At 22 feet on deck and 27 feet with the bowsprit run out, the Crabber 22 meets the brief for a lighter, more portable coastal cruiser rather than a scaled-down offshore racer.
Design and Construction
The Crabber 22 is strongly built around four main mouldings: hull, deck, interior moulding and inner deckhead lining. The deckhead lining has a tongue-and-groove-style finish.
The hull is solid fibreglass, with steel ballast encapsulated around the keel. Beneath it is a drop centreboard under solid GRP. Above the waterline, the deck is a balsa sandwich. The builder laminated substantial plywood pads into the sandwich wherever deck-hardware loads are concentrated, sparing the core from the crushing and seepage that careless aftermarket bolting can invite.
The load waterline is 20 feet 8 inches, within an 8 foot 3 inch beam. That gives a length-to-beam ratio of 2.66—a beamy, compact footprint that trades racing slenderness for interior width. Displacement is 4,480 pounds. With the centreboard up, the boat draws as little as 2 feet 4 inches; with it down, draft increases to 5 feet.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Crabber 22 carries a gaff-cutter rig with 300 square feet of sail. Splitting that area among several sails makes the rig more manageable when sailing short-handed.
The cutter configuration pairs a jib and genoa on sheets of 6.7 metres with a 16.8 metre mainsheet and a 14.7 metre spinnaker sheet for downwind work. The sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 17.66 marks the Crabber 22 as a moderate-performance cruiser rather than a lively light-air flyer. Its displacement-length ratio of 228 puts it among what analysts categorize as moderate racers.
The theoretical hull speed is 6.1 knots. A capsize screening value of 2.01 indicates that the boat would not be accepted for ocean racing. That figure is consistent with its Class B offshore CE certification, which certifies it for offshore passages short of full ocean-racing exposure.
With a wetted surface of nearly 19 square metres and an immersion rate of about 106 kg per centimetre, the Crabber 22 sits firmly and absorbs added load without dramatic changes in trim.
Accommodation
Below, the Crabber 22 is small but comfortable and neatly finished. There is sitting headroom throughout the saloon rather than full standing headroom.
The accommodation is divided between a saloon and forecabin, with berths for two to four people. The two saloon berths are a generous 6 feet 6 inches long, while the forepeak provides two more berths when needed, separated by a marine WC.
A table with fold-out flaps sits on top of the centreboard case. In the aft galley, a small fixed sink is fitted to port. To starboard, a cooker beneath a worktop shares space with the chart table, creating a compact but genuinely dual-purpose station for navigation and meal preparation.
As standard, light comes through only two small portholes on each side of the coachroof, so the cabin depends more on its finish than on daylight for its appeal.
Machinery, Deck Layout, and Stowage
The standard boat may be fitted with a 9 bhp Yanmar IGM diesel or, alternatively, an inboard Yanmar 2YM15. Both drive through a shaft on diesel fuel.
A winch on the starboard side of the coachroof operates the centreboard, allowing the helm to raise or lower it without leaving the cockpit. Two large, deep cockpit lockers and an aft gas-bottle locker provide more stowage than the boat’s modest length might suggest.
Verdict
The Crabber 22 is a thoughtfully resolved small cruiser that restores trailerability and shallow-draft freedom after the 24-foot models became heavier and less manageable ashore. Its encapsulated ballast and plywood-reinforced balsa deck show attention to long-term problems such as rot and leaks. The gaff-cutter rig and drop centreboard also make creek crawling and drying out genuinely practical.
It isn’t an ocean racer, but its Class B rating and comfort-oriented numbers suit its intended role as a secure coastal and estuary companion.
Pros
- Light, trailable design that recaptures the advantages lost in the heavier 24-foot predecessors
- Solid GRP hull with encapsulated steel ballast and a versatile lifting centreboard
- Balsa-cored deck with plywood load pads to protect the core around fittings
- Long 6 feet 6 inch saloon berths, a forepeak WC, and a neatly finished interior
- Coachroof-mounted centreboard winch allows single-handed control from the cockpit
Cons
- Capsize screening value of 2.01 excludes it from ocean-race acceptance
- Limited natural light, with only two small portholes on each side of the coachroof
- Sitting headroom only, with no standing headroom in the saloon
