Elan Impression 434

[mlibkind]

One more thing. Before I purchased the Elan 444, I really wanted a Bavaria 42. There was a certain year that was nicer than others because the storage areas built in all around a eye-level below deck had doors on them. Very nice wood work and very functional.

The Bavaria 42 also had two large aft cabins.

Unfortunately Bavaria's are also not common in the US. I went to the Caribbean twice to look at some and was very disappointed because all available (except one) were ex-charter boats and in poor condition. That one that was not an ex-charter boat had some suspicious things that made me think it was in some kind of accident.

I suspect in the Med you will have more options for Bavaria sailboats. I would not hesitate buying one of these. FYI, there was one in the sailing club I was a member of and it was my favorite boot. Very well balanced and a pleasure to sail. I do think the Elan is a bit faster.

Speaking of faster, I really dreamed of a true blue water sailboat but in the end I thought that the Elan was an excellent compromise of quality/sturdiness and speed. In true blue water sailboats one is forced to give up speed. But if money is no object I might opt for a true blue water sailboat.

Speaking of water sailing">blue water sailing, my Elan 444 was purchased new in the Med by the original owner and sailed across the Atlantic. It was very poorly outfitted. Probably due to the fact that the original owners had never sailed a day in their lives before buying this boat. I did major changes to her so that she is now a wonderful cruising boat ... solar, wind generator, davits, SSB, watermaker, etc. Also spinnaker and brand new North sails.

One more thing I like about the Elan 444 is the crew cabin. It makes the vee berth a bit smaller than on some boats, but I did not need the crew cabin for sleeping so it became a fantastic (large) storage area. You never have too much of that while cruising.

Cheers.

Marcus

Originally Posted by GiovanniA

I am about to buy a yacht in the 42-50 ft range. I had a look at various Jeanneau and Beneteau and frankly I was quite disappointed at the build quality of the interior. Noisy floorboards, no finish behind the scenes, poor fitting panels, overall a cheap Ikea feel. The exterior on the other hand was quite nice for lets say the Mediterranean, but Would be less confident in rougher conditions.

I also checked out Bavaria. Definitely a step up, much more solid, even though pricewise differences are minimal.

My biggest positive surprise was the Elan range. Solid build, beautiful finish, clever design. Especially like the owners version of the 434. That’s probably number 2 on my list.

My absolute personal favorite is the Contest 50CS. A bluewater cruiser’s dream. Now all I need is half a million euros, for a good 10 year old one. That is about 4 times the price of a 10 year old Elan 434 ��

[RI.Brooks]

I just purchased a 2007 Elan Impression 434 and I am looking for an "owners manual"! Does anyone have an owners manual they can copy and send in a PDF?? Greatly greatly appreciated!

[bowring]

Originally Posted by RI.Brooks

I just purchased a 2007 Elan Impression 434 and I am looking for an "owners manual"! Does anyone have an owners manual they can copy and send in a PDF?? Greatly greatly appreciated!

Hi, did you find a manual

[bellasailor]

Originally Posted by bowring

Hi, did you find a manual

Have you tried contacting Elan directly or asking in the owners' Facebook group https://m.facebook.com/groups/140430...content_filter ? I saw someone ask for a PDF of the manual in there and Elan replied that they had private messaged them (hopefully either with the PDF or to get their email address to send to!)