[1][2][3][4][5] The design was built by W. D. Schock Corp in the United States, between 1977 and 1982, with 261 boats completed, but it is now out of production.

[1][2][6][7][8][9] The Santana 525 is a racing keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim.

It has a fractional sloop rig, a raked stem, a reverse transom, an internally mounted spade-type rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed fin keel.

[1][2] The boat has a draft of 4.25 ft (1.30 m) with the standard keel and is normally fitted with a small outboard motor for docking and maneuvering.

[1][2][10] The design has a typical PHRF racing average handicap of 186 and a hull speed of 5.76 kn (10.67 km/h).