Design Lineage and Rule Heritage
Shaw described the 24 as a half-size prototype of the yacht Finisterre, built expressly to test that larger boat's principles anchor. The MORC rule shaped the hull from the first line, and the boat's centerboard yawl configuration set it apart from more conventional small racers of the day anchor. The result was a 23.92-foot design with an 18.5-foot waterline, 7.42-foot beam, and a modest 4,800-pound displacement carried on 1,500 pounds of lead ballast — a 31.25 ballast-displacement ratio that speaks to a reasonably stiff little cruiser-racer rather than a featherweight planing dinghy.
Construction and Hull Form
The Shaw 24 uses a fiberglass-wood composite for both hull and deck over a solid core, with a centerboard keel and a reported maximum draft of 5.25 feet that draws up to 2.75 feet with the board raised. Her hull speed is calculated at 5.76 knots. The composite construction of the era paired fiberglass shell work with wood elements, a combination that demands a buyer's eye for both gelcoat and timber condition, though period accounts focus on the design's racing credibility rather than material faults.
Rig and Handling
As a centerboard yawl, the Shaw 24 carries a split rig with a mizzen aft of the helm, a layout that distributes sail area and offers easier short-handed control than a comparable sloop of the same length anchor. With 270 square feet of sail and a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 15.18, the boat is tuned for light-air responsiveness within her racing rule, not for heavy-weather carrying power. The shallow raised-board draft made her tractable in rocky or shoal venues that the MORC circuit often visited.
Accommodations
The Shaw 24 carries 20-gallon water and 10-gallon fuel capacities paired with a single 10-horsepower Kermath Sea Twin gasoline engine, describing a boat equipped for coastal overnight use rather than extended liveaboard cruising.
The Verdict
The Shaw 24 Yawl is a historically significant small racer-cruiser whose after-hours origin under Bill Shaw produced a MORC-rule centerboard yawl that punched far above its length on the racecourse and helped launch an entire racing class. Its split rig and lifting board remain practical virtues for the shoal-water cruiser, even if the fiberglass-wood composite construction asks more of a surveyor than an all-fiberglass contemporary.
Pros
- Proven race-winning lineage under MORC and CCA rules from the first hull, Trina
- Centerboard yawl rig offers split-sail control and shoal draft flexibility
- Lead-ballasted composite hull with a measured 31.25 ballast-displacement ratio
Cons
- Fiberglass-wood composite construction requires dual-material inspection discipline
- Small tankage and a 10-horsepower gasoline auxiliary limit cruising range
- Documented interior arrangements are absent
