Design and Construction
Humphreys’ hand is unmistakable in the Elan 31’s profile. His designs for Elan in this period share a trademark perky sheerline, and the 31 combines a slightly convex bow with minimal overhangs. It measures 30 feet 10 inches overall, with a beam of 10 feet 6 inches. Displacement is 9,920 pounds, including 3,152 pounds of ballast.
The beam reflects practical accommodation demands rather than styling. With a length-to-beam ratio of 2.94, the design breaks the conventional 3.0 barrier. The beam is carried well aft, although not to the extent seen on the later, twin-ruddered Elan 310 and 320. A fine entry and a D/L of 190 complete a hull that is beamy but still moderately proportioned.
Below the waterline, the hull has a skeg proportionately much shorter than the one seen on the Sabre, and it doesn’t fair into the canoe body. The rudder is mounted on a vertical stock. The keel carries a large bulb and was cast iron as standard, although buyers could pay extra for a lead keel.
Elan stressed structural integrity in the original brochure, noting that the hull-to-deck joint is bolted, glued, and laminated. Below the sole, substantial steel plates and a grid of fore-and-aft and athwartships members spread the keel-bolt loads. A full-length interior moulding forms the bunk fronts and landings for the joinery.
The cockpit opens aft to a swim step. Its coamings are cut away at the helm, and the helmsman’s seat is angled to sit level when the boat heels by about 15 degrees. Teak pads on deck provide grip for the crew. Forward, there’s a flush anchor well, while the toerail is teak rather than alloy.
Rig and Handling
The Elan 31 is a swept-spreader fractional sloop. Some references describe a deck-stepped mast, while others note a keel-stepped mast. The rig isn’t particularly large for the type, but a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 18.31 gives the boat the power of a lively performance cruiser without requiring an expert crew.
The genoa tracks are set well inboard, and the decks are clear. A mainsheet traveler bisects the large cockpit well. The 4:1 mainsheet, with 3:1 fine tune, is readily controlled from the helm. A 32:1 backstay is split to cleats beside the traveler. The boat was drawn with a tiller, and no wheel is listed as an option.
Test sailors found the 31 reassuringly obedient and well balanced, with a trustworthy rudder. They also noted that the helm hardly loads up as the boat heels. In Practical Boat Owner, one reviewer described it as the epitome of the true all-rounder—competitive on the race course and easily managed for short-handed cruising. The reviewer called it pretty, well mannered, and well built.
Accommodation
Below deck, the Elan 31 feels much more traditional than newer Elans of a similar size. The mahogany joinery is less modular and more built-in, while the boat also has a moulded headliner and the structural interior moulding.
A large enclosed double berth lies aft to port. Opposite, to starboard, is the head with its wet locker. The bow contains V-berths that convert to a double with a filler piece. The navigation area appears adequately sized, but the galley doesn’t.
Headroom is limited to 6 feet in the saloon and galley, although the aft end of the saloon gains the full 6 feet. Owners appreciate the polyethylene water tanks beneath each saloon berth, which have large inspection hatches for cleaning. They also note that the doors to the heads and aft cabin are narrow, a consequence of the wide side decks and moderate beam.
Production Changes and Ownership
The Elan 31 evolved meaningfully during production. Early boats, including the example Kudos, had a shaft-driving Yanmar engine; later boats used a Volvo saildrive. The rig supplier also changed from Sparcraft to Seldén during the production run.
Fuel-tank placement changed as well. On early boats, the tank was in the cockpit locker to starboard. On later examples, it moved farther forward and to port, beneath the aft-cabin berth—a better position for trim.
A race-pack option included larger winches, which owners found useful even when cruising. The Elan 31 also holds an RCD Category A rating, underscoring its offshore allowance.
Known Issues
Early Elan 31s left the factory well over their designed weight. That didn’t help performance and should be weighed against any claimed racing pedigree on an unrefitted example.
The original guardwires were plastic-covered 7x19 wire. One owner removed the covering after finding it unacceptable for RORC racing, so this is a detail to check on boats still presented with their original rigging.
Verdict
The Elan 31 is a genuinely dual-purpose 30-footer. It succeeded the 295 by being faster, stiffer, and a better cruiser without growing larger, and it remains competitive while still being manageable short-handed.
Its Humphreys pedigree is evident in the perky sheer and balanced helm. Below, the traditional mahogany joinery and thoughtful structural grid give the interior a built-in feel that’s rare in a boat of this size. The main caveats are limited headroom, overweight early hulls, and the original plastic-covered guardwires.
Pros
- Stiffer, faster, and easier to sail than the Elan 295
- Trustworthy, light helm that remains balanced when heeled
- Bolted, glued, and laminated hull-to-deck joint, with a structural grid below
- Traditional mahogany interior and practical polyethylene water tanks
- RCD Category A offshore rating
Cons
- Early boats were delivered well over their designed weight
- Only 6 feet of headroom in the saloon and galley
- Original plastic-covered guardwires unsuitable for serious racing
- Undersized galley
