Elan Yachts Cruising Sailboats
Elan Impression 50 Review, Specs and Used Market
Elan's 49 ft 10 in deck-saloon flagship of the mid 2010s: twin rudders, a huge cockpit and layouts from a two-cabin passagemaker to a six-cabin charter boat.
- Length
- 49.9 ft15.2 m
- Beam
- 15.4 ft4.68 m
- Draft
- 7.3 ft2.23 m
- Cabins
- 2 to 5, plus an optional skipper cabin (up to 6)
- Used price
- $195K to $340K
On this page
- Overview
- The Elan Impression 50 headed Elan's relaunched cruising range
- Twin rudders and a self-tacking option for two-person crews
- The cockpit Elan called the largest in its class
- An inverted deck saloon with two to six cabins
- Tanks, engine and keels
- Impression 50 or Impression 50.1
- Buying a used Impression 50
- Specifications
- Price and value
- Strengths and weaknesses
- Used buyer checklist
- Rivals
- Our verdict
- FAQ
The Elan Impression 50 is a Rob Humphreys designed 49 ft 10 in deck-saloon cruiser built from about 2014 to 2020, with twin rudders, an optional self-tacking jib and two to six cabins. It was updated as the Impression 50.1 in 2020.
- Families or groups wanting a big, sociable cruiser
- Couples planning offshore passages with a self-tacking jib
- Buyers stepping out of skippered charter
- Mediterranean and Caribbean cruising
Elan Impression 50 by the numbers
- Sail area to displacement
- 23.4Plenty of sail for the weight, the boat should feel lively in light air.
- Displacement to length
- 138Light displacement for its length, quick but sensitive to added cruising weight.
- Theoretical hull speed
- 9.0 knThe practical top speed of a displacement monohull under normal sailing, based on waterline length.
- Ballast ratio
- 35%A typical ballast ratio for a cruising monohull.
- Capsize screening
- 2.01Above 2.0, so this hull leans toward coastal stability over ultimate offshore resistance.
- Motion comfort ratio
- 24.8A quicker motion in waves, typical of light, beamy hulls.
- Length to beam ratio
- 3.25 : 1Moderate proportions.
The Elan Impression 50 headed Elan's relaunched cruising range
By late 2014 Elan was marketing its cruising boats under their own identity, with a separate Impression Yachts website listing the Impression 35, 40, 45 and 50 and moving the older 344, 384, 434 and 514 to a 'previous models' page. The Elan Impression 50 sat at the top. Drawn by Rob Humphreys with Elan's design team, it was pitched as a fast, easy-handling cruiser that a short-handed crew could take across an ocean, yet whose interior could be configured as a six-cabin skippered charter boat.
Its lineage runs through two earlier Humphreys flagships: the Impression 514 of 2009 and the Impression 494 of 2012, which shared the 50's 4.68 m beam (the 494 also matched its 14.85 m hull length). Where those boats had a single rudder, the Impression 50 moved to twin wheels and twin rudders, the feature that most distinguishes it from older Impressions. Boat-specs records the first hull in 2014, and 2015 boats are the earliest common on the brokerage market.
Twin rudders and a self-tacking option for two-person crews
Elan's own description leaned heavily on shorthanded sailing: a hull and rig balanced for stability in any sea, twin rudders for control when heeled or surfing, and an optional self-tacking jib to make the boat manageable for a couple. The rig is a tall fractional sloop with a 19 m forestay height, a 67 m2 full-batten main (56 m2 with in-mast furling) and a 59.6 m2 genoa, with a 127 m2 gennaker for off-wind work.
The numbers make this a livelier cruiser than its volume suggests. Sailboatdata calculates a sail area to displacement ratio of about 23.5 with the full-batten main and genoa, a displacement to length ratio near 138 on its long 45 ft 2 in waterline and a ballast ratio of about 35 percent. Elan's 2014 data sheet quoted an approximate displacement of 14,500 kg, presumably with some load aboard, against sailboatdata's 12,867 kg, so expect real-world ratios somewhat more conservative.
The cockpit Elan called the largest in its class
Elan marketed the Impression 50's cockpit as the largest in its class, with U-shaped seating around the table, a sundeck forward on the coachroof, a cockpit fridge and an outside bar area, and a large swim platform lowered at the push of a button. When Yachting World toured the later GT5 in 2017, Elan's marketing manager made the comparison himself, saying the 43 ft GT5 had the same size cockpit as the Impression 50.
Twin wheels keep the centerline open from the transom to the companionway, and on the updated 50.1 SAIL found the cockpit split into a working area aft with the wheels and controls and a larger social area forward with twin tables that lower to form lounging pads. One caveat from that test applies to both versions: one pair of powered winches is reachable from the helm and the other is not, which suits a couple better than a solo sailor.
