The Shark 24 is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
-designed 24
ft sailing
yacht
A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...
which has earned itself a reputation of extraordinary reliability and longevity among sailors both in
North America and
Central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the a ...
. Having been designed by
George Hinterhoeller
George Anton Hinterhoeller (1928–1999) was a Canadian boat designer and builder, a significant contributor to the Canadian sailboat industry for almost forty years.
Early life
Hinterhoeller was born in Mondsee, Austria on March 16, 1928. He fi ...
back in 1959 to cope well even with the harshest conditions found in the
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...
region, the vessel has proven to be well suited for extended leisure trips as well as for tough racing.
The Shark 24 was awarded International status by
World Sailing
World Sailing (WS) is the world sport governing body, governing body for the sailing (sport), sport of sailing recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
History
The creation of the Inter ...
in 2000.
History
George Hinterhoeller grew up in Austria where he sailed the light displacement fin keel sailboats that were common there. By 1959 he had emigrated to Canada and was working for a boat builder in
Niagara-on-the-Lake,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
. Hinterhoeller decided to design and build a sailboat for himself that was similar to what he had sailed in his youth in Austria. The result was a
plywood boat he named ''Teeter Totter''. Other sailors saw the resulting boat, and how fast it sailed compared to the heavy displacement boats common on the
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...
at the time and asked Hinterhoeller to build similar boats for them. Hinterhoeller modified the design, stretching it out to and started production of what he then called the Shark. The customer who commissioned the fifth hull requested it be built in fibreglass and offered to help Hinterhoeller build it using this new material. The resulting boat was a success and all subsequent Shark produced were built in fibreglass as this resulted in a lighter boat that took far less time to build so was less expensive and required much less ongoing maintenance.
Design
The shark is a light displacement cruising and racing sailboat. It has a 7/8 fractional sloop rig, a small cabin and a self-bailing cockpit. The iron fin keel, combined with a transom hung spade rudder, and a flat run aft allows the hull to ride up on its bow wave and plane
Plane(s) most often refers to:
* Aero- or airplane, a powered, fixed-wing aircraft
* Plane (geometry), a flat, 2-dimensional surface
Plane or planes may also refer to:
Biology
* Plane (tree) or ''Platanus'', wetland native plant
* ''Planes' ...
under the right conditions, giving the Shark more speed than a displacement hull of the same waterline length. It had a displacement-length ratio of 123, extraordinarily low for its time.
The Shark has a V-berth, two quarter berths, and a small galley with sink, stove and icebox. It has sitting headroom under the small deckhouse.[
]
Events
World Championship
A World Championship Regatta for the Shark 24 class has been continuously contested for over 50 years. The regatta follows a three-year rotation where for two consecutive years the regatta is hosted by the Canadian Shark Class Association in Canada, and the third year it is held in Europe in Austria, Germany, or Switzerland.
See also
* List of sailing boat types
Similar sailboats
*Achilles 24
The Achilles 24 is a British sailboat that was designed by Oliver Lee and Chris Butler as a cruiser-racer and first built in 1968.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition'', pages 154-155. Houghton M ...
*C&C 24
The C&C 24 is a Canadian sailboat, that was designed by C&C Design and first built in 1975.
Production
The boat was built by C&C Yachts in Canada, but it is now out of production. The design was the smallest boat ever built by the company.Henk ...
*Challenger 24
The Challenger 24 is a Canadian sailboat that was designed by Alex McGruer and first built in 1973.
Production
The design was built by Challenger Yachts in Canada, but it is now out of production.
Design
The Challenger 24 is a recreational k ...
*Columbia 24
The Columbia 24 is a series of American sailboats that were designed by Joseph McGlasson and first built in 1962.
The Columbia 24 is a development of the Islander 24, which in turn was derived from the wooden Catalina Islander.
The Columb ...
*Dana 24
The Dana 24 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by William Crealock as an ocean cruiser and first built in 1974.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition'', pages 188-189. Houghton Mi ...
*Islander 24
The Islander 24 is an American sailboat that was designed by Joseph McGlasson and first built in 1961.
The Islander 24 is a fiberglass development of the wooden-hulled Catalina Islander. The design was developed into the Islander 24 Bahama i ...
*Islander 24 Bahama
The Islander 24 Bahama, also called the Islander Bahama 24, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Joseph McGlasson and first built in 1964.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page 316. Internat ...
* J/24
*MacGregor 24
The MacGregor 24 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Roger MacGregor and first built in 1971.
Production
The design was built by the MacGregor Yacht Corporation in the United States, but it is now out of production.
Desi ...
*Mirage 24
The Mirage 24 is a Canadian Trailer sailer, trailerable sailboat designed by Cuthbertson & Cassian, the naval architecture design division at C&C Yachts, as a Midget Ocean Racing Club (MORC) Sailing (sport), racer and first built in 1972.Henkel ...
*Nutmeg 24
The Nutmeg 24 is a Canadian trailerable sailboat, that was designed by William Shaw and first built in 1964. The design is out of production.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page 367. International Marine/McGr ...
*San Juan 24
The San Juan 24 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Bruce Kirby as an International Offshore Rule Quarter Ton class racer.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page 261. International Marine/M ...
* Seidelmann 245
* Tonic 23
References
External links
*
{{C&C Yachts
Sailing yachts
Sailing in Canada
1950s sailboat type designs
Classes of World Sailing
Sailboat type designs by George Hinterhoeller
Sailboat types built by Hinterhoeller Yachts
Sailboat types built by C&C Yachts
One-design sailing classes