San Juan 24

[Akacake]

Hello, We are planning on buying a San Juan 24 this summer. We are new to sailing so this will be our first boat. Any pro''s or con''s we should be aware of?

Thanks for any input!

[Jeff_H]

The San Juan 24''s were designed as IOR rule beating race boats. Rule beating is a design process where a designer shapes a boat and its rig to have a good rating rather than to a shape that would be more ideal for sailing abbility, speed or seaworthiness.

While the San Juan 24 is a nice little boat that sails pretty well, the compromises that to beat the rule meant that they were a little tender (tippy) and also that their cockpits were a bit cramped compared to other boats that length.

San Juans were built to be ''value oriented'' and so were not the most robust of boats, but they were well built for what they were. A major concern is the age of these boats. I think they probably went out of production somewhere around 1980. That is pretty old for a lightly built boat in ''boat life'' terms. I strongly suggest that you have the boat surveyed by a NAMS or SAMS certified marine surveyor. While it is a little unmlikelt to be the case, the kinds of problems that could be present could easily be more expensive to fix than the entire value of the boat.

Regards
Jeff

[rbh1515]

San Juans were made by the Clark Boat Co. I think they were a very well made boat. My dad still has his San Juan 21 from the early 1970''s and it has held up great with NO problems. Of course with boats this age you do want to hire a good surveyor to look for problems. Find out if the boat was raced--this can certainly add alot of wear and tear. There are a few web sites out there dedicated to San Juan sailboats, and I would definately check these out and ask questions from people that own these boats. Also I would not consider the SJ24 a "tender" boat. It does very well in stiff winds. Rob ~~~~_/)~~~~

[Akacake]

Thanks Jeff and Rob for your input!
Buying a boat will be a very hard decision!

What would you recommend as a first boat for coastal cruising, in the Pacific Northwest part of BC?

[photodonn]

I just bought a 1977 San Juan 24 and it is in great shape. It was rigged for racing, but I am rigging her for cruising. I live in sw Florida and sail the Gulf.
I would reccomend it.

..Donn

[captainmidnight]

The SJ 24 is a terrific first boat. Don't spend more than 4k. PM me for leads on two in Skagit county if you're interested.

[photodonn]

I only paid $1200 without trailer.

[sanjuan2R]

SJ24 is a fine sailing boat. [Bruce Kirby design]

You might also consider:
24 Columbia
25 Catalina [cb]
25 Cal
24 C&C
26 Ericson
25 Buccaneer [Gary Mull design]
24 Freedom [Bill Tripp design]
24 Shark [C&C design]
24 Islander
J/24 [fast & fun]
24 Laguna [Shad Turner design] swing keel
24 Melges
24 Mirage [Robert Perry]
26 Niagara
25 Oday
25 Olson
25 Ontario [C&C design]
25 Cal-Pearson
26 Ranger [Gary Mull design]
24 S2
525 Santana
24 Seidelmann
24 Tanzer
25 Yamaha
24 Yankee

As you can see, there are numerous boats to consider. These are mostly under $10K. Good luck in your hunt.

C&C 27
Astoria, OR

[Hint: Boats are cheaper in Portland than around Seattle & the Puget Sound]

[blt2ski]

You folks do realize that the OP was done back in 2002!?!?!?!?!

Marty

[sanjuanderer]

I've owned my SanJuan 24 for three years and am delighted with it.
A more fun boat would be hard to find.
As far as tippy, well you can get them to 25 degrees pretty fast but they were made to sail at 15 to 20 and use of the traveller or main sheet keeps it manageable.
I couldn't recomend the San Juan 24 more for someone learning to sail.
I don't race mine but enjoy it for cruising.