An inverted deck saloon with two to six cabins
Below, Elan used what it called an inverted deck saloon to make use of the full 4.68 m beam without squeezing the cabins or galley, with a raised center section lit by hull and deck windows. The U-shaped galley was specified like a home kitchen, with options for an extractor hood, wine chiller, coffee maker and microwave. On the 50.1, SAIL described a forward transverse galley that surrounds the cook at the point of least motion and a proper nav table amidships.
Layouts ranged from a two-cabin bluewater owner's boat to a five-cabin charter version with an extra skipper's berth, sleeping up to 11 in cabins plus two in the saloon, with two or three heads. A US buyer should favor three-cabin or four-cabin boats with three heads; the five-cabin plans make sense only for charter or very large families and tend to be cheaper for that reason.
Tanks, engine and keels
Elan's 2014 data sheet lists 605 liters (160 gallons) of water and 295 liters (78 gallons) of diesel, generous figures for coastal cruising and adequate for an Atlantic crossing with a watermaker. Power is a 75 hp diesel on a saildrive, with an 80 hp Yanmar option. The standard keel draws 2.23 m (7 ft 4 in) and carries 4,500 kg of ballast; the shoal keel draws about 1.84 m (6 ft 1 in) with 4,800 kg, the better choice for the Bahamas and much of the US East Coast.
Air draft matters for US owners: at 22.9 m (75 ft) the Impression 50's mast is too tall for the standard 65 ft fixed bridges of the Intracoastal Waterway, so coastal passages have to be made outside.
Impression 50 or Impression 50.1
In 2020 Elan replaced the Impression 50 with the Impression 50.1 on the same 14.83 m hull, 13.76 m waterline and 4.68 m beam. The update brought an iroko interior, a standard 80 hp Yanmar 4JH80, Elan's 3D VAIL stringer system and chainplates aligned with it, a twin Oceanvolt electric option, and three layouts: three cabins with three heads, four cabins with three heads, or five cabins with two heads. Two of those layouts include a forward cabin that can be split in two with a movable partition, and the 50.1 offers two drop-down stern platforms, a small one and a large one.
SAIL tested a 50.1 at Annapolis in 2023 and found it pleasant and positive to sail: short-tacking through 80 degrees at 6.5 knots in a 12 knot breeze with a self-tacking jib, turning in less than a boatlength under power and cruising at 8.4 knots at 2,400 rpm with 74 dBA in the cabin. Base price was $608,628 and the test boat $898,628. Because the hull is shared, those sailing figures are a fair guide to the original 50 as well.
Buying a used Impression 50
Most Impression 50s were sold to European owners and charter fleets, and the majority now for sale are in Croatia, with others in Portugal and the Netherlands. Typical asking prices of 155,000 to 231,000 euros for 2015 to 2018 boats mean a US buyer should expect roughly $195,000 to $340,000 depending on layout, equipment and history, which is a large discount to a 50.1. A boat that has spent its life in skippered charter will have high engine hours and worn joinery but often a strong maintenance record; a private owner's three-cabin boat with air conditioning, a generator and electric winches is the one to pay up for.
With Elan having confirmed in November 2025 that the Impression range is finished, there is no new model to compete with used values, and the twin-rudder hull, big cockpit and generous tanks keep the Impression 50 competitive with similar-age Beneteau, Jeanneau and Bavaria 50-footers.
Elan Impression 50 specifications
| Length overall | 49.9 ft15.2 m |
|---|---|
| Waterline length | 45.1 ft13.76 m |
| Beam | 15.4 ft4.68 m |
| Draft | 7.3 ft2.23 m |
| Air draft | 75.1 ft22.89 m |
| Displacement | 28,367 lbs12,867 kg |
| Ballast | 9,921 lbs4,5 kg |
| Sail area | 1,363 sq ft126.6 m² |
| Fuel capacity | 78 gal295 L |
| Fresh water | 16 gal605 L |
| Cabins | 2 to 5, plus an optional skipper cabin (up to 6) |
| Berths | 4 to 11 in cabins plus 2 in the saloon |
| Heads | 2 or 3 |
| Standard engines | 75 hp diesel (Volvo Penta per sailboatdata) with saildrive |
| Optional engines | 80 hp Yanmar |
| Maximum power | 80 hp |
| Hull type | Deck-saloon monohull with maximum beam amidships and twin rudders |
| Keel | Bulb fin, 2.23 m (7 ft 4 in) standard with 4,500 kg ballast or 1.84 to 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) shoal with 4,800 kg |
| Rig | Fractional sloop; full-batten main (67.1 m2) or in-mast furling (55.9 m2), 59.6 m2 genoa, self-tacking jib optional |
| Hull construction | Vacuum-infused GRP with foam-cored topsides and vinylester barrier |
| Builder | Elan d.o.o. (Elan Yachts), Slovenia |
| Naval architect | Humphreys Yacht Design (Rob Humphreys) |
| Other design credits | Elan design team |
| Production | 2014 to 2020 |
| Status | Discontinued |
Figures come from builder documentation and independent tests where available. Displacement is usually quoted light, so a loaded cruising boat will weigh more. Compare these specs with another model.
