Design and Construction
The 24 ST is a monohull of solid fiberglass construction with wood trim, carrying a raked stem and a plumb transom that give her a contemporary late-1970s/early-1980s American pocket-cruiser profile. She draws 2.92 feet on a fixed fin keel with 1,100 pounds of lead ballast against a 2,800-pound displacement, a 39 percent ballast-to-displacement ratio that places her firmly in the stable, trailerable cruiser camp rather than the racing fringe. The transom-hung rudder is controlled by a tiller, a simple and robust arrangement that keeps the steering gear fully exposed for inspection and repair. With a beam of 8.33 feet and a waterline length of 20 feet, the hull yields a displacement-to-length ratio of 156, the sort of moderate volume that lets her carry cruising gear without a punishing draft for the ramp.
Rig and Handling
She is rigged as a fractional sloop — a Bermuda rig in period terminology — which keeps the masthead free of a jib halyard and lets a small crew depower the mainsail easily when the wind builds. A small outboard motor is the normal docking and maneuvering aid, mounted on the transom where the tiller-rudder layout gives the helmsman direct feel of the boat's track in close quarters. The 251 square feet of sail area combined with the modest displacement produces a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of just over 20, enough to keep her moving in a breeze without demanding a grindathon from a couple aboard.
Accommodations
The sources are silent on interior arrangement beyond the cruiser intent, but the 8.33-foot beam and 23.58-foot overall length frame a boat built to sleep a small family for a night or two rather than to race around the buoys. As a designated cruiser with wood trim and a plumb transom enclosing the cockpit, she follows the American trailerable pattern of a compact cabin trunk, a forward berth, and a quarter berth or settees aft. The outboard on the transom means no inboard engine box intrudes on the saloon, freeing what little floor area exists for sitting headroom and a galley corner.
The Verdict
The Laguna 24 ST is a straightforward, honestly built pocket cruiser from the American trailerable boom. She trades racing sparkle for ballast stability, tiller simplicity, and a rig a short-handed couple can manage. The shared hull lineage with the Balboa 24 gives her a proven root, and the 350-boat production run of the series speaks to a design that found its buyers before the plug was pulled.
Pros
- Stable 39 percent ballast ratio on a lead fin keel
- Trailerable at 2,800 pounds with an 8.33-foot beam
- Exposed transom-hung rudder and tiller for easy service
- Fractional sloop rig manageable by a small crew
Cons
- No inboard propulsion; reliant on a transom outboard
- Modest 251 square feet of sail for her displacement
- Limited interior volume inherent to the 23.58-foot hull
