Elan 333 cruising / rig questions.

[Tanqueray]

I know that there are a few Elan 333 owners on here so a few questions if I may.
(Short version of long story!)
1. I've given up trying to find our Blue water cruiser for the moment - mainly due to surveys not matching descriptions, I need breather from the search, will look again next year.
2. Have picked up an Elan 333 to keep us active and out on the water. I know that they are described as 'a bit lively' by some but they are also put out as basic charter boats (Croatia) so they cannot be that lively (I accept that this is often with furling main).
3. For reasons that somewhat astonish me, somebody has managed to 'lose' (i.e. Actually mislay) the mast, boom and rig! So I have negotiated a deal that allows for replacement.
4. I no longer race - but as well as 'round the cans' I have done Fastnets, Transats etc. in the past so I am not completely green in this respect - but we are both starting to creak a bit so foredeck / mast work is becoming less attractive to say the least.

To the point;

As a Cruiser/racer - What sort of a 'Cruiser' can the Elan be ?
Can the 'liveliness' of the main and the steering be significantly tamed by early reefing?
Do the broaching type tendencies only appear when pushing on / higher wind speeds?
If a reef or two is taken, and a few rolls in the jib, will a standard auto helm cope with say one person on deck keeping an eye out or are they full on?

Night passages will probably be very rare, but long day passages (perhaps 30-60 miles) would be desirable. We normally sail double handed.

If I have to change the mast anyway, then now is the time to consider in-mast furling (a step too far?) and any other cruising mods.
(Unless somebody knows of a spare 333 mast hanging around!).

Very subjective I know, but comments from those with actual experience of the model would be much appreciated. Can the 333 make a reasonable cruiser if tamed a bit?

Ta.

 

[dunedin]

I am not an expert, but owned a similar generation Elan 36 and chartered a 333 with furling main.
They are great boats - but was severely restricted by the furling main.
I would go for standard rig, but with third reef line on main, and foam.luff on genoa.
The Elan 333 is a well designed boat, and handled strong winds with good manners.

And to my mind, best boats are configured for working right with reef 1 in - then can sail well under full sail in.light breezes as well. Any boat that doesn't need to reef upwind in 20 knots True is simply an undercanvassed motor sailer. The Elan 333 is not that.

 

[flaming]

Sailed a lot on the 37, which was similar vintage. Have done a couple of short sails on a 333, which was enough to convince me that it's a very good cruiser racer with excellent manners.
In race trim the 333's best result was a win at the IRC nationals on an very windy year. The boats just seemed to love the breeze. Remember that they are from an era when IRC was promoting heavy and stiff as the way to win. The characteristic of being "broach happy" is not one that I would attribute to the Elans of that era until you are really pushing it. Certainly I never got close to spinning out the 37 when on delivery and sailing as a cruiser would. Pushing on a race course with rather too much sail up was another matter though.

The only real drawback of the boats of that era was that they were designed for a genoa. Depending on how involved you want to get with the rig design I would consider a small, say 0.5m or so, increase in mast height to allow for a slightly bigger main and then to sail with a non-overlapping jib rather than a genoa. A couple of deep reefs in the main and that would be a very good setup for a cruiser. Who wants to be grinding in a genoa?

 

[dunedin]

The only real drawback of the boats of that era was that they were designed for a genoa. Depending on how involved you want to get with the rig design I would consider a small, say 0.5m or so, increase in mast height to allow for a slightly bigger main and then to sail with a non-overlapping jib rather than a genoa. A couple of deep reefs in the main and that would be a very good setup for a cruiser. Who wants to be grinding in a genoa?

That could be applied to the masthead rigged 36, but don’t think applies to the fractional rigged 333. Not a huge genoa.

 

[dolabriform]

That could be applied to the masthead rigged 36, but don’t think applies to the fractional rigged 333. Not a huge genoa.

We don't find the genoa on our 36 to be unwieldy, and as you say the 333 is fractional so it should be pretty easy to handle.

Totally agree about avoiding a furling main. We get decent speeds in light winds, but have to reef earlier than most. TBH I don't find this a problem at all.

Was it a 33 or a 333 that Rob Humphreys owned?

 

[Tanqueray]

Thanks guys, that's very reassuring and exactly what I was hoping to hear.
Thanks again.

