More than 2,500 Sharks have been built by Hinterhoeller Yachts, C&C, Hallman, Shark Shoppe, and several licensed European builders. The class remains an officially recognized World Sailing one-design. That longevity is no accident: Hinterhoeller conceived the boat to “go like hell when the wind blew,” and for six decades the Shark has shown that a small, narrow hull can be both a thrilling racer and a credible pocket cruiser.
Design and Construction
The Shark grew out of Teeter Totter, a hard-chined, 22-foot plywood sloop that Hinterhoeller built behind his Niagara-on-the-Lake home. He increased the design’s length to 24 feet and began building plywood Sharks in the same shed.
The switch to fiberglass came with hull number five, built for Bill O’Reilly, who insisted on the then-new material. A fiberglass hull took 18 man-hours to build, compared with 128 for a wooden one, and the resulting boats were virtually maintenance-free.
Hinterhoeller admitted that the Shark’s scantlings were better suited to a tank. Owners who have taken the design offshore support that assessment. After sailing from Ohio to Lake Erie, the Bahamas, Miami, and England via the Canaries, Randall Peart reported no structural damage and no bulkheads adrift. Every change since the original design has been cosmetic, leaving its structural premise intact.
Rig, Hull, and Handling
The Shark carries a low-aspect, 7/8ths fractional rig with swept spreaders. The Shark has an elliptical spade rudder hung beneath a fin keel and a heavy keel below.
The sail plan comprises:
- A 116.69-square-foot mainsail
- A 115-percent jib of 73.67 square feet
- A 150-percent genoa of 114.14 square feet
- A 180-percent spinnaker of 232.83 square feet
Fourteen control lines manage the sail plan.
Reviewers writing in boats.com noted that the narrow hull, straight stem, and long, flat run aft give the Shark planing ability. The boat can reach speeds above 10 knots. The editorial review Sailboat Data & Sail Specifications found the Shark renowned for simplicity, durability, and lively handling, with a stiff, responsive ride in 5–20 knots and surprising stability for its size.
The boat carries 675 pounds of iron ballast on a displacement of 2,200 pounds, giving a ballast ratio of roughly 48 percent. With a six-foot beam and less than four feet of draft, it remains both tractable and quick.
Accommodations
Below, the Shark is a pocket cruiser with sitting headroom beneath a doghouse. The layout includes a vee-berth, two quarterberths, a sink, a stove, and an ice box.
It’s a terse interior—the inevitable compromise in a 24-foot hull designed primarily for speed—but it makes the boat genuinely usable for daysailing and short coastal hops. The narrow six-foot beam limits interior volume, and cruising amenities remain minimal.
Racing Heritage and Class Support
The Shark’s competitive record helps explain its devoted following. Hinterhoeller crewed aboard a Shark in the 1960 Freeman Cup, and the boat won that course again in 1963. During that year’s run from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Rochester, the designer recorded a passage of seven hours 44 minutes. Sid Dakin averaged more than 10 knots from Toronto to Olcott.
Later owners took the design farther afield. Clive O’Connor sailed to Melbourne in 1972, Randall 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 remains well suited to club racing while still being approachable for newer helms. The active class association tightly controls fleet racing, enforces a uniform minimum racing weight, and publishes a newsletter called Sharkscan. Together, these measures maintain one-design discipline across the 2,500-boat fleet.
Refits and Ownership
Ownership is eased by the class’s stable specification and the fleet’s survival rate: virtually all the boats built in the past 35 years are still sailing. Because all post-1959 changes have been cosmetic, a buyer can regard a well-kept example as fundamentally the same boat Hinterhoeller drew.
The only notable structural refit on record is Bob Lush’s stern extension, made to qualify the boat for single-handed transatlantic eligibility. It’s a reminder that the Shark’s tank-like scantlings have invited owners to use the boat boldly, though the design itself has gained no modernized hull or rig options.
The Verdict
The Shark 24 is a rare combination: a small one-design that races hard, cruises minimally, and has survived for decades without apology. Its plywood origins and early transition to fiberglass mark it as a genuine production-boat pioneer. Its speed, stiffness, and planing ability give it lively performance when the wind is up, while its simple accommodations make short cruising possible.
Pros
- Early fiberglass production hull with tank-like scantlings and proven offshore survival
- Lively, stiff handling, with planing ability and speeds above 10 knots
- Large one-design class with an active association and tightly controlled rules
Cons
- Sitting headroom only, with minimal cruising amenities
- Narrow six-foot beam limits interior volume
- Cosmetic-only evolution means there are no modernized hull or rig options
