The Elegant Elling 45 - Text-only Version

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Holland has a long and storied history of ship and boat building, as well as oceanic trade and exploration, perhaps because of the uneasy truce it has struck with the sea. The country, much of which lies below sea level, is laced with rivers and canals, linking it inextricably with the ocean.

The legendary Flying Dutchman tells the story of a ship that was condemned to sail the seven seas for eternity because her captain swore he would not retreat in the face of a storm while rounding Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. The inspiration for the fictional tale, which was memorialized in a Marryat novel and a Wagner opera, is based on a real-life legend, Dutch Capt. Bernard Fokke, who, because of the uncanny speed of his transits between Java and Holland, was said to be in league with the devil.

Holland’s indelible connection with the sea has spawned many an ocean-going enterprise, from the Dutch East India Company (the world’s first multinational corporation; its ships were among the fastest in the world, and they visited every continent) to legions of Dutch explorers whose names—Barents, Le Maire, and Tasman, among others—today are memorialized in locations around the world. So it should come as no surprise that Holland’s ship and yacht yards are renowned for their production of exceptionally high-quality, seaworthy, and robust commercial, military, and recreational vessels. Virtually every port, large or small (Holland has four major seaports, one of which is the biggest in the world), boasts its own ship- or yachtbuilding or repair facility. Well-known builders such as Feadship, Royal Huisman, and Kuipers produce some of the world’s finest luxury motor and sailing yachts, and Holland ranks third in the world for yacht building, based on the value of the boats produced.

Neptune Marine, builder of the Elling, is located in the small Dutch town of Aalst, approximately 25 miles south of the historic city of Utrecht. While perhaps not as well known as the boatbuilders mentioned above, Neptune nonetheless is a firm that has earned the respect of Dutch cruisers as well as other discerning European customers. The company has produced more than 1,200 hulls in the 40 years it’s been in business. In addition to the 45-foot Elling E3, Neptune Marine builds the 48-foot E4 and a series of express cruisers soon to be introduced to the North American market.

HIGH STANDARDS

One of the Elling’s claims to fame is its prestigious European Conformity certificate for Ocean A operation. Vessels meeting this lofty standard are, in theory, capable of safely operating in Beaufort Force 8 conditions (34- to 40-knot winds and up to 18-foot cresting seas, a full gale). Meeting this standard is no mean feat, and, in the Elling’s case, it carries with it an inherent stability that is equally impressive. The E3’s stability means she will heel a mere 0.4 degrees when a 175-lb. person steps aboard, and hurricane-force winds will incur less than 10 degrees of heel. All of this is a result of, among other things, her comparatively wide beam and low center of gravity.

Ron Thompson, the owner of the vessel aboard which I traveled from Annapolis to Newport, Rhode Island, has put more than 3,000 miles under her keel in less than six months of ownership. In the three days I spent aboard his E3, I learned that Thompson is not a man who believes in half measures. Shortly after taking delivery of his E3, named Georgia Peach, in the spring of 2006, he decided to take her from his home port on the Chesapeake Bay to Savannah, Georgia, on the outside, leaving Hatteras and Cape Fear to starboard. During the passage, he and his crew encountered 12-foot seas and 30-knot winds (the few ships they saw at sea were naval vessels). This passage proved to be an ample test of the E3’s seaworthiness. Afterward, Thompson felt so confident that he decided to order an E4, which he intends to take trans-Atlantic, cruising the Med and other European locales.

