The Helms 24 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Stuart Windley as a cruiser and first built in 1977.Henkel, Steve: The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats, page 293. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010.
Production The design was built by Jack A. Helms Co., a furniture maker in Irmo, South Carolina, United States. Production began in 1977, with 750 boats completed in total, but it is now out of production.
Design The Helms 24 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a masthead sloop rig, a raked stem, a plumb transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller, and a fixed fin keel or optional shoal draft keel. It displaces and carries of ballast.
The boat has a draft of with the standard keel and with the optional shoal draft keel.
The boat is normally fitted with a small outboard motor for docking and maneuvering. A Yanmar 1GM10 diesel inboard engine was optional.
The design has sleeping accommodation for five people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin and two straight settees in the main cabin, the port one of which can be converted into a double. The galley is located on the starboard side at the companionway ladder. The galley is L-shaped and is equipped with a two-burner stove, icebox , and a sink. The head is located just aft of the bow cabin on both sides and includes a sink. Cabin headroom is .
The design has a PHRF racing average handicap of 234 and a hull speed of .
Operational history In a 2010 review, Steve Henkel wrote, "The brochure says she sleeps five, with the port settee converting to a double. But even assuming the starboard settee extends aft under the stove for footroom, it's hard to imagine five full-sized humans sleeping comfortably aboard, especially with the kiddy-sized V-berth forward. Best features: With her wide beam and high sheer, her space ... and headroom are much better than her comp[etitor]s. Her longer waterline and higher B/D ratio also help in the speed department, as indicated by her lower PHRF rating. Worst features: There may have been problems with leakage around the external lead keel seam..."
See also List of sailing boat types
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