{"id":45767,"date":"2017-12-12T20:58:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-13T01:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/?p=45767"},"modified":"2023-05-06T18:01:46","modified_gmt":"2023-05-06T22:01:46","slug":"best-midsize-cruiser-40-44-feet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/best-midsize-cruiser-40-44-feet-elan-gt5\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Midsize Cruiser 40-44 Feet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Elan <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Winner: Elan GT5<\/strong><\/span>\n Jon Whittle<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

Winner: Elan GT5<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n

This is going to be a tough category,\u201d said Bill Bolin of the Best Midsize Cruiser 40 to 44 Feet division. \u201cWe have three very different but very good boats in this class \u2014 the Elan GT5, the Hallberg-Rassy 412 and the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 440.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

To begin, Bolin said of the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 440, \u201cIt\u2019s the best Jeanneau I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d The judging panel agreed, crowning the boat the fleet\u2019s Most Innovative design for 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

And what, exactly, led to that designation? \u201cOne big reason is the side decks,\u201d said Tim Murphy. \u201cOne of the design features is wide-open side decks all the way aft\u201d that permit easy egress going forward without the need to scramble over cockpit coamings. \u201cIt\u2019s a clean path ahead,\u201d he noted. Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, it\u2019s something we expect to see on more boats, including a scaled-up Jeanneau 490, in the very near future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou go down below and, maybe for the first time, Jeanneau has separated the mast compression post from the main bulkhead,\u201d he added. \u201cNow there\u2019s just a compression post that runs down into the main saloon, and the main bulkhead that would\u2019ve come to that position is now several feet forward. So they\u2019ve opened up more space in the main cabin and taken it away from the forward cabin, where they\u2019re arguing you don\u2019t need it quite as much. I think that\u2019s also a fine change. It has twin rudders, and under sail, I thought the helm was beautiful. It\u2019s a solid boat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"jeanneau <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n The Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 440 features wide-open side decks that are carried all the way aft to permit easy passage going forward.<\/span>\n Jon Whittle<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

So, too, thought Bolin, was the Hallberg-Rassy 412. \u201cThis is the largest aft-cockpit model Hallberg-Rassy has built,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is a 40-foot center-cockpit model, but this is a different hull entirely, optimized for upwind performance, with a code zero sail for downwind work. There\u2019s a retractable bow thruster \u2014 we saw a lot of those this year \u2014 to reduce drag and get the thruster deeper in the water and farther forward as well. The boat we inspected had upgraded sails, and when we went sailing, they were \u00adspectacular. There was a beautiful full-\u00adbattened sail and the boat sailed very well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt had a slippery hull and moved nicely,\u201d he added. \u201cWe sailed it in 12 to 14 knots of breeze, so there was decent wind. Most of the time we were making 6.5 to 7 knots. As we fell off on a beam and then a broad reach, I think this was the first boat where we didn\u2019t see a drastic drop in speed. It performed well on all points of sail. It had a nice big wheel and great visibility forward. It would be an easy boat to single\u00adhand. I really like it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a mainsail-driven boat, and I think that might explain why it\u2019s so peppy off the wind,\u201d said Murphy. \u201cSo the sail plan is a small jib with a big main. They\u2019re one of the few remaining builders that are giving us a true traveler but also genoa sheet-lead controls from the cockpit, showing that they\u2019re concerned about sail shape, and rightly so. Going down below, it\u2019s the classic Hallberg-Rassy mahogany interior, and it\u2019s just lovely, as lovely as it ever was. We\u2019ve talked about good handholds, but on this boat, they weren\u2019t just good, they were also beautiful. The fiddles are these beautiful rounded shapes that are perfect for your hand. They look great and feel great. Very nice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

That left the Slovenian-built, 43-foot-4-inch Elan GT5. The company builds dedicated lines of racing and cruising boats, but, said Murphy, \u201cThe GT5 is sort of a hybrid between those two lines. It has a high-\u00adperformance hull and a very comfortable cruising interior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Hallberg-Rassy <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n The full-battened sail on the Hallberg-Rassy 412 helped deliver stellar sailing performance to the Swedish-built cruising boat.<\/span>\n Jon Whittle<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

\u201cSailing it was pretty joyful,\u201d he continued. \u201cWe sailed in very light air and it was still moving very nicely. It looked really good on the water. It really seemed to have answered the performance side of Elan\u2019s DNA.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe company is doing some progressive things in terms of systems,\u201d said Ed Sherman. \u201cThe electrical system on the boat has a nice, graphically designed power distribution panel with push buttons that light up things to let you know, for instance, that the running lights are on and that sort of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was really taken with this boat,\u201d said Bolin. \u201cIt looks like a race boat from a distance, and as Tim mentioned, its DNA is rooted in that. But you go below and it\u2019s very unique, with lots of special features. I like the galley-\u00adforward arrangement a lot. You come down into the main cabin and you\u2019ve got max beam where the living quarters are, you have a great sense of entry. Figuratively speaking, you\u2019re not walking through the back door and the kitchen to get into the house. I think this layout makes very good use of space. And there\u2019s lots of storage. Finally, I\u2019d say it\u2019s a high-tech boat, vacuum-bagged with 100 percent vinylester. There\u2019s a lot to like about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

At the end of the day, Bolin\u2019s colleagues agreed, which is why they chose the Elan GT5 as the Best Midsize Cruiser 40 to 44 Feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Other Winners:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n