Design and Construction
Where the original Drifter sat on a long shallow keel with bilge plates and an optional inboard, the 22 went the other way: out went the long keel and in came an iroko keelband that developed into a shallow keel-cum-skeg further aft, paired with twin lifting plates in galvanised iron set well aft and retracting into cases on the inboard sides of the cockpit locker mouldings. A section of lead in the middle provided the bulk of the ballast, working with 300 kg of ballast against a 1,202 kg displacement to keep the 6.70 m hull settled. The deckhead carries a reinforced beam that takes the loads from the rig and leaves the occupants of the berth with plenty of uninterrupted space, so no compression post interrupts the cabin. The Mk II is picked out externally by rectangular aluminium-framed portlights, and the forward rake to the transom keeps the silhouette faithful to the lineage.
Rig and Handling
The boat wears a low aspect-ratio yawl rig with wooden spars and tan sails, a gunter rig keeping the mast short for easy stepping and stowing inside the