Design and Construction
Etap’s signature double-skinned, foam-filled construction lies at the heart of the 24i. Closed-cell foam is injected between inner and outer fiberglass shells so that the boat stays on the surface if holed, and the builder was clever in hiding the bulk of that foam in the ends where it would otherwise be wasted, keeping the hull afloat, habitable and able to sail even when flooded without noticeably shrinking stowage. By all accounts the hulls are pretty stiff, and resin-transfer moulding leaves every moulded surface as smooth gelcoat. The smooth, wipe-clean locker interiors are a direct side effect of the double-skinning. Compression from the rig is carried by an aluminium arch moulded into the deck and by the bulkhead beneath, while most aluminium extrusions apart from the spars came from Etap’s own factory. A tubular aluminium toerail and a contrasting non-slip deck pattern were among the marque’s trademark exterior features, and a deck ventilator is fitted.
Keels and Rig
The 24i was offered with a choice of keels. The shoal-draught tandem keel was developed by von Ahlen with Berlin University and draws just 2ft 9½in, letting the boat sneak into shallow water and sit lower on a trailer than the substantially deeper fin; it was also cheaper and simpler than the lifting keels Etap had used on smaller models. The fin keel’s lead bulb tip plunges to 4ft 11in and gives better stiffness, righting moment, speed, acceleration and manoeuvrability. With the tandem, the RCD category is C; the fin version is rated B. Up top, the backstayless rig means there is no backstay to tension, so flattening and depowering the well-roached mainsail relies on alternative approaches, while a full-width traveller aids mainsail control and can be removed to open the cockpit. Hardware throughout is from recognised names such as Lewmar and Seldén.
Sailing Performance
She is a fun, fast and responsive boat to sail, and an easy, forgiving one. Footing rather than pointing is the way to windward; sailed as initially trimmed, she tacked through around 80°. Left to her own devices on the wind she rounded up and tacked in a repeating routine, yet hove to she sat almost dead in the water yet could still be gybed round with the main pinned in to resume course, and she could make upwind under just the main or just the headsail alone. The helm stays light under normal cruising, and when it loads up the twin rudders grip tenaciously. In 12 knots she felt alive, clocking up to 5.3 knots on the breeze, and downwind under spinnaker she reached 6.5 knots, then 6.9 knots with apparent wind around 70°. Owners report she comes into her own at 15 knots, and one account describes planing at 12 knots down a whole race leg under spinnaker; the 24i can easily reach double-figure speeds downwind. Her beam and weight make her trailable behind a suitably robust tow vehicle.
Accommodations
The interior, finished in beech laminate, is less roomy than some yet appealing, comfortable and eminently practical. There is no double aft cabin; instead, generous settee berths in the saloon have backrests that unclip and lie alongside to widen the sleeping space. A door to the starboard hanging locker forward of the main bulkhead doubles as a table in the saloon or cockpit. The galley is split on either side abaft the bulkhead, the heads sit to port, and a V-berth fills the bow. Headroom in the saloon is 5ft 7in. Plenty of cockpit locker space runs down each side.
Known Issues and Ownership Notes
If there is any slop in the rudder bearings, new bushes are required. The inboard option uses a Yanmar 9hp 1GM saildrive with a folding prop, accessed by hinging up the cockpit sole; the outboard version instead uses the under-sole space for stowage. Engine choices were a 6–10hp outboard or the 9hp diesel inboard.
The Verdict
The ETAP 24i packs genuine small-boat performance and a forgiving hand into an unsinkable, trailable hull with clever use of foam and a practical beech-trimmed interior. The tandem keel trades ultimate stiffness for shoal draft and trailer simplicity, while the fin keel rewards the sailor who wants more bite to windward.
Pros
- Unsinkable double-skin foam construction that keeps the boat sail-able if flooded
- Twin rudders grip tenaciously and helm stays light under normal use
- Trailable behind a robust vehicle with shoal tandem-keel draft of 2ft 9½in
- Practical, wipe-clean interior with convertible settee berths and dual-use locker door
Cons
- Backstayless rig needs non-standard means to flatten and depower the main
- Rudder bearings need bushes if any slop develops
- Tandem keel gives less stiffness and righting moment than the fin
- No double aft cabin; saloon is less roomy than some comparably sized designs
