The VQ24, designed by Dick Koopmans Jr, is a fast 24 footer that is simple to sail. The design has been fine tuned with the aid of tank testing. All ingredients are there: a long waterline and a fairly narrow beam at waterline level flaring out to a wide beam at deck height. Add a wide stern, a low centre of gravity and a generous sail arena and the result is a surprisingly fast boat.
Sailing the VQ24 up to its potential might be fairly straight forward, however it is a boat for those who consider sailing an active pasttime and who enjoy its responses to steering and trim input.
Almost all sail handling can be done from the cockpit, the wide deck offers ample seating space for helsman and crew. To make all sail handling a pleasure, all deck fittings are of the best quality: Harken.
A large fully battened mainsail with a generous roach and an easy to handle non-overlapping genoa, provide ample upwind power. Tacking is done swiftly with a minimum of effort.
Since a VQ24 planes easily when running, the fastest way to do so is by tacking downwind rather than running dead downwind. This offers the possibility to use wide, swept back spreaders without running backstays. The wide shroud base allows for a smaller mast profile and consequently a lighter but stiffer rig.
The light and stiff construction of the VQ24 is obtained by laminating all stringers and bulkheads to the hull. They form a rigid frame as well as the interior layout. All surfaces are finished in a hard wearing plastic laminate that is easy to clean. The simple and functional interior offers space for a crew of four.
