View source for Shark 24

{{Short description|Canadian-designed 24 ft sailing yacht}}
{{distinguish|Hai (keelboat)}}
{{Infobox sailboat specifications 
|name              = Shark 24
|insignia          = File:Shark black.svg
|insignia size     = 100px
|insignia alt      = 
|insignia caption  = 
|line drawing      = Shark 24.jpg
|line size         = 
|line alt          = 
|line caption      = 
|image boat        = File:Shark 24 sailboat Mako 7690.jpg
|image size        = 
|image alt         = 
|image caption     = 

|designer          = [[George Hinterhoeller]]
|architect         =
|location          = [[Niagara-on-the-Lake]], [[Ontario]]
|year              = 1959
|no built          = over 2500
|design            = [[One-Design]]
|class             = 
|brand             = 
|builder           = [[Hinterhoeller Yachts|Hinterhoeller Limited]]<br>[[C&C Yachts]]<br>Halman Manufacturing Co.<br>Bodo Guenther Marinedepot* (*current builder)
|role              = racer, recreational sailing

|boats             = 
|crew              = 2 to 3
|trapeze           = 
|draft             = {{convert|3|ft|2|in|m|abbr=on}}
|air draft         = 
|displacement      = {{convert|2100|lb|kg|abbr=on}}

|hulls             = 
|hull type         = [[monohull]]
|construction      = [[Fibre-reinforced plastic]]
|loa               = {{convert|24|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|lwl               = {{convert|20|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|beam              = {{convert|6|ft|10|in|m|abbr=on}}
|hull draft        = 
|hull weight       = 
|engine            = {{convert|3 - 6|hp|kW|abbr=on}}

|appendages        = 
|keel type         = fixed fin
|ballast           = iron {{convert|675|lb|kg|abbr=on}}
|rudder type       = transom hung spade

|rigs              = 
|rig type          = [[bermuda rig]]
|I                 = {{convert|20|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|J                 = {{convert|7.3|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|P                 = {{convert|23|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|E                 = {{convert|10.2|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|mast length       = 
|rig other         =

|sails             = 
|sailplan          = [[Fractional rig|fractional]] [[sloop]]
|sailarea main     = {{convert|117.3|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}
|sailarea headsail = {{convert|73|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}
|lp                = 
|sailarea spin     = 
|sailarea gen      = 
|sails other       = 
|sailarea upwind   = {{convert|190|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}
|sailarea downwind = 
|sailarea total    =

|rating            = 
|d-pn              = 
|rya-pn            = 
|phrf              =

|status            = world sailing
|previous          = 
|successor         = 
}}

The '''Shark 24''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]]-designed 24 [[Foot (length)|ft]] sailing [[yacht]] which has earned itself a reputation of extraordinary reliability and longevity among sailors both in [[North America]] and [[Central Europe]]. Having been designed by [[George Hinterhoeller]] back in 1959 to cope well even with the harshest conditions found in the [[Great Lakes]] region, the vessel has proven to be well suited for extended leisure trips as well as for tough racing.<ref name= Shark>{{cite web |url= http://www.shark24.org/the-shark-24.html |title= The Shark |access-date= 9 December 2018 }}</ref>

The Shark 24 was awarded International status by [[World Sailing]] in 2000.<ref name= World>{{cite web |url= http://www.sailing.org/classesandequipment/SHK.php |title= World Sailing - Shark 24 |access-date= 8 December 2018 }}</ref>

==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]].  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 {{convert|22|ft|m|abbr=on}} [[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]] at the time and asked Hinterhoeller to build similar boats for them.  Hinterhoeller modified the design, stretching it out to {{convert|24|ft|m|abbr=on}} 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.<ref name= Shark/><ref name= CYS>{{cite web |url= http://www.canadianyachting.ca/boat-reviews/one-design/1972-shark-boat-review-sail |title= Shark|work= [[Canadian Yachting]]|access-date= 12 December 2018 }}</ref>

==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 [[Planing (boat)|plane]] 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.<ref name= CYS/><ref name= PS>{{cite web |url= https://www.practical-sailor.com/issues/26_1/editorial/3992-1.html |title= George Hinterhoeller |access-date= 12 December 2018 }}</ref><ref name= RCYCModels>{{cite web |url= https://rcyc.ca/Doc-Types/RCYCModels/rcycmodels_p11.aspx |title= Royal Canadian Yacht Club Models - Panel 11, Shark 1960 |access-date= 12 December 2018 }}</ref>

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.<ref name= CYS/>

==World Championship==
{{main|Shark 24 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.<ref name= Racing>{{cite web |url= http://www.shark24.ca/racing |title= Shark 24 Racing |access-date= 8 December 2018 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commonscat inline|Shark 24, Sailboat}}
{{Hinterhoeller Yachts}}
{{Classes of the International Sailing Federation}}
{{C&C Yachts}}

[[Category:24-foot keelboats]]
[[Category:Sailing yachts]]
[[Category:Sailing in Canada]]
[[Category:1950s sailboat type designs]]
[[Category:Classes of World Sailing]]
[[Category:Sailboat type designs by George Hinterhoeller]]
[[Category:Sailboat types built by Hinterhoeller Yachts]]
[[Category:Sailboat types built by C&C Yachts]]
[[Category:One-design sailing classes]]