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Review of Elan E4

Basic specs.

sail specifications
The Elan E4 is a sailboat designed by the British maritime architect Robert Humphreys in the mid 2010.

Here we would have liked to show you nice photos of the Elan E4.
If you have a photo you would like to share: Upload Image

Looking for a new boat? Find an Elan E4 or similar boat for sale

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 boat is equipped with 185.0 liter fresh water capacity.


Rig

The Elan E4 is equipped with 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.


Keel

Unknown keel type

The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 2.15 - 2.25 meter (7.05 - 7.35 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.


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 E4 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 7.7 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 E4 is about 236 kg/cm, alternatively 1326 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 236 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1326 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 E4 is 20.0.

Low High 18% 0 50 100
Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 18% 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 E4 is 3.03.

Slim Wide 69% 0 50 100
Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 69% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a slightly more spacy hull design.


Ballast Ratio

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Elan E4 is 27%.

Low High 4% 0 50 100
This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 4% of all similar sailboat designs. A righting moment (ability to resist heeling) significantly below average.


D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Elan E4 is 138 which categorizes this boat among 'ultra light racers'.

Heavy Light 90% 0 50 100
90% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.


SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Elan E4 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 20.2, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 23.5.

Low High 88% 0 50 100
The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 88% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.


Over- / underrigged

Low High 97% 0 50 100
The Elan E4 has more rig than 97% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is significantly overrigged.


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 43m2 (462 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

Dimensions of sail for fractional rig.

mainsail specifications headsail specifications

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale



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
UsageLengthDiameter
Mainsail halyard 35.0 m(114.9 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard35.0 m(114.9 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Spinnaker halyard35.0 m(114.9 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Jib sheet 10.6 m(34.8 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Genoa sheet10.6 m(34.8 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Mainsheet 26.5 m(86.9 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker sheet23.3 m(76.5 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Cunningham4.6 m(15.2 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Kickingstrap9.3 m(30.4 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Clew-outhaul9.3 m(30.4 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 E4 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
[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.