Elvstrom 1/2 Ton (Bes / Elvstrom 32)
Description
The Elvstrøm 1/2 Ton (also known as BES 1/2 TON) is a classic IOR Half Ton class racing sailboat designed by legendary Danish sailor Paul Elvstrøm in the early 1970s, based on his yacht Bes that he skippered to victory in the 1972 International Half Ton Cup in Marstrand, Denmark—marking it as the first fractional rig boat to win a ton cup in the IOR offshore racing era. Built in fiberglass with a fin keel and skeg-hung rudder, production was limited and occurred primarily through Chantier Gouteron in France starting around 1972–1974, with only about 8 boats ever constructed, making it a rare and sought-after vintage classic today. It features an innovative 7/8 fractional sloop rig (advanced for its time), good performance with a reported sail area of around 349 ft², basic cruising accommodations including berths for 6–8, a head, small galley, and inboard diesel engine options, blending competitive racing prowess with overnight capability.
Construction Details
| Designer | Elvstrom and Kjaerluff |
|---|---|
| Builder | Chantier Gouteron (France) |
| Length | 31.500 ft |
| LOA | 31.500 ft |
| LWL | 24.000 ft |
| Beam | 10.300 ft |
| Displacement | 6800 lb |
| Ballast | 3130 lb |
| Max Draft | 5.670 ft |
| Year Built | 1972 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 34.25 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 11.12 ft |
| p | 34.12 ft |
| e | 9.30 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34.25 ft | 11.12 ft | 34.12 ft | 9.30 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Elvstrom 1/2 Ton (Bes / Elvstrom 32) - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 34 ft - (10363 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 9.3 ft - (2835 mm) |
| Leech | * 34.85 ft - (10622 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88.03 ° |
| Diagonal | * 34.94 ft - (10650 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4 in - (102 mm) |
| Area | 157.95 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
Elvstrom 1/2 Ton (Bes / Elvstrom 32) - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 32.44 ft - (9888 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 14.44 ft - (4401 mm) |
| Leech | * 28.68 ft - (8742 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 12.77 ft - (3892 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | 207 ft² |
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Elvstrom 1/2 Ton (Bes / Elvstrom 32) - GENOA
| Luff | * 38.52 ft - (11741 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 17.71 ft - (5398 mm) |
| Leech | * 36.51 ft - (11128 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 16.65 ft - (5075 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | 320.72 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
Elvstrom 1/2 Ton (Bes / Elvstrom 32) - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 38.52 ft - (11741 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 19.98 ft - (6090 mm) |
| Foot | * 19.98 ft - (6090 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | 654.19 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.
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