BoatsCal Boats 24

Cal Boats 24

Fractional Sloop · Keel/centreboard · 1958–1965

The inaugural Jensen Marine Cal model, this fractional keel-centerboard sloop was built for shoal-water versatility

Designed by C. William Lapworth, built by Jensen Marine.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Keel/Cbrd.

See her sail

The Cal Boats 24, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Sailing Magic Carpet

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

TrailerableBeam 2.44 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 1,361 kg of hull, so roughly 1,950 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Shoal draughtDraws 0.76 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a moderate beam gives 14 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 14
CoastalBluewater

2.22 — right around the 2.0 line, the edge between coastal and offshore.

Capsize screening 2.22
LightHeavy

166 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 166
EasygoingPowered-up

20.1 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 20.1
TenderStiff

33% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 33%

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

What broke, what changed

Gear aboard, as the crews told it

Moments from individual boats of this model that the fleet has filmed — one crew, one piece of kit, one day on the water. Not a review of the class, and not a count of anything.

Each line is one crew's account of their own boat. Another Cal Boats 24 may be fitted out entirely differently.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
33.3%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
20.1
Displacement / length
166.2
Comfort ratio
13.6
Capsize screening
2.22
Hull speed
6.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
573
Hull
Hull type
Keel/Cbrd.
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Mixed Iron/Lead
Production
Years built
1958–1965
Units built
184
Designer
C. William Lapworth
Builder
Jensen Marine, Cal Boats

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

O'day 23-1 (Lift Top)7.01 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA popular C. Raymond Hunt-designed masthead sloop featuring a unique lift-top coach roof for added cabin headroom
Living on a Sailboat Doesn’t Have to Mean the End of Your Professional Life | #SAL #3583:10from Hashtag Sal
Chrysler Marine 226.71 mSame hull family0.7 m shorterA 6.7-metre masthead sloop produced as the C-22 and T-22 Sandpiper, featuring a swing keel for shallow-water access
He Solo Sails a 39 Footer!from Lady K Sailing
O'day 23-26.93 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterA masthead keel-centerboard sloop produced in Brazil and the U.S. for over a decade as a popular coastal cruiser
The Taxi Driver and the Pharmacist Who Decided to Live on a Sailboat | #SAL #1602:29from Hashtag Sal
Deltania Yachts 267.92 mSame hull family0.5 m longer
Building our house | Styrofoam slab and Galvalume rooffrom MotionMe
Macgregor 26X7.87 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA water-ballasted sail-power hybrid designed for versatile coastal cruising and easy trailering
Buying My Dream Boat (2001 MacGregor 26X)0:53from Adventureman Dan
Catalina Yachts 227.26 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA prolific masthead sloop with 15,000 built, offering a versatile swing-keel design for trailerable coastal cruising
The ZERO KEEL and ALPHA RUDDER - Are Kraken Yachts Really THAT GOOD?9:27from Practical Sailor

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Cal Boats 34A masthead sloop with a fin keel and spade rudder, favoured by Jensen Marine founder Jack Jensen for personal cruisingCal 2-24The first of Lapworth's finer-bow designs, this fractional sloop was drawn for improved windward performanceCal 20A nimble fractional sloop from C. William Lapworth, featuring a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited sailingCal 25A flush-deck masthead sloop featuring a pop-top companionway that became one of the most popular models in the fleet

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Cal Boats 24, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the Cal Boats 24

The newsletter

New boats, new stories. Every week, everywhere.

One email from the fleet — boats newly added, videos newly analysed. No noise.

Report an issue