Because of the high standards to which the Elling is built and the formidable Ocean A rating she carries, I raised my level of scrutiny accordingly. As a boatbuilder and as an offshore passagemaker aboard powered and sailing vessels, I have a healthy respect for what Mother Ocean can send a mariner’s way. The Elling’s builder and importer assured me she was up to the task and welcomed my intensified inspection of the vessel.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I rendezvoused with Ron Thompson and Hakan “H. B.” Bolel, at the time a dealer with American Global Yacht Group, the U.S. Elling importer, along with Maryland-based Capt. Jim Culver, on a Saturday morning in September at AGYG’s docks in Eastport, Maryland. After a weather conference (Hurricane Florence was lurking off the East Coast and warranted some watching and analysis) and a visit to the fuel dock, we pointed Georgia Peach’s bow north and headed up the Chesapeake Bay, bound for the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal. The sun was a hazy, golden orb suspended on the horizon, its rays fighting their way through the morning mist as the Elling’s stem passed with little effort through the bay’s still waters. It was a serene and uneventful start to our passage, and as the miles ticked by, I thought less and less of shoreside responsibilities and more and more about the Elling, her design, her construction, and what makes her so unique.

After a lumpy ride on Delaware Bay and an even rougher passage up the Jersey shore, we raised New York City a little less than 24 hours after departing Eastport. While I was sleeping in the V-berth, I found it necessary to wedge myself between the bunk and the bookshelf in order to minimize my “flight time.” (This phenomenon is not peculiar to the Elling; I’ve had to do this in rough weather aboard more boats than I care to count.) Having watched the Band of Brothers miniseries for the third time with my family just prior to my departure, I dreamt I was in the back of an Army six-by-six truck traveling over the muddy, rutted roads of Belgium, just ahead of an advancing column of German armor.

The conditions moderated predictably once we entered New York Harbor, then the East River and western Long Island Sound. After overnighting in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, we continued east, where conditions deteriorated once again. The distant effects of Florence made themselves felt as we approached the aptly named Race, a large tidal race at the mouth of Long Island Sound. The washing machine-like seas had the crew holding on tightly for several hours until we turned north, entering Narragansett Bay and, ultimately, Newport Harbor. Throughout the passage, the E3 heartily shook off every hand she was dealt, and all systems functioned normally. Seas and spray broke relentlessly over the bow, dousing the deck and windshield for hours at a time with no ill effects. One minor leak made an appearance directly above me while I was inspecting the overhead from the pilothouse settee, but it turned out to be operator error. The pilothouse has a convertible top, and the pneumatic seal that keeps out water when the top is closed had not been fully inflated. Otherwise, the E3 maintained her integrity in all respects; she outlasted the crew, which I took as a good sign.

STRUCTURE: HULL AND DECK

In order to meet the Ocean A rating, all of the E3’s structural components must be stoutly constructed, and the hull is where it all begins. The Elling’s hull is solid throughout and is manufactured using isophthalic NPG (neopentyl glycol) resin on the outer laminates and PCPD resin on the inner laminates. NPG is more water (and thus blister) resistant, while PCPD resin bonds more effectively with aramid Twaron, a high-strength fabric sandwiched within all Elling hulls. Elling’s builder and chief engineer, Anton van den Bos, chose Twaron because its impact resistance is greater than that of equivalent laminates that use Kevlar. The boat’s gelcoated exterior finish is excellent; however, for owners choosing dark colors, the Awlgrip option (standard on Elling E4s) is worth the additional expense.

Heavy rub and splash rails protect the E3’s hull while docking or coming alongside other vessels. A large, teakcovered swim platform is molded into the hull, as are steps that lead to the cockpit. The sets of recessed boarding steps that lead up the port and starboard sides just beneath the boarding gates are a unique feature, providing an alternative to stepping onto the swim platform when coming aboard from ashore or from a dinghy. Each one of the combination step/ handholds is equipped with its own small light.

Interior surfaces such as lockers and bilges are notable in that they are not gelcoated. Most builders apply gelcoat to these areas to improve their appearance; however, if that approach were taken on the Elling, it would only serve to hide some of the most impressive vacuum-bagged fiberglass molding I’ve ever seen. These surfaces are exceptionally smooth, fair, and glass-splinter free, and thus I agree with the decision not to slather them with gelcoat.

Neptune Marine offers the Elling with an impressive six-year hull warranty that is remarkable for its inclusion of not only gelcoat cracking but also osmotic blistering. This indicates that Neptune is confident of its engineering and the materials it has selected. Other builders should take note.

