Design and Construction
Factory-built Achilles 24s were sound, strong but simple, molded predominantly of fiberglass with teak trim anchor. The hull carries a spooned raked stem and vertical transom, with a skeg-mounted rudder on a tiller and a fixed fin keel or optional triple keel. The fin version used a bulbed fin that gave the boat quite respectable speed and windward performance, whereas the triple-keeled shoal-draught variant was much more pedestrian. A number of boats were also constructed by amateur builders from kits supplied by Butler, and the quality of those home-built models will be variable. Early production boats had three cabin windows, later changed to a single long window.
Rig and Handling
The Achilles 24 is a masthead sloop with a deck-stepped mast, and at 23ft 9in overall with a 19ft 6in waterline and 7ft 1in beam she is a narrow, low-volume hull. Performance across the range tended to be moderate to good, but her real strong suit was sea-keeping and the ability to keep going in difficult conditions. The bulbed fin keel underpinned that offshore composure with credible windward ability; the triple keel traded that away for the ability to sit upright on a beach. The manufacturer claims that the triple keel only exacts a 3% performance penalty, a figure worth weighing against the period assessment that the shoal version felt markedly more sluggish.
Accommodations
Inside, the narrow beam keeps the interior on the small side. Headroom is just 4ft 8in, and the boat sleeps four: two quarter berths aft and a forward V-berth, with a chemical head tucked beneath the V-berth. The galley is split, with a port-side double sink and a starboard two-burner stove, and the original review describes a small galley and a rudimentary toilet. This is a boat arranged for short-handed offshore work and weekend shelter, not for lounging.
Equipment and Propulsion
Most of the 350-plus built were originally sold without engines, and many will still use outboards, though the boat was initially fitted with a small outboard or offered an inboard gasoline engine optional for docking and maneuvering. In practice the inboard petrol option was usually quickly replaced with a small diesel, and many were retro-fitted with diesel engines. An anchor well appears in the bow on boats after about serial number 250.
The Verdict
The Achilles 24 is a compact, purpose-driven offshore cruiser-racer whose reputation rests on sea-keeping rather than creature comfort. She rewards a buyer who values a proven small-boat Atlantic pedigree and simple, robust construction over interior space. The home-built population demands careful individual inspection, but the factory boats are honest little ships.
Pros
- Proven offshore capability in AZAB and OSTAR campaigning
- Bulbed fin keel delivers respectable speed and windward performance
- Simple, sound factory construction in fiberglass with teak trim
- Optional triple keel permits upright beaching
Cons
- Very low headroom and narrow-beam interior limit livability
- Shoal triple-keel version noticeably slower and more pedestrian
- Variable quality among amateur kit-built boats
- Originally engine-less; diesel repowering common
