North Beach 24 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Used North Beach 24s typically present the standard belowdecks arrangement of five berths — three at 1.90 m and two at 2.00 m — though some owners may have omitted the two forward berths by original request. The saloon table folds on both sides and swings away entirely, and the chart table slides under the cockpit bench to open the cabin. The galley is to port with stove and sink, and the forward-centre toilet keeps its discharge above the waterline. A large 80 × 80 cm sliding companionway hatch gives standing headroom of 1.95 m under a sprayhood, dropping to 1.65 m closed.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

The defining factory equipment for this model is its variable draught via the keel centreboard and an easily lowered mast for inland transit. Commonly fitted items include a self-tacking jib and teak decks; the standard inboard is a Yanmar diesel of 9 or 14 hp with the tank built into the keel. A roller-furling genoa on a retractable bowsprit was supplied for light-air reaching, and the mandatory liferaft stows under the aft cockpit bench. Buyers should verify whether the factory teak decks remain sound and whether the self-tacking jib's reefing gear is intact, as these are the features most consequential to living with the boat.

What to Inspect

The centreboard is the mechanical heart of the shoal-draft system: it is operated by rod and tackle, fitted with Teflon wear strips, and must retract fully into the steel box keel to permit drying out anchor. Check that the board disappears completely and that the wear strips are present. The box keel itself is 15 cm wide, built from 12 mm steel with a 20 mm sole — inspect for corrosion or hull-to-keel joint issues at the bolted attachment. Confirm the mast-lowering sprenkel is present and the far-aft backstay arrangement is intact, since the rig was designed without running backstays. The large deck and companionway hatches should be tested for seal and function, as they are central to both headroom and forepeak stowage.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

The North Beach 24 turns up in the Netherlands and United Kingdom. For a buyer, the short checklist is: verify full centreboard retraction and wear-strip condition, confirm the steel box keel's integrity, test the sliding hatch and fold-away table mechanisms, and establish whether teak decks and the self-tacking jib are original or added. A sound example offers rare shoal-draft freedom in a proper little cruiser.