 

[Tranona]

Maybe a good idea to speak to Rob Humphries design office for advice as well.

 

[johnphilip]

I know that there are a few Elan 333 owners on here so a few questions if I may.
(Short version of long story!)
1. I've given up trying to find our Blue water cruiser for the moment - mainly due to surveys not matching descriptions, I need breather from the search, will look again next year.
2. Have picked up an Elan 333 to keep us active and out on the water. I know that they are described as 'a bit lively' by some but they are also put out as basic charter boats (Croatia) so they cannot be that lively (I accept that this is often with furling main).
3. For reasons that somewhat astonish me, somebody has managed to 'lose' (i.e. Actually mislay) the mast, boom and rig! So I have negotiated a deal that allows for replacement.
4. I no longer race - but as well as 'round the cans' I have done Fastnets, Transats etc. in the past so I am not completely green in this respect - but we are both starting to creak a bit so foredeck / mast work is becoming less attractive to say the least.

To the point;

As a Cruiser/racer - What sort of a 'Cruiser' can the Elan be ?
Can the 'liveliness' of the main and the steering be significantly tamed by early reefing?
Do the broaching type tendencies only appear when pushing on / higher wind speeds?
If a reef or two is taken, and a few rolls in the jib, will a standard auto helm cope with say one person on deck keeping an eye out or are they full on?

Night passages will probably be very rare, but long day passages (perhaps 30-60 miles) would be desirable. We normally sail double handed.

If I have to change the mast anyway, then now is the time to consider in-mast furling (a step too far?) and any other cruising mods.
(Unless somebody knows of a spare 333 mast hanging around!).

Very subjective I know, but comments from those with actual experience of the model would be much appreciated. Can the 333 make a reasonable cruiser if tamed a bit?

Ta.

Searching yesterday for info on Elan 333 I was directed to this old post. Question, did you go ahead and get your 333 rigged? Do you still have the boat? I used to be a regular on this forum but have rarely participated in the last couple of years. We have had our 333 since 2006 and would be happy to share our experiences if it is still relevant.

 

[Roma9802]

I know that there are a few Elan 333 owners on here so a few questions if I may.
(Short version of long story!)
1. I've given up trying to find our Blue water cruiser for the moment - mainly due to surveys not matching descriptions, I need breather from the search, will look again next year.
2. Have picked up an Elan 333 to keep us active and out on the water. I know that they are described as 'a bit lively' by some but they are also put out as basic charter boats (Croatia) so they cannot be that lively (I accept that this is often with furling main).
3. For reasons that somewhat astonish me, somebody has managed to 'lose' (i.e. Actually mislay) the mast, boom and rig! So I have negotiated a deal that allows for replacement.
4. I no longer race - but as well as 'round the cans' I have done Fastnets, Transats etc. in the past so I am not completely green in this respect - but we are both starting to creak a bit so foredeck / mast work is becoming less attractive to say the least.

To the point;

As a Cruiser/racer - What sort of a 'Cruiser' can the Elan be ?
Can the 'liveliness' of the main and the steering be significantly tamed by early reefing?
Do the broaching type tendencies only appear when pushing on / higher wind speeds?
If a reef or two is taken, and a few rolls in the jib, will a standard auto helm cope with say one person on deck keeping an eye out or are they full on?

Night passages will probably be very rare, but long day passages (perhaps 30-60 miles) would be desirable. We normally sail double handed.

If I have to change the mast anyway, then now is the time to consider in-mast furling (a step too far?) and any other cruising mods.
(Unless somebody knows of a spare 333 mast hanging around!).

Very subjective I know, but comments from those with actual experience of the model would be much appreciated. Can the 333 make a reasonable cruiser if tamed a bit?

Ta.

Hi I’m in Nelson, NZ. I have an Elan 333, which I imported from Croatia. I had a new slightly bigger Genoa made and I think it’s a great cruiser/ racer. We weren’t that fast until I put a kiwi folding prop on it and it made a huge difference. We won the Div 3 racing class this past summer, and were rarely beaten on the water. We reef reasonably soon if the wind is getting up. Initially we had a lot of weather helm but once we got that sorted it sails very fast and is a pleasure. I don’t think the guy who initially fitted the mast in Auckland was very skilled, but I needed to get some new fittings here in Nelson to get some rack in the mast. The job was done by Nerig in Nelson, and they did a great job!