Performance data
| Condition | Wind (kn) | Speed (kn) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short-tacking through 80 degrees, self-tacking jib (50.1) | 12 | 6.5 | SAIL, 2023 |
| Motoring at 2,400 rpm cruise (50.1) | n/a | 8.4 | SAIL, 2023 |
No independent trial of the original Impression 50 was found; the 50.1 shares its hull, waterline and beam.
How much does a Elan Impression 50 cost?
Boat-specs put the Impression 50's base price at about 275,000 euros ex VAT. Recent European asking prices for 2015 to 2018 boats mostly fall between 155,000 and 231,000 euros, with a few well-equipped boats much higher, while the updated 50.1 asks about 300,000 to 450,000 euros. Five and six cabin charter layouts sell for less than two and three cabin owner boats, and generators, air conditioning and electric winches add real value on a boat this size.
Estimate your yearly cost
A planning estimate using common rules of thumb: insurance near 1.5 percent of value, maintenance near 3 percent, haul out and bottom paint by length. Your marina, region and use will move these numbers. Open the full cost calculator.
Versions and options
- Standard keel
- 2.23 m (7 ft 4 in) draft with 4,500 kg ballast.
- Shoal keel
- About 1.84 m (6 ft 1 in) with 4,800 kg ballast.
- Self-tacking jib
- Optional, for couples who sail shorthanded.
- Impression 50.1 (2020)
- Same hull with iroko interior, 80 hp Yanmar standard, 3D VAIL stringers and three to five cabin layouts.
Elan Impression 50 timeline
- 2009Impression 514 introduced as Elan's cruising flagship
- 2012Impression 494 follows on a 4.68 m beam hull
- 2014Impression 50 heads the relaunched Impression range
- 2020Replaced by the Impression 50.1
- 2023SAIL tests the 50.1 at Annapolis
- 2025Elan confirms the Impression line will not continue
Strengths and weaknesses
What owners like
- Twin rudders give confident control in a breeze
- Huge cockpit with outdoor bar and push-button swim platform
- Flexible layouts from two to six cabins
- Large water and fuel tanks
- Livelier sail area to displacement than most 50 ft cruisers
- Strong discount to the 50.1 on the same hull
What to weigh up
- Mast height of 75 ft rules out the ICW inside route
- Many boats have five-cabin charter layouts
- One pair of powered winches out of reach of the helm
- Standard draft deep for Bahamas cruising
- Little independent test data on the original model
Used Elan Impression 50 buyer checklist
Take this list to a viewing. Your ticks are saved in this browser so you can come back to it.
Always commission an independent marine survey and an engine survey before you buy. How a marine survey works.
Rivals to consider
Beneteau Oceanis 51.1
Big-volume French rival with walk-around decks and huge dealer support.
Compare side by sideJeanneau Sun Odyssey 509
Same-era charter and owner favorite with a conventional saloon.
Hanse 505
Self-tacking jib standard and a modern open interior.
Our verdict on the Elan Impression 50
The Elan Impression 50 is one of the better-sailing big charter-era cruisers: twin rudders, a long waterline and a tall rig give it more life than its deck-saloon profile suggests, while the vast cockpit and flexible interior make it a superb platform for family cruising or a crowd. Its weaknesses are mostly practical: a 75 ft mast, a deep standard keel and the fact that many boats spent their early years in five-cabin charter trim. Choose a three or four cabin boat with a documented history, check the steering and swim platform mechanisms closely, and an Impression 50 delivers most of what a 50.1 offers for a much lower price.
Elan Impression 50 questions answered
When was the Elan Impression 50 built?
From about 2014 until 2020, when the Impression 50.1 replaced it on the same hull.
How many cabins does the Elan Impression 50 have?
Between two and five cabins plus an optional skipper cabin, with two or three heads depending on layout.
What is the difference between the Impression 50 and 50.1?
The 50.1 adds an iroko interior, an 80 hp Yanmar as standard, 3D VAIL stringers, new layouts with a convertible forward cabin and two swim platform choices.
How much does a used Elan Impression 50 cost?
European asking prices are mostly 155,000 to 231,000 euros for 2015 to 2018 boats; expect roughly $195,000 to $340,000 in the US.
Does the Elan Impression 50 have twin rudders?
Yes. It uses twin wheels and twin rudders, unlike the single-rudder Impression 494 and 514 that preceded it.
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