The E3’s weather decks are laminated with traditional teak planking (it’s vacuum-bagged, so there are no fasteners). The fit, finish, and attention to detail evident in the deck’s installation are peerless and reflect the quality of the woodwork throughout the vessel. It’s simply flawless. The white gelcoat and fiberglass cabin molding are equally impressive. As a boatbuilder, I’m able to appreciate the extremely high quality of the molds used for manufacturing the cabin and other fiberglass deck components. Some shapes are relatively complex, yet their finish and fit with their mating structures is precise, as evidenced by the minimal amount of caulk used between components. The subdeck and cabin utilize 1/4- and 5/16-inch vacuumbagged balsa core, respectively.

All 316L stainless life rails fully surround the weather decks, offering a high degree of security for crew moving about this area. The quality of the stainless work is exceptional; the welds are neat and blemish free. And the rails are tall enough (31-1/2 inches) to offer a true sense of security. Large, squared-off stainless cleats give the E3 a shippy feel, as do the stainless-steel Aqua Signal navigation lights. An electric anchor windlass (equipped standard with 100 feet of chain) and anchor cradle are sturdily installed on the foredeck. The windlass may be operated either from the helm or via a remote-control cord that plugs in through a foredeck hatch. The hatch, to my surprise, was dogged down with only a friction catch. The hinges fit poorly, and water accumulated in the gutter around the hatch because it did not include a drain (presumably, the locker itself drains overboard, not into the bilge). While this arrangement may be considered passable on an ordinary inshore cruiser, it appeared strangely out of place on a vessel that carries an Ocean A rating.

Comfortable seating is found on the aft deck cockpit under the canvas bimini. We had lunch here during our transit of the C&D Canal, and it was simply delightful. Because of the E3’s high freeboard, the viewing angle from this area and the entire deck is not unlike that which one might experience from the flybridge of other vessels. Ample storage and a liferaft locker are located around the cockpit; a cavernous storage locker beneath the aft seat is large enough to hold two folding bicycles. Because this Elling is equipped with additional fuel capacity, house batteries are stored beneath the forward cockpit seat. A unique, commuter-style “pop-up” seat is available on the foredeck. It’s not very comfortable without a cushion, but it offers another example of the fine fiberglass work on the Elling.

Perhaps the most unique attributes found on the Elling’s weather decks are the tilting antenna mast and the convertible top. In order to pass under low, European canal-style bridges, the hinged, electrically operated mast array can be tilted down with the push of a button from the helm. With the mast in the stowed position, the Elling’s air draft is a mere 12 feet.

The convertible arrangement is Elling’s answer to the flybridge, a structure that goes against the designer’s safety philosophy. In tumultuous weather, if the vessel were to be knocked on its beam ends or, worse still, rolled, the crew on a flybridge could be injured or lost. As an alternative effort to incorporate the openness of a flybridge into the Elling’s design, the builder included the convertible top. With the push of a button, a large panel slides forward, exposing the entire pilothouse to the sky.

INTERIOR ACCOMMODATIONS

It’s impossible to walk into the Elling’s cabin and not be immediately awed by its finely finished cherry veneers. The interior joinerwork and immaculate varnish finish are breathtaking. As the manager of a custom boatbuilding yard, I know just how difficult it is to achieve this level of perfection where wood and varnish are concerned. My hat’s off to Elling. When I asked Anton van den Bos how he obtained such a fine, flawless, dust-free finish (it’s two-part polyurethane), he confided to me that the technique was jointly developed with the product supplier and, thus, the details are proprietary. Good for them; I’d keep it a secret, too.

It’s notable when a builder makes use of ample natural ventilation, rather than simply relying on a vessel’s air conditioning system. The E3 is equipped with the most modern 36,000-Btu, reverse-cycle, chiller-type heat and air system, but it also has eight opening hull ports, two deck hatches, the convertible pilothouse roof, and sliding or opening pilothouse windows, all equipped with screens (except for the convertible top). And, the pilothouse windows are double glazed to improve insulation and reduce fogging. Natural ventilation in temperate climates shouldn’t present a problem.

