Laguna 24 S Buyer's Guide
The Laguna 24S is a small American trailerable cruiser built by Laguna Yachts between 1980 and 1987, with 350 completed before the design left production 350 boats completed. A W. Shad Turner design sharing its hull with the Balboa 24, it carries a fractional sloop rig and a tiller-controlled transom-hung rudder, and any example on the brokerage market will be a used boat needing the usual survey of a 30-plus-year-old fiberglass hull.
What to Inspect
The known construction of the 24S is fiberglass with wood trim, and the wood is the first place a buyer should look. Period trim around the cabin and cockpit can hide softening or rot where it meets the glass, so probe any teak or mahogany with a pick and smell for must. The transom-hung rudder and its tiller connection should be cycled through full travel; check the rudder stock and gudgeons for play and the transom core for stress cracking where the loads concentrate. Because the boat is normally fitted with a small outboard for docking, confirm the stern bracket or motor well is sound and not allowing water into the hull, and verify the outboard itself starts and tilts cleanly. The fixed fin keel's leading edge and the hull-to-keel joint deserve a close eye for impact damage from ramp launches, a common fate for trailerable boats. With 350 built and production ended in 1987, no two examples will share the same owner care, so a haul-out and rigging tension check round out the viewing.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
With no regional or equipment-tier data published for this model, a shopper should treat every Laguna 24S as an individual. The checklist below distills the inspection priorities:
- Probe wood trim for rot where it meets fiberglass
- Cycle the transom rudder for stock play
- Confirm outboard bracket seals against intake
- Inspect fin keel leading edge for ramp impact
- Haul and check hull-to-keel joint
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.