Elan S5
Elan · Rob Humphreys · 2013
Updated
The Elan S5 is a 11.94 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by Rob Humphreys and built by Elan, first launched in 2013. It races in Class B.
Length
11.94 m
39′ 2″
Beam
3.89 m
Draft
2.34 m
Displacement
7.7 t
Sail area
91 m²
On the podium
Where a Elan S5 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
0%
of 17 starts by 4 boats
Wins
0%
Read from 17 starts by 4 boats between 2022 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Elan S5 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Eolian Cup - Trofeo Franco Costa2026- ORC DH World Championship2025
- Regata dei Cinque Fari2025
- Regata Brindisi-Corfù2025
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
—
Not enough data yet: 3 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
0%
of these races end on the podium
Who she races against
The designs a Elan S5 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Grand Soleil 40 (Paperini) (7 meetings), First 40 (5 meetings), Dufour 34 (6 meetings), First 34.7 (6 meetings), B&c 46 (5 meetings), Elan 340 (5 meetings), JPK 10.80 (4 meetings), Dehler 30 OD (5 meetings), X-35 (7 meetings), First 36.7 (4 meetings), Comet 41 (4 meetings), Platu 25 (4 meetings), Corsa 915 (4 meetings), Mylius 11 (4 meetings), IMX 38 (4 meetings), Solaris 36 (4 meetings), First 36 (4 meetings), Figaro 2 (3 meetings), JPK 10.30 (5 meetings), J/109 (3 meetings), Elan E5 (3 meetings), Archambault 40 (3 meetings), Comet 45 (4 meetings), Farr 45 (3 meetings), Farr 40 (2 meetings), Elan 350 (3 meetings), Sun Fast 3600 (2 meetings), X-412 (2 meetings), Dehler 38 (Judel/Vrolijk) (2 meetings), Farr 30 (2 meetings), Elan 410 (2 meetings), Dufour 40 (2 meetings), J/11 (2 meetings), X-41 (2 meetings), X4.6 (2 meetings), J/122 (2 meetings), Vismara 40 (2 meetings), Comet 51 (2 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Elan S5 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
5.57
39°
Beam reach
9.07
90°
Broad reach
10.48
135°
Downwind VMG
8.25
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 once it pipes up, where it does more than its size and sail area promise, 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 0.6 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the broad reach.
How fast is a Elan S5
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.57 | 4.94 | 5.41 | 5.57 |
| 52° | 5.49 | 7.22 | 7.73 | 7.93 |
| 60° | 5.82 | 7.46 | 7.97 | 8.19 |
| 75° | 6.06 | 7.65 | 8.25 | 8.64 |
| 90° | 6.05 | 7.76 | 8.36 | 9.07 |
| 110° | 6.15 | 8.04 | 8.85 | 9.56 |
| 120° | 6.01 | 7.97 | 8.98 | 10.09 |
| 135° | 5.40 | 7.58 | 8.65 | 10.48 |
| 150° | 4.53 | 6.77 | 8.05 | 9.39 |
| Run VMG | 3.93 | 5.87 | 7.11 | 8.25 |
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 630 kg.
Rigging
Elan S5 rig and sail dimensions
A Elan S5 carries 15.50 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.50 m boom, a forestay 15.53 m above the deck and a 5.80 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 — 126 to 143 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.