The pilothouse arrangement affords ideal, near 360- degree visibility. The helmsman has the luxury of riding in comfort; a Savas air-cushioned seat takes the jolt out of square waves by using a gas piston that adjusts according to the occupant’s weight. It’s comfortable and reduces fatigue during long passages. In light of what this vessel is capable of enduring, it probably could use a seat belt. The other seating in the pilothouse consists of a comfy L-shaped settee into which a triangular table is fitted; a fiddle would help keep food from sliding off the table in a seaway. The large dash area is ideal for charts, binoculars, and other gear that may be needed during day-to-day operation of the vessel.

There are a few minor changes I would recommend for the pilothouse. While the E3 is equipped with a complete Simrad electronics suite, I remain uncomfortable cruising aboard a vessel that lacks an oldfashioned magnetic compass. Looking at that compass to check yourself and your chart plotter from time to time can save a lot of embarrassment and, occasionally, a life. The instrument panel is beautifully built and well equipped with every manner of gauge and alarm, but it can’t be comfortably read from the helm seat. It simply needs to be tilted up a few degrees. The combined shift/throttle is poorly located, and it’s out of keeping with a vessel of such high quality; it belongs on an outboard runabout, not a luxury Ocean A-rated cruiser. I’m told the new Ellings will be equipped with relocated electronic controls.

The E3’s saloon is beautiful. How can you go wrong with the aforementioned deep, lustrous cherry finish, relaxed open seating, and a superb entertainment center? All of the counter surfaces, save the main dining table, are equipped with fiddles that double as handholds. The headroom in this area and throughout the E3 is between 76 and 78 inches, and all of the overhead panels are easily removable in order to access wiring and deck hardware fasteners. This means a huge savings in time for the owner and those working on the boat, and I salute Elling for this service- and repair-friendly design feature. Rubber inlays on the companionway steps, which improve traction, are another forward-thinking detail. Dimmable, 24-volt halogen fixtures with switches conveniently located at entryways provide lighting. A flat-screen television installed within a lift mechanism is located on the port side of the saloon, opposite the main seating area.

Once again, the standards for an Ocean A-rated vessel must be higher than those applied to boats that don’t carry the rating. Here are several areas where there is room for improvement: the seat cushions are not secured, nor are the sole access hatches, and there simply aren’t enough handholds (because the saloon is wide, a handhold down the centerline of the cabin overhead would be a welcome addition).

The stateroom arrangement aboard Georgia Peach accommodated four crew members comfortably: a large master stateroom located aft (with its own head), a starboard-side amidships cabin equipped with twin bunks (optionally arranged as an office), and a forward twin V-berth (optionally, a double bed). All staterooms on the boat are equipped with reading lights, bookshelves, and hanging locker storage. I slept very soundly in the V-berth, when I wasn’t riding over potholed Belgian roads.

The galley is located roughly amidships on the port side. Its fiddle-less countertops are finished in Corian, and all of the usual appliances—range, dishwasher, vertical refrigerator/freezer combo, and microwave/ convection oven combo—are present. A beautifully made cherry cabinet door covers the refrigerator. All cabinet doors, including this one, latch securely.

The range aboard Georgia Peach is electric, which suits the owner just fine. LP gas is available as an option, and it’s one I’d take. (I hate the idea of having to start a generator every time I want to fry an egg or make a cup of tea.) The full-size dishwasher is nice, but it could probably be replaced by the half-size drawer type. It takes a while for two people to fill up a full-size dishwasher, so it will likely be run half full most of the time. An LG ventless combination washer/dryer stands behind yet another beautiful cherry panel door at the forward, inboard end of the galley.

