More than just a pretty
hull, the deservedly
popular Elan 333 is
quick and close-winded,
easily handled by a
couple and endowed
with comfortable
accommodation for
a family.
The deck hardware
is thoughtfully laid-out,
with short-handed sailing
in mind. The cockpit
is comfortable, with
high coamings, but the
bridgedeck-mounted
mainsheet traveller could be construed as a hazard for unwary crew. A tiller
was standard, but many boats were fitted with a wheel – which some owners
say is mounted rather too far aft for comfort. The 333 comes with a lot of
canvas, but stands up to it well. Under sail, she is very well-balanced, stiff and
stable, easy to keep in the groove and light on the helm. She has a solid, big-
boat feel in a seaway and manoeuvres sweetly under power.
Her main cabin feels open and roomy, but there are plenty of hand-
holds – the accommodation layout is a good compromise between comfort
in harbour and efficiency at sea. Headroom is generous in the saloon, but
restricted in the forecabin. There’s an excellent nav-station, a seamanlike
L-shaped galley and long, straight settees either side of the table. The aft
cabin is big on berth size but small on stowage.

LoA 10.45m (34ft 3in) LWL 8.75m (28ft 8in) beam 3.46m (11ft 6in) Draught 1.9m or 1.5m
(6ft 3in or 4ft 11in) Displacement 4,200kg (9,259lb) YM test report May 1999