It has a cutter sloop rig, a spooned and slightly raked stem, a nearly vertical transom, a keel-mounted rudder controlled by a tiller, a bowsprit and a fixed long keel.

[1][4] The boat's galley is located on the port side of the cabin and has a stainless steel sink and a two-burner gimballed kerosene stove.

In addition, the table for the opposing settees is stored under the vee berth and slides out and around the compression post supporting the cabin-top mounted mast.

"[3] A 2008 review in Sailing Magazine note "Part of the Dana 24's appeal is its traditional appearance, from its beefy bow pulpit and sweet sheerline to the chrome bronze deck hardware and teak loop handrails on the cabinhouse.

When he designed the Dana back in the early 1980s he was about 65 years old and he used all his hard earned experience gained from a lifetime of creating and sailing yachts.

"[8] In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "this boat was designed to be a diminutive offshore passagemaker, to safely carry a single-hander or small family cross a bay—or an ocean.

Her hull is heavy and her rig is on the modest side ... That's good for ocean sailing when the wind is blowing, but may cause consternation among the crew in areas where light air is the rule rather than the exception.

Her shallow draft allows for exploration in cruising grounds larger yachts cannot, and her design, now over 25 years old, is well proven with a number of ocean crossings to her credit.