Once again, because the Elling is an Ocean A-rated vessel, I offer some suggestions for minor improvements. The range has an easy-to-clean glass cooktop, but there’s no way to hold pots or tea kettles in place while the vessel is under way. There is a “wine cellar,” a series of hatches and molded fittings designed to accept bottles, beneath the galley sole. As hard as the owner and I tried, we couldn’t seem to get the bottles to nestle in the cradles and remain there. I love the idea, but the fit and security need to be improved so the bottles won’t crash into each other.

The E3 is equipped with two heads, one serving the master stateroom and another off the main saloon. Both are bright, simple, easy to clean, and well arranged. The sink and shower fixtures are of the highest quality. Standard toilets utilize a freshwater flush. The vanities’ Corian tops match those in the galley, a nice touch of consistency.

Frustratingly, there were no shelves in the shower for shampoo or soap and no towel racks. My understanding is that both of these minor oversights will be corrected on this vessel by the dealer.

Another Ocean A suggested improvement is a positive latch for the shower door. Presently, a magnet keeps it shut; in a seaway, it swings open on its own. It would be nice to have an opening port in the head that is installed in the trunk cabin side, on deck, in addition to the port in the hull, which can’t remain open while under way.

Finally, there’s no way to prop open the head door for ventilation purposes; a latching stop mechanism should be installed on the adjoining bulkhead.

ENGINEERING

At first glance, the engine installation on the E3 appears to be tight and inaccessible. Once the side and rear hatches are removed, however, this impression changes dramatically; access is quite good. The side hatch is quite large and awkward, though, and there’s no convenient place to stow it if you’re working on the engine at sea. Perhaps a hidden latch could be installed to hold the hatch securely while it’s unshipped. Georgia Peach was equipped with the optional 450hp Cummins 6C series (now, the common rail version is supplied), while the standard engine is a Cummins 4B 76hp model. Four engine packages, 76, 180, 370, and 450hp, are available for E3s, offering a range of performance options. The 450hp C series on Georgia Peach offered a 17-knot maximum speed and a 14-knot cruising speed. At 8 knots, the E3 has a range of approximately 1,000 nautical miles.

The builders of the Elling go to impressive lengths to reduce noise and vibration. It is an understatement to call the engine room insulation, which is thick and beautifully installed, “substantial.” Based on the decibel readings I recorded (see the table at right), the insulation apppears to be extremely effective.

I was amazed to read in the E3’s detailed owner’s manual a figure for “stopping distance.” The E3, the manual claims, can stop in 60 feet (that’s less than two vessel lengths) when switched from full forward power to full reverse power. I’m not sure I’d want to try this on someone else’s boat, but it’s nice to know the E3 is capable of this maneuver. The Elling can be built with a wing engine, although the folks at Neptune Marine don’t believe that this is necessary.

The E3’s running gear installation also says a lot about the conservative philosophy of the builder. An Aquadrive thrust-bearing system absorbs all propeller thrust and much of the vibration, which affords a smooth, quiet ride. A Temet (the European equivalent of Aquamet) propeller shaft passes through an ultra-reliable conventional stuffing box (that’s right, conventional, not dripless), through a keel log and cutless bearing, and on to a five-bladed nibral propeller that was specially designed for the Elling through a collaborative effort between the boat’s designer and the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom. The E3’s deep keel offers full protection to the running gear and spade rudder, and the E3 is equipped with an easily installed hand tiller in the event the hydraulic steering system should fail. Georgia Peach’s bow and stern thrusters made docking on a blustery day at one of Newport’s crowded marinas a low-stress, nearly effortless affair.

According to builder Anton van den Bos, the E3’s electrical system is compliant with European and ABYC standards. With few exceptions, I found this to be refreshingly true. Much to my delight, I noticed that the E3’s DC electrical system is 24 volt, which means considerably improved efficiency and small wiring throughout the vessel.

The house batteries consist of two gel cells that provide a total of 400Ah (that’s the equivalent of 800Ah for a 12-volt system—impressive), while the start battery bank consists of two sealed dedicated cranking batteries of 850 cold-cranking amps each. The bow thruster utilizes two batteries of its own (for simplicity and maintenance’s sake, I would prefer to see the thruster operated from the house bank rather than from its own battery bank) located under the forward cabin sole, while the stern thruster operates from the house battery bank. Battery charging is provided by a 24-volt, 50-amp shorepowered charger. The house battery disconnects are remotely operated from a switch at the main AC/DC electrical panel in the pilothouse.

