Design and Construction
Hinterhoeller's path to the Shark ran through a hard-chined 22-foot plywood sloop named Teeter Totter, which he built behind his Niagara-on-the-Lake home; he then increased the design length to 24 feet and began building plywood Sharks in that same shed. The pivot to fiberglass came at hull number five, built for Bill O'Reilly, who demanded the then-new material. Glass hulls took 18 man-hours against the 128 required for wood, and the glass boats were virtually maintenance-free anchor. Hinterhoeller admitted the Shark's scantlings are better suited to a tank, and owners who have taken the design offshore back that claim: Randall Peart reported no structural damage and no bulkheads adrift after sailing from Ohio to Lake Erie, the Bahamas, Miami, and England via the Canaries. Every change since the original design has been cosmetic, so the structural premise has stayed fixed.
Rig and Handling
The Shark carries a low-aspect 7/8ths fractional rig with swept spreaders and an elliptical spade rudder hung beneath a fin keel and a heavy keel below. Its sail plan centers on a 116.69-square-foot mainsail, a 115-percent jib of 73.67 square feet, a 150-percent genoa at 114.14 square feet, and a 180-percent spinnaker of 232.83 square feet, managed through 14 control lines. Writing in boats.com, reviewers noted the narrow hull, straight stem, and long flat run aft give it planing abilities, and the boat can achieve speeds in excess of 10 knots. The editorial review Sailboat Data & Sail Specifications found her renowned for simplicity, durability, and lively handling, offering a stiff, responsive ride in 5–20 knots with surprising stability for its size anchor. The 675-pound iron ballast against 2,200 pounds displacement yields a roughly 48-percent ballast ratio, and with a six-foot beam and under four feet of draft she stays both tractable and quick.
Accommodations
Below, the Shark is a pocket cruiser with sitting headroom under a doghouse, laying out a vee-berth and two quarterberths with a sink, stove, and ice box. That terse interior is the compromise for a 24-foot hull whose real brief was speed, yet it makes the boat genuinely usable for daysailing and short coastal hops. The active class association tightly controls fleet racing, enforces a uniform minimum racing weight, and publishes a class newsletter called Sharkscan, which keeps the one-design discipline intact across the 2,500-boat fleet.
Racing Heritage
The design's competitive record explains its cult. Hinterhoeller crewed a Shark in the 1960 Freeman Cup, the boat won that course again in 1963, and in that year's run from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Rochester the designer recorded a seven-hours-44-minutes passage. Sid Dakin averaged over 10 knots from Toronto to Olcott, and later owners extended the range: Clive O'Connor sailed to Melbourne in 1972, Peart crossed to England, and Bob Lush added a foot to the stern to meet the 25-foot OSTAR limit. With a PHRF around 240–246, the Shark stays ideal for club racing while remaining approachable for newer helms.
Refits and Ownership
Ownership is eased by the class's stability of specification and the survival rate of the fleet: virtually all of the boats built in the past 35 years are still sailing. The one notable structural refit on record is Lush's stern extension for single-handed transatlantic eligibility, a reminder that the hull's tank-like scantlings invite bold use. Because all post-1959 changes are cosmetic, a buyer can treat a well-kept example as fundamentally the same boat Hinterhoeller drew.
The Verdict
The Shark 24 is a rare thing: a small one-design that races hard, cruises minimally, and survives decades without apology. Its plywood origins and early glass transition mark it as a genuine pioneer, while its speed and stiffness make it a joy when the wind is up.
Pros
- Early fiberglass production hull with tank-grade scantlings and proven offshore survival
- Lively, stiff handling with planing ability and 10-knot potential
- Massive one-design class with active association and controlled rules
Cons
- Sitting headroom only and minimal cruising amenities
- Narrow six-foot beam limits interior volume
- Cosmetic-only evolution means no modernized hull or rig options
