Elan Impression 40
Elan · Rob Humphreys · 2006
Updated
The Elan Impression 40 is a 11.25 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Rob Humphreys and built by Elan, first launched in 2006. It races in Class C.
Length
11.25 m
36′ 11″
Beam
3.91 m
Draft
1.83 m
Displacement
8.2 t
Sail area
69 m²
On the podium
Where a Elan Impression 40 finishes when she goes racing.
0
Wins
0
Seconds
0
Thirds
1
Starts
Not enough races yet for a percentage — these are the counts so far. We keep collecting results, so this will fill in.
Read from 1 start by 1 boat between 2022, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Elan Impression 40 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Viška regata2022
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: no races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
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Not enough data yet: no races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Elan Impression 40 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Met too few times for a figure:
J/111 (1 meeting), Salona 380 (1 meeting), Xp 44 (1 meeting), Salona 42 (1 meeting), Xp 33 (1 meeting), Farr 40 (1 meeting), Salona 34 (1 meeting), Mat 11.80 (1 meeting), X-35 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 43 (Carkeek) (1 meeting), Elan 340 (1 meeting), Archambault 40 (1 meeting), Elan 31 (Design) (1 meeting), Dufour 460 (1 meeting)
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
4.93
41°
Beam reach
8.13
90°
Broad reach
8.64
135°
Downwind VMG
7.31
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 on the beam once the breeze fills, where it goes better than its measurements say it should, and by a margin worth having.
Where it pays
It falls short to windward in light air, giving away time it never gets back.
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 0.6 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the beam reach.
How fast is a Elan Impression 40
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.01 | 4.19 | 4.75 | 4.93 |
| 52° | 4.70 | 6.28 | 7.00 | 7.26 |
| 60° | 5.01 | 6.57 | 7.24 | 7.52 |
| 75° | 5.23 | 6.79 | 7.47 | 7.85 |
| 90° | 5.21 | 7.03 | 7.74 | 8.13 |
| 110° | 5.25 | 7.15 | 7.93 | 8.79 |
| 120° | 5.06 | 7.01 | 7.87 | 8.89 |
| 135° | 4.50 | 6.53 | 7.60 | 8.64 |
| 150° | 3.80 | 5.75 | 7.07 | 8.03 |
| Run VMG | 3.29 | 4.98 | 6.14 | 7.31 |
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 690 kg.
Rigging
Elan Impression 40 rig and sail dimensions
A Elan Impression 40 carries 13.00 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.85 m boom, a forestay 13.67 m above the deck and a 4.01 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 3 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 79 to 94 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.