US Yachts appointed Australian dealer for Elan

by Matt Hayes on 28 May 2013 Sydney-based company US Yachts, headed up by Matt Hayes, has been appointed as the new Australian dealer for Elan, the Slovenian company that has been producing stunning performance cruising yachts for 65 years.

Elan is to Slovenia what Holden and Qantas are to Australia. Luka Modrijan, Director Nautical Division Elan stated; 'We are delighted with our appointment of US Yachts as the sole distributor for Elan in Australia and believe with the commitment and professionalism of Matt Hayes and his team, Elan will have a great future in Australia.'

The Elan Performance and the cruising Impression yachts embody a true passion for sailing, technological innovations and distinctive design. The Elan Performance range has yachts from the 210, right up to the 450, while the Elan Impressions range has the 394, 444 and 494.

The Elan 400 is the newest yacht in the range, launching in January 2013. The new Elan 400 features elegant yet dynamic lines, and caters for owners seeking that perfect balance between comfort and performance, competitors seeking speed and safety and purists valuing attention to detail and clever features.

CEO of US Yachts, Matt Hayes, test sailed the Elan 210, the 350, 400 and 495 in Slovenia in May, and was very impressed with their high tech sailability and comfort. 'The quality of the workmanship was exceptional. The great features of the Elan range include chimed hulls, twin rudders, vacuum infused hull and decks – ensuring that the yachts are very strong, light and exude powerful performance.

Some more points about Elan:
* The boatbuilding tradition began in 1949 with kayaks, canoes and small boats
* Early commercial success came in the 1950s when a large number of small craft were exported to the United States.
* The 1960s heralded the dawn of reinforced polyester, a revolutionary material that Elan used for racing kayaks and boats.
* In the ‘70s Elan launched the first sailboats
* The 1980s were synonymous with a significant shift towards the production of larger cruiser-racer sailing yachts, designed by the now J&J Design studio, including the legendary Elan 31
* In 1995 Elan commenced its relationship with renowned nautical designer, Rob Humphreys resulting in many successful, award-winning projects. The next decade Elan won European Yacht of the Year title twice, for the Impression 344 and 340 models. Not resting on its laurels, Elan launched the revolutionary Volvo Ocean Race inspired Elan 350 with characteristic chines and twin rudders, winning another European Yacht of the Year title in 2011 and a nomination for Elan 210 the following year.

The yachts are certified by Germanischer Lloyd, designed to withstand the toughest
conditions and carry the ISO 14001 standard for environmentally friendly production.
Building on rich tradition, combined with an innovative present, Elan is laying strong
foundations for the future.

For more information, contact Matt Hayes on (02) 9280 1110 or email matthayes@usyachts.com.au

More at www.usyachts.com.au