Achilles 24 Buyer's Guide
The Achilles 24 is a British sailboat designed by Oliver Lee and Chris Butler as a cruiser-racer and first built in 1968 by Butler Moldings in the United Kingdom. A development of the open Ajax, it is a used market small, narrow-beam fiberglass coastal and offshore cruiser whose keel plan and propulsion history vary from hull to hull.
Layouts on the Used Market
Accommodations in the narrow-beam boat include two quarter berths and a forward "V"-berth, with a chemical head under the "V"-berth, giving four berths in total. The split galley has a port side double sink and a starboard side two-burner stove, and the boat carries a small galley with a rudimentary toilet. Headroom is just 4ft 8in, so the interior is best viewed as minimal shelter rather than living space. Early production boats had three cabin windows, later changed to a single long window, and an anchor well is provided in the bow on boats after about serial number 250.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Most of the 350-plus built were originally sold without engines, and many will still use outboards, while an inboard petrol engine was an option. The inboard petrol engine option was usually quickly replaced with a small diesel, and many were retro-fitted with diesel engines. No equipment appears in the commonly fitted or often seen tiers for this market, so buyers should treat propulsion and galley gear as variable by individual boat rather than standard.
What to Inspect
The quality of the many home-built models will be variable, so any kit-built example demands close scrutiny of structural joinery and finish. Confirm which keel plan is fitted: a fixed fin keel or optional triple keel, the latter allows beaching the boat in an upright position but trades away performance. Check the serial number for the bow anchor well added after about 250, and verify the propulsion setup, since original outboards, optional petrol inboards, and later diesel retrofits all exist.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The Achilles 24 is typically found in the United Kingdom and Ireland. A short checklist for the shopper:
- Identify factory-built versus amateur kit-built construction and judge build quality accordingly
- Confirm fin keel versus triple keel and accept the performance trade-off of the shoal variant
- Verify engine type: outboard, original petrol inboard, or retrofitted diesel
- Note cabin-window count and presence of bow anchor well as era indicators
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Achilles 24. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 6 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 2 | $ 1,452 | — |
| Dec 25 | 1 | $ 685 | -52.8% |
| Jan 26 | 1 | $ 4,023 | +487.3% |
| Apr 26 | 2 | $ 1,676 | -58.3% |
| Jun 26 | 2 | $ 1,941 | +15.8% |
| Jul 26 | 1 | $ 1,944 | +0.2% |
Where they're listed
Achilles 24 listings appear across 2 countries. United Kingdom has the most listings with 7 (77.8%), followed by Ireland.
Country view
9 listings · 2 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | $ 1,944 | 7 | 4 | 77.8% |
| Ireland | $ 1,626 | 2 | 0 | 22.2% |