The Shark 24 is a Canadian-designed 24 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.

[2] George Hinterhoeller grew up in Austria where he sailed the light displacement fin keel sailboats that were common there.

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 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 under the right conditions, giving the Shark more speed than a displacement hull of the same waterline length.