The AC system consists of a single 50-amp, 240-volt shorepower cord, a 9.5kW Onan generator, and a 1,500- watt inverter. The switching between these AC sources is done automatically using voltage-sensing relays; thus, no roll switches or slide-lock circuit breakers are needed. The Elling is equipped with both a residual current device (or RCD), which is a whole-boat GFI (ground fault interrupter) system of sorts that’s designed to protect the boat and its equipment from electrical faults, and individual GFI receptacles, which are designed to protect people from shock or electrocution.

Tankage for a standard E3 is as follows: 400 gallons of fuel in steel tanks, 290 gallons of fresh water in a 316 stainless tank, and 40 gallons for sanitation in a polyethylene tank. A total of 634 gallons of fuel can be provided using auxiliary tanks, and this is how Georgia Peach was equipped. Although rare today, ordinary steel isn’t a bad choice for fuel tanks, provided they remain dry. However, I was dismayed to see that some of the E3’s fuel tanks were either secured or surrounded by expanding foam. Because this type of foam can and often does trap water next to a tank, which leads to rapid corrosion, it’s a poor choice and doubly so for a steel tank installation, regardless of the tank’s finish or coating. Considering Neptune Marine’s superior fiberglass manufacturing skills, perhaps the company should consider making and installing fiberglass rather than steel fuel tanks.

With the exception of the engine compartment, which was immaculate, many of the engineering and bilge spaces on the E3 were less than tidy. The disorder of the equipment installations and plumbing runs was out of keeping with the exceptionally high standards set throughout the rest of the vessel.

Finally, and this is my last Ocean A improvement suggestion, the seacocks used on the Elling consist of inline ball valves attached to through-hull fittings. The thread engagement of these two components is minimal, typically no more than three or four threads. For any vessel, but particularly for an Ocean A-rated vessel, this arrangement is simply unacceptable. Additionally, these seacocks cannot properly support bonding wires; the bonding wiring on the Elling’s seacocks is held in place with hose clamps, which is a violation of ABYC guidelines. I would implore van den Bos and the craftspeople at the Neptune yard to consider using proper flanged seacocks in place of through-hull fittings and ball valves.

CONCLUSION

There aren’t many cruising vessels in the trawler or motor vessel market that carry the coveted CE Ocean A rating; it’s a high standard, indeed, and one that says much about the builder’s integrity and commitment to offering a safe, high-quality product. For this reason, as I mentioned earlier, I inspected the Elling E3 with higher expectations and standards than I would apply to the ordinary inshore cruiser.

The quality, fit, finish, and attention to detail of the E3 are outstanding, virtually second to none. The few suggestions or observations I made toward improving the vessel are of minor import; I had to look hard to find these flaws. Provided the seacock installation is improved, I would gladly cross oceans on the Elling E3, and, in fact, I’m hopeful that owner Ron Thompson will invite me to do just that when he takes his new E4 to Europe.

The Elling is ideally suited for cruising the canals and waterways of Europe, of course, but I could easily see her making passages up and down the East Coast of the United States; around the craggy coastlines of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland; or through the Bahamas and on to the Windward and Leeward Islands (I’d choose the white hull for tropical cruising). The Pacific Northwest and Alaska would also be ideal cruising grounds for a tough, seaworthy vessel such as this one (I’d take the diesel heat options for these passages).

There aren’t many places I wouldn’t want to cruise an Elling E3. She’ll go places other cruising vessels won’t, and she’ll get there safely and in style.

Reprinted with permission. Copyright 2007 © Dominion Enterprises (888.487.2953) www.passagemaker.com

You are reading the text-only copy of this article. To access the article as it appeared in PassageMaker Magazine, please log in to purchase and download the PDF version of this article.