 |
| 135° | 4.36 | 6.02 | 6.78 | 8.18 |
| 150° | 3.68 | 5.52 | 6.42 | 7.55 |
| Run VMG | 3.19 | 4.80 | 5.94 | 6.93 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Most run a fixed propeller. Crew weight is declared around 380 kg.
Rigging
Elan Express rig and sail dimensions
A Elan Express carries 9.59 m of mainsail hoist on a 3.34 m boom, a forestay 8.72 m above the deck. Typical figures across the 4 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 42 to 47 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.