Elan S4
Elan · Rob Humphreys · 2001
Updated
The Elan S4 is a 10.59 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by Rob Humphreys and built by Elan, first launched in 2001. It races in Class C.
Length
10.59 m
34′ 9″
Beam
3.54 m
Draft
2.13 m
Displacement
5.3 t
Sail area
68 m²
On the podium
Where a Elan S4 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 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Elan S4 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
151 Miglia - Trofeo Cetilar2026
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: no races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
—
Not enough data yet: 1 race over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Elan S4 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Met too few times for a figure:
Swan 54 (1 meeting), Centurion 40 (1 meeting), Elan 410 (1 meeting), Elan 40 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 39 (Maletto) (2 meetings), More 40 (2 meetings), First 40.7 (2 meetings), Grand Soleil 44 (Polli) (1 meeting), Elan 450 (1 meeting), Bavaria 41 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 46 (Lostuzzi) (1 meeting), Figaro 1 (1 meeting), First 36.7 (1 meeting), Pogo 40 (1 meeting), Latini 52 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 46 (Carkeek) (1 meeting), Oceanis 43 (1 meeting), First 35 (Berret) (1 meeting), Bavaria Match 38 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 43 (Carkeek) (1 meeting), Baltic 51 (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
5.33
39°
Beam reach
8.71
90°
Broad reach
10.35
135°
Downwind VMG
7.90
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 needs pressure to show what it can do. Give it a fresh day and long legs and it delivers more than it promised; in a drifter it is working uphill.
Where it gains
Its best ground is on a broad reach when it blows, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, 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 0.8 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the beam reach.
How fast is a Elan S4
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.42 | 4.74 | 5.20 | 5.33 |
| 52° | 5.24 | 6.89 | 7.38 | 7.54 |
| 60° | 5.53 | 7.09 | 7.60 | 7.80 |
| 75° | 5.98 | 7.41 | 7.85 | 8.28 |
| 90° | 6.15 | 7.61 | 8.25 | 8.71 |
| 110° | 5.98 | 7.72 | 8.59 | 9.47 |
| 120° | 5.85 | 7.67 | 8.68 | 9.95 |
| 135° | 5.24 | 7.31 | 8.36 | 10.35 |
| 150° | 4.41 | 6.56 | 7.73 | 9.08 |
| Run VMG | 3.82 | 5.68 | 6.77 | 7.90 |
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 680 kg.
Rigging
Elan S4 rig and sail dimensions
A Elan S4 carries 13.30 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.55 m boom, a forestay 13.76 m above the deck and a 5.10 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 3 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails