Elan GT6 Price, Specs and Ownership Guide

The Elan GT6 is where Studio F.A. Porsche met a Humphreys hull

Elan's Grand Tourer line began in 2017 with the GT5, a cruising deck and interior grafted onto an existing performance hull. The Elan GT6 was the opposite approach: a clean-sheet 49 ft 8 in yacht with new tooling, unveiled at boot Dusseldorf in January 2020 alongside a 1973 Porsche 911 RS from the Porsche Museum, and launched that summer. Rob Humphreys drew the hull with his son Tom, Studio F.A. Porsche (the Austrian design arm that had already worked with Elan's ski division) styled the deck, cockpit and interior, and Elan's in-house team engineered the build.

It was Porsche's first sailing yacht, and the result is unmistakable: a low coachroof with wraparound tinted glazing, three hull windows set on the chine, a black stripe at the aft end of the deckhouse and a completely flush foredeck with the mast stepped forward of the coachroof. SAIL named it a Best Boat for 2022 in the 40 to 50 ft cruising monohull class, and it collected a Red Dot design award in 2021 plus European Yacht of the Year and British Yachting Awards nominations.

A deliberately reserved rig for two people

Look past the styling and the GT6 is tuned for easy handling rather than outright pace. The Selden mast is a little short for the hull, the boom is high to clear a tall sprayhood, and the double-ended mainsheet attaches midway along the boom on a bridle with no traveller and no option for one. A slightly overlapping 100 percent jib is standard, and a large asymmetric of 153 m2 flies from the fixed carbon bowsprit, which also carries the anchor.

All halyards, reef lines and furling lines run aft under deck to two pairs of Harken winches beside each wheel, with inspection hatches over the turning blocks so a jammed line can be cleared. Testers counted five working lines arriving at each helm, so tidy rope bins and a system for tails matter. Tom Humphreys called it an 'out-and-out cruiser' sitting between the Impression and E ranges, and the modest sail area to displacement ratio confirms it.

Speeds testers saw in light air and a breeze

Most GT6 tests happened in gentle conditions, which the boat handles better than its displacement suggests. On the Chesapeake, SAIL's shoal-keel boat pointed to 38 degrees apparent at 5.5 knots in 8 knots of breeze, gained about 2 knots when the wind reached 13, and held 5.5 knots on a broad reach in 10 knots true without a spinnaker. Pressed on a beam reach in 16 knots true, the twin rudders kept the helm neutral with no sign of loading up. Cruising World recorded an effortless 6 knots upwind in 10 to 12 knots, also with the 6 ft 6 in keel.

Yachting World sailed a high-spec boat with carbon and Vectran sails in the Firth of Clyde and found it quick to accelerate and easy to keep moving, roughly half a knot to a knot below true wind speed when cracked off or under A-sail, with a fleeting 9 knots in 11 knots of breeze. The twin rudders give little feedback in light air, which some sailors dislike but which makes the boat easy for a nervous crew.

Gull-wing pedestals, split tables and a flush foredeck

The cockpit is where Porsche's work shows most. Low gull-wing helm pedestals with racing-inspired wheels sit aft of twin fixed tables whose four leaves fold into dining space or drop to form a giant sunbed, while their handrails give solid bracing at sea. Aft benches can house a grill and fridge, and the fold-down transom becomes a swim platform and outdoor galley. A liferaft fits below the central cockpit sole, a deflated tender under the aft deck, and there is a sail locker in the bow behind the chain locker.

The flush foredeck looks superb but gives nothing to hold, and the gunwales are shallow, so jacklines and a strong pulpit matter if you plan to work forward offshore. The deck finish on most boats is Permateek synthetic teak.

A galley across the boat and a belt of lockers

Below, the GT6 puts its galley athwartships just forward of the saloon, in the area of least pitching: cooking and refrigeration in a U to port, a double sink and counter to starboard, plus drinks cabinets and an optional pop-up microwave or coffee machine. A continuous 'belt' of top-opening lockers runs below the hull-deck joint through the saloon, galley and forecabin, which gives far more practical stowage than the sleek look suggests. Light oak with horizontal grain, solid wood trim and painted bilges reflect a finish noticeably above mass production.

The owner's cabin is forward with an island berth, en suite head and separate shower, and up to 6 ft of headroom thanks to the rising sheer. The standard plan has one aft double plus a workshop or storage room to starboard; the three-cabin version adds a second aft double. There is no dedicated nav station, only a clever seat that hinges over to reveal a chart table, and the semi-raised saloon puts the deckhouse glass just above eye level for many adults.

GT6 or GT6 Explorer

In 2024 Elan premiered the GT6 Explorer (later listed as the GT6 X) at the Cannes Yachting Festival. It uses the same hull and layout but addresses the offshore criticisms of the original: watertight bulkheads in case of collision, a strengthened deck and hull-deck joint for a staysail stay, a cockpit arch with dodger and bimini, lee cloth mounts, a washing machine and dishwasher, and the option of a solar array sized for the watermaker and hotel loads except air conditioning. Sailboatdata notes the tank sizes were reversed on the Explorer, with 500 liters of fuel and 300 liters of water.

Yachting World had specifically worried that the standard GT6 had no watertight bulkhead between the rudder quadrants and the aft cabins. If you plan ocean passages, that alone makes an Explorer, or a standard boat with that bulkhead added, the version to look for.

Engines, tanks and the options that drive value

Elan's final specification lists a 57 hp Yanmar 4JH57 saildrive as standard with an 80 hp Yanmar 4JH80 option, while early boats offered a 60 hp or 75 hp Volvo Penta, and twin 15 kW Oceanvolt electric drives were available. Standard tanks are 300 liters (79 gallons) of diesel and 500 liters (132 gallons) of water. Most boats carry a retractable bow thruster, and many have a Fischer Panda generator and multi-zone air conditioning, both of which add weight and maintenance. A SiMarine touchscreen in a brushed aluminum panel runs the digital switching.

Elan GT6 price new, and what used boats ask

When it launched, Yachting World noted the GT6 sat in its own price niche: roughly 50,000 to 70,000 euros more than a 50 ft French or German production boat, yet well below an X-Yachts, Solaris or Grand Soleil of similar size. That positioning carries into the used market. Expect most US-relevant boats to sit between $450,000 and $760,000, with the spread set by year, Explorer specification, keel choice and how much equipment the first owner added.

Elan said in late 2025 it would not continue the GT range, so there will be no new GT6 to compete with used boats. The flip side is that dealer support will thin; the main components (Selden spars, Harken winches, Yanmar or Volvo Penta drives) are mainstream and easy to service.