Hurley 24/70 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Anderson’s design was a 4,200 lb heavy-displacement cruiser carrying 2,500 lbs of ballast. Its fin-and-skeg hull and reverse-counter transom kept wetted area low while extending the waterline.

Design and Construction

The 24/70 has a heavily laid-up fibreglass hull. Its moulded bulb-keel shape was created by bolting modular keel moulds into a single hull mould, eliminating the need for keel bolts.

The fin-and-skeg hull form, later shared with the Hurley 30/90, gives the boat good performance and manoeuvrability according to Sailing Today’s assessment. The reverse-counter transom and counter stern extend the waterline when the boat is sailing and heeled.

A raised coachroof provides standing headroom, while raised cockpit coamings were intended to improve family safety. The resulting high-freeboard topsides add windage, a drawback the designer accepted in return for more interior volume.

Rig and Handling

Anderson gave the 24/70 a masthead sloop rig with a short boom and large genoa, following the high-aspect configuration favoured by IRC and JOG racers of the period. The narrow mainsail rarely needs reefing, and its short boom stays clear of the cockpit. On its own, however, the main doesn’t provide enough drive in light winds, leaving the large genoa to do most of the work.

With a sail-area-to-displacement ratio near 13.5, the boat is under-powered and may need to motor-sail in calm conditions. In stronger winds, its 61 percent ballast ratio makes it stiff and stable, with a very high ability to resist heeling. A capsize screening value of 1.85 places it among designs considered acceptable for ocean racing by that measure alone. Yachting Monthly found the 24/70 to be a comfortable, seaworthy heavy-displacement cruiser that handles rough seas well.

Accommodation and Deck Layout

Below decks, the 24/70 is divided into two separate cabins. The main saloon has six feet of headroom, and the accommodation includes four six-foot berths and an enclosed heads compartment. Sailing Today described the below-decks layout as comfortable and spacious, with two cabins and an enclosed heads.

The raised coachroof makes that interior volume possible, but it also creates a practical drawback: visibility forward from a seated position in the cockpit is poor unless the boat is heeled. The side decks are also too narrow for easy movement forward, a trade-off for the beamy interior.

Known Issues

Several problems appear in the boat’s service history. The original Vire 5hp and Petter Mini Twin engines fitted when new were considered unreliable, and few are thought to remain in service. Like other Hurleys, the 24/70 can develop mast compression and osmosis over time.

The high coachroof and freeboard create windage as well as the forward-visibility blind spot, while the narrow side decks restrict movement on deck. None of these problems is fatal, but each affects how owners live with and use the boat.

Refits and Ownership

Most surviving 24/70s now have Yanmar 1GM10 9-hp, Beta 13-hp, BMW D12 10-hp, or Farryman 7-hp diesels in place of the original engines. Some boats were delivered new with only an outboard mounted on a stern bracket.

Owners have also added staysails or spinnakers to broaden the boat’s sailing range, along with windvane self-steering for distance work. Spare parts remain obtainable through the Hurley owner community, and the boat is easy to maintain and repair.

The Verdict

The Hurley 24/70 is a thoughtfully stretched Hurley 22. It gives up some light-air drive in return for a roomy, safe, and stiff little cruiser with ocean-passage credentials on paper. It suits a small crew sailing coastal or longer passages and remains serviceable thanks to community support and sensible repowering.

Pros