Design and Construction
Factory-built boats were sound, strong but simple, predominantly of fiberglass with teak wood trim, while a number were also constructed by amateur builders from kits supplied by Butler — and the quality of the many home-built models will be variable. The recreational keelboat carries a spooned raked stem and vertical transom, with a skeg-mounted rudder controlled by a tiller. Early production boats had three cabin windows, but this was later changed to a single long window, a small detail that marks the production era at a glance. The design was offered with a fixed fin keel or optional triple keel; the triple keel allows beaching the boat in an upright position, a practical trait for a shoal-draft variant.
Rig and Handling
The Achilles 24 carries a masthead sloop rig with a deck-stepped mast. Beneath the waterline, the bulbed fin keel gave the boat quite respectable speed and windward performance, and across the range performance tended to be moderate to good. By contrast, the triple-keeled, shoal draught version was much more pedestrian, though the manufacturer claims that the triple keel only exacts a 3% performance penalty. The strong suit of the design was always sea-keeping and the ability to keep going in difficult conditions, which is what drew Butler to campaign the boat in long offshore races.
Accommodations
At 23ft 9in overall with a beam of just 7ft 1in and a waterline of 19ft 6in, the narrow-beam hull keeps interiors on the small side. Headroom was just 4ft 8in, and the layout provides four berths: two quarter berths and a forward "V"-berth, with a chemical head under the "V"-berth. The split galley places a port side double sink opposite a starboard side two-burner stove, supported by a small galley overall and a rudimentary toilet. This is a boat built to be sailed hard and sheltered minimally, not to entertain below.
Known Issues
The principal caveat is construction provenance. Factory boats were sound, but the many home-built kits mean that the quality of the home-built models will be variable, and any used example must be judged on its own build record. The shoal-draft triple-keel version trades away the fin keel's windward bite for grounding tolerance, so the buyer should know which keel plan they are looking at. An anchor well is provided in the bow on boats after about serial number 250, meaning earlier hulls lack that detail.
Refits and Ownership
Most of the 350-plus built were originally sold without engines, and many will still use outboards; the boat was initially fitted with a small outboard motor, with an inboard gasoline engine optional for docking and maneuvering. In practice the inboard petrol engine option was usually quickly replaced with a small diesel, and many were retro-fitted with diesel engines. Owners therefore face a simple propulsion choice that has frequently been settled by earlier caretakers, though the outboard legacy remains common.
The Verdict
The Achilles 24 is a compact, purposeful offshore cruiser-racer whose fin-keeled form earned real bluewater credentials in Butler's own racing. It is diminutive below and unrefined in its accommodations, but it was built to take weather rather than flatter it.
Pros
- Bulbed fin keel delivered respectable speed and windward performance
- Proven sea-keeping ability in difficult conditions, raced offshore by its designer
- Sound, simple factory construction in fiberglass with teak trim
Cons
- Narrow beam and 4ft 8in headroom make for very small interiors
- Home-built kit boats have variable quality
- Triple-keel version is much more pedestrian than the fin-keel model
