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Review of Elan 36


Basic specs.

sail specifications
The Elan 36 is a sailboat designed by the British maritime architect bureau Humphreys Yacht Design in the mid nineties. The Elan 36 is built by the Slovenian yard Elan Marine D.O.O..

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Hull

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.


Interior

The interior is like many other boats made of mahogany. Mahogany belongs to the hardwood species, known for being water-repellent and resistant to decay. It has an attractive wood grain and holds wood polish and varnish well.
The boat is equipped with 3 cabins, a galley, 256.0 liter fresh water capacity and toilet facility.


Rig

The boat has more than one rig.

One option is a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

Another option is a masthead rig. The advantage of a masthead rig is its simplicity and the fact that a given sail area - compared with a fractional rig - can be carried lower and thus with less heeling moment.


Keel

The Elan 36 has been built with different keel alternatives.

Fin keel

One option is a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a full keel.

Elan 36 can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 1.95 - 2.05 meter (6.40 - 6.70 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Fin keel

Another option is a fin keel. The fin keel is the most common keel and provides splendid manoeuvrability. The downside is that it has less directional stability than a long keel.

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.40 - 1.50 meter (4.59 - 4.89 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.


Engine

The Elan 36 has been equipped with different engine alternatives.

Alternative 1:

The boat may be equipped with an inboard Yanmar 3GM30 diesel engine at 27 hp (20 kW). Calculated max speed is about 6.6 knots

Alternative 2:

Elan 36 may be equipped with an inboard Yanmar 3GM diesel engine at 30 hp (22 kW). Calculated max speed is about 7.0 knots

The fuel tank has a capacity of 90.0 liters (23 US gallons, 19 imperial gallons).


Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Elan 36 is 2.05, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.


Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 8.0 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.


Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Elan 36 is about 263 kg/cm, alternatively 1473 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 263 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1473 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.


Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Elan 36 is 19.5.

Low High 15% 0 50 100
Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 15% of all similar sailboat designs. This is a comfort value significantly below average.


L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Elan 36 is 2.98.

Slim Wide 76% 0 50 100
Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 76% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a significantly more spacy hull design.


Ballast Ratio

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Elan 36 is 45%.

Low High 76% 0 50 100
This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 76% of all similar sailboat designs. A righting moment (ability to resist heeling) significantly above average.


D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Elan 36 is 117 which categorizes this boat among 'ultra light racers'.

Heavy Light 95% 0 50 100
95% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.


Maintenance

Bottom Paint

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 45m2 (484 ft2).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.


Rig

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.



Guiding dimensions of running rig
Masthead rig
UsageLengthDiameter
Jib sheet 10.7 m(35.1 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Genoa sheet10.7 m(35.1 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Mainsheet 26.7 m(87.7 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker sheet23.5 m(77.2 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Fractional rig
UsageLengthDiameter
Mainsail halyard 32.8 m(107.6 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard32.8 m(107.6 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Spinnaker halyard32.8 m(107.6 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Jib sheet 10.7 m(35.1 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Genoa sheet10.7 m(35.1 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Mainsheet 26.7 m(87.7 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker sheet23.5 m(77.2 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Cunningham4.4 m(14.6 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Kickingstrap8.9 m(29.1 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Clew-outhaul8.9 m(29.1 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.



Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Elan 36 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.



References