Chrysler 22 FK TM Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design Brief & Intent

In the mid-1970s, the Chrysler Corporation’s Marine Products Group sought to compete directly with dominant trailer-sailer icons like the Catalina 22 and O'Day 22. To carve out a competitive edge, Chrysler commissioned Halsey Herreshoff—scion of the legendary Herreshoff yacht design dynasty—to pen a 22-foot sloop. Herreshoff’s mandate was to balance maximum interior volume with sleek, contemporary lines that would look handsome on a slip or a trailer.

The vast majority of Chrysler 22s were sold as swing-keel models. However, the Fixed Keel, Tall Mast (FK TM) configuration was conceived for sailing purists who kept their boats in wet slips or dry-docked on lifts. By trading the ramp-launching capability of the swing-keel for a deep, fixed lead fin, and pairing it with a taller rig, Chrysler offered a boat that stood apart from the compromised, tender trailer-sailers of the era.

The interior design of the Chrysler 22 FK TM benefits immensely from its structural configuration. Because there is no trunk for a swing-keel lifting mechanism, the cabin sole is entirely open and unobstructed, creating a sense of spaciousness rarely found in boats of this size. The interior layout features a molded fiberglass liner trimmed with warm teak wood. It accommodates a V-berth forward, a portside settee, a small, practical galley counter with a sink, and a starboard quarter berth. While headroom is limited to sitting heights—typical of 22-footers from this era—the cabin feels cozy, dry, and exceptionally well-thought-out for weekend pocket cruising.

Sailing Performance & Handling

At the helm, the Chrysler 22 FK TM feels like a true keelboat rather than a light-duty trailer sailer. With a displacement of 3,000 pounds, the hull sits firmly in the moderate-displacement category. This gives it a solid, reassuring feel in a seaway, with a displacement-to-length ratio of 195.26 indicating a stable platform that resists the violent hobby-horsing common in ultra-light trailered boats of the 1970s.

The physical implications of its Tall Mast rig are immediately apparent in its sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 17.54. Sporting a mast height that is one and a half feet taller than the standard rig, the TM configuration carries a generous sail plan. This translates to lively, responsive sailing in light to moderate air, allowing the boat to slip along gracefully and catch faint thermal breezes when standard-rigged competitors are forced to turn on their outboards.

When the breeze freshens, the physical benefit of the 725-pound lead fin keel becomes obvious. This ballast package represents a ballast-to-displacement ratio of 24.17 percent. Drawing 3.75 feet, this fixed lateral plane places the ballast low, vastly improving the boat's righting moment and initial stiffness compared to the tender, swing-keel version. The boat tracks beautifully, points high to windward, and carries its canvas much longer before requiring the crew to drop a reef in the main.

With a capsize screening ratio of 2.15, the boat is wide and flat-bottomed relative to its weight, a design feature common in pocket cruisers to maximize interior volume. While this makes for a highly stable initial platform, it places the boat firmly in the category of coastal cruisers and lake sailors, warning against serious offshore work. The comfort ratio of 15.32 confirms that the motion in a heavy chop will be quick and bouncy, though the deep fin keel helps dampen the roll and provides a much more predictable motion than its swing-keel sister.

Known Issues & Triage 3

Decades after leaving the Texas factory, the Chrysler 22 has a well-documented list of structural and cosmetic triage areas that prospective owners should inspect.

The most prominent issue involves deck core degradation 5. Chrysler used a sandwich construction of fiberglass over a balsa or honeycomb core. Over forty-plus years, the bedding compounds around the chainplates, stanchion bases, handrails, and the mast step inevitably dry out and fail, allowing freshwater to infiltrate the core. This leads to soft spots and delamination. Triage requires mapping the soft spots with a plastic mallet, drilling inspection holes, drying the core, and either injecting epoxy or removing the skin to replace the rotted core material with modern marine-grade plywood or closed-cell foam.

Another common source of water intrusion is the hull-to-deck joint and the gunwale rub rail. The aluminum rub rail is fastened directly through the hull-deck seam. Impacting a dock can distort the rub rail and loosen the fasteners, creating a pathway for rain or spray to leak directly into the cabin. This persistent leak often saturates the internal foam flotation compartments, leading to waterlogged, moldy foam that must be laboriously dug out and replaced.

The steering assembly also presents a known failure point. The original rudder cheeks and stock were constructed from aluminum, with a hollow aluminum rudder post. Under heavy loads or in rough conditions, these aluminum components are highly prone to corrosion, fatigue, and catastrophic bending or cracking. Veteran owners suggest inspecting the rudder stock carefully for hairline stress cracks and replacing the assembly if any slop or deformation is detected.

Finally, the lack of a dedicated bow anchor locker is a minor yet irritating design choice. Owners must store their ground tackle in a cockpit lazarette or inside the cabin, which often results in bringing wet, mud-caked rode down below.

Modernization & Upgrades

Modernization efforts for the Chrysler 22 FK TM focus on improving safety, steering reliability, and electrical self-sufficiency for weekend cruising.

Rebuilding the rudder is one of the most impactful upgrades an owner can perform. Replacing the fragile, factory-original hollow aluminum rudder post with a custom, solid stainless steel post and a high-aspect-ratio fiberglass spade rudder blade completely transforms the boat’s handling. Paired with new, tight-fitting UHMW polyethylene bushings, this upgrade eliminates the notorious slop in the steering and provides precise, confident helm control.

On the rig, leading all halyards, reefing lines, and control lines aft to the cockpit is highly recommended, especially given the larger sail plan of the Tall Mast variant. Installing deck organizers, turning blocks at the mast base, and modern rope clutches on the cabin top allows for safe single-handed sailing, enabling the helmsman to reef or douse sails without having to climb onto the slippery cabin house in a blow.

Lastly, the vessel's electrical systems are easily modernized. Since the boat relies on a small, long-shaft outboard motor that has a very limited alternator output, veteran owners frequently transition to a small lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery bank. A single 50Ah or 100Ah lithium battery, paired with a low-profile 50-watt solar panel mounted on the deck or a stern rail, is more than sufficient to indefinitely power modern LED cabin lighting, navigation lights, a VHF radio with AIS, a depth sounder, and a basic tiller pilot.

The Verdict

The Chrysler 22 FK TM is a rare and highly rewarding classic pocket keelboat that punches well above its weight class. For the sailor who does not mind keeping the boat slipped or dry-slipped and values sailing characteristics over trailer-ramp convenience, this Herreshoff design offers a stiff, weatherly, and exceptionally roomy platform. While it demands vigilant inspection of its deck core and rudder assembly, a modernized FK TM variant delivers the sailing joy of a much larger keelboat at a fraction of the cost.

Pros

Superior windward pointing and stiffness compared to the swing-keel variant.
Lively light-air performance courtesy of the Tall Mast sail plan.
Remarkably open and uncluttered cabin sole due to the lack of a centerboard trunk.
Classic Halsey Herreshoff hull lines that still look attractive and balanced today.
Heavy, stable displacement that offers a predictable, secure motion in coastal waters.

Cons