Elan 31
Not to be confused with the J&J half-tonner from 1983 (see ‘The Elan Story’,
above), this is a fleet-footed performance cruiser introduced in 2002. She is a
delight to sail, good-looking on the outside and endowed with well-finished
joinery within. The hull is low, slim, sleek and elegant, with a long waterline, a
deep, narrow keel and a high-aspect rudder. Under sail, she is both powerful
and easy to handle with a small crew, acquitting herself surprisingly well in
rough seas and pointing high in kinder conditions.
The trade-off is that she’s a small boat down below. The saloon is narrow,
with just 1.8m (5ft 9in) headroom, the galley and heads are compact
and stowage is limited. She does, however, boast a big chart table that
is comfortable to sit at, a decent-sized aft cabin and a surprisingly large
hanging locker. There are two more berths in the forecabin, with sitting
headroom.
LoA 9.2m (30ft 2in) LWL 8.21m (26ft 9in) beam 3.2m (10ft 5in) Draught 1.85m (6ft 1in)
Displacement 3,800kg (8,360lb) YM test report april 2003