Elling E6, the Single-Engine 65-Foot Ocean Cruiser Reviewed

The Elling E6 and the case for one big engine

Most 65 foot yachts are sold on a pair of engines and the assumption that two of everything equals safety. The Elling E6 argues the opposite. It carries one Volvo Penta D13 of 900 or 1,000 hp on a single shaft, plus a completely independent 75 hp Volvo get-home engine with its own fuel, electrics and propulsion. The result is a boat that Motor Boat & Yachting clocked at just over 21 knots, yet one that can stretch to more than 2,500 nautical miles when you throttle back to 9 knots.

It is the flagship of Elling Shipbuilding in Aalst, the Netherlands, the yard that built hundreds of the smaller E3 and E4 since the late 1990s. The E6 keeps their recipe, an aramid-reinforced hull certified CE Category A (Ocean), wide protected side decks, high rails and an enclosed pilothouse, and scales it up for owners who want to live aboard for months without hiring crew.

Seventeen years of E3 and E4 lessons, sixteen more feet

Parent company Neptune Marine released the first renderings in 2015 and launched the boat in May 2016. MBY noted at the time that the E3 and E4 had produced hundreds of hulls over 17 years, and the E6 was intended to be the largest Elling by nearly 20 feet. Elling's own description puts it as the E4 concept plus about 16 feet of length; MBY's test found 25 percent more beam as well, at 5.35 meters (17 feet 7 inches).

Construction follows the smaller models. MBY reported that the hull is laid up with Kevlar and Twaron aramid fibers, and Elling claims self-righting capability for the range. The yard did roll a production E4 through 360 degrees with its CEO aboard to prove the concept; it has not done the same with the E6, so treat the E6's capsize credentials as a design claim rather than a demonstrated test.

How the wing engine changes the single-engine argument

The main engine is a 12.8 liter Volvo Penta D13, offered at 900 hp as standard and at 1,000 hp, mounted on an Aquadrive so the engine can sit on very soft mounts while the thrust bearing takes the propeller load. The factory lists a five-blade propeller, water-injected shaft bearings, a dripless seal, and hydraulic bow and stern thrusters of 240 kgf each.

The backup is what makes the layout credible. Elling specifies a 75 hp Volvo Penta auxiliary engine, good for about 7 knots, with a separate tank (200 liters on the factory sheet, 320 liters in the current US specification) and its own propulsion. MBY's reviewer stressed that it runs on a totally separate fuel and electrical system, so a fouled prop, contaminated main tank or failed alternator does not leave you drifting. For an owner-operator, one main engine also means one set of filters, one exhaust system and a lot more room to work.

Range and speed: the numbers from the factory and the testers

Fuel capacity is 5,000 liters, or 1,321 US gallons, with 1,200 liters of fresh water. Elling and its US office publish about 2,500 nautical miles at 9 knots and roughly 1,000 nautical miles at 15 knots; MBY's tour data quoted 4,000 miles at 6 knots for those willing to go really slowly. Working back from the factory figure, 9 knot cruising burns roughly 2 liters per mile, about 4.8 US gallons per hour.

At the other end, MBY's test boat with the 900 hp D13 topped out at 21.5 knots and the magazine described a practical cruise anywhere from 7 to 17 knots. Factory data is more conservative at about 20 knots maximum, and displacement is listed at 34 tonnes. MBY's summary was that you can find Category A boats that cross oceans, a few equally tough hulls and some equally quiet ones, but rarely all of that plus a 21.5 knot top speed.

• Fuel 5,000 L (1,321 US gal); water 1,200 L (317 US gal)
• About 2,500 nm at 9 knots and 1,000 nm at 15 knots (builder)
• Top speed 21.5 knots on MBY test, about 20 knots per factory
• Displacement 34 tonnes; draft 4 ft 11 in (1.50 m)

A pilothouse that finally has room to breathe

On the E4, Elling refused to narrow the side decks to enlarge the wheelhouse, and MBY found the result cozy. On the E6 the side decks stay wide, but the pilothouse grows so much that the reviewer felt it had trebled in size. Deep double-glazed windows, a double helm seat, a social settee, wine cooler and an electrically operated, hermetically sealed sliding roof turn it into an upper saloon rather than just a steering station.

Down a level sits a full second saloon and a residential galley with Miele appliances and marble or stone worktops, so the E6 effectively has two living rooms. That suits long passages well: one watch can stand in the pilothouse while the rest of the crew eats or sleeps below without disturbing them.

Three private staterooms and a garage under the cockpit

The owner's stateroom is full beam and aft, near the center of motion, with a walkaround king, desk, vanity and private bathroom. A queen VIP sits forward with its own bathroom, and a twin cabin to the side is served by the third head, which doubles as the day head. MBY's launch report also showed a crew cabin in the transom, and both factory and US data list one crew berth.

Despite the large aft cabin, the E6 has a tender garage that MBY said will swallow a Williams 325 jet tender, which is unusual on a boat that still keeps a modest profile. Elling says lower-deck arrangements can be adjusted to add accommodation if that matters more than the owner's suite.

Classic or Highline: two upper decks on one hull

Current E6s can be ordered in a classic configuration or with a Highline package drawn by Tony Castro Design. Highline lifts the pilothouse, creates a level aft deck with patio doors into the interior and adds a contemporary radar arch. If you are comparing listings, the profile tells you which you are looking at: Highline boats show a taller, more modern superstructure and a flush aft deck.

Standard equipment on recent boats includes a 10 kW Northern Lights generator, two 3.5 kW inverter-chargers, CZone digital switching, three 250 Ah lithium service batteries, electrohydraulic steering and a hydraulic anchor windlass, which gives a sense of how far the specification has moved since the 2016 launch boats.

Greenland, the Atlantic and the arrival in Florida

Elling likes to prove its boats at sea. In 2023 the E6 Elling Atlantico completed an expedition from Europe to Canada through northern waters along Greenland's coast, and in 2024 another E6, Gecko, set out for America on her own keel. By 2026 the yard was showing the E6 at the Palm Beach International Boat Show, TrawlerFest Fort Lauderdale and the Stuart Boat Show, and Elling Yachts USA in Annapolis now represents the factory directly.

That US presence matters for resale and support. With only a small fleet worldwide, an E6 owner depends on the factory for parts and documentation, so buying through or with the help of the US office is sensible.

What an E6 costs to buy and keep

Around launch MBY listed the price at 1,650,000 to 1,689,000 pounds excluding VAT; Elling now quotes each boat individually. On the US market a 2020 E6 named Quality Time, fully optioned with gyro and rotor stabilization and Raymarine electronics, has been offered at $2,595,000. Expect most good E6s to trade between roughly $1.9 million and $2.7 million, with newer Highline boats above that.

Annual costs are lower than for twin-engine 65 footers because there is one main engine to service and fuel burn at 9 knots is modest. Budget $70,000 to $130,000 a year for a 65 foot slip, insurance, a yearly haul, generator and engine service and stabilizer maintenance, before any professional captain. Many owners will want a delivery skipper for the first long passage, but the boat is laid out to be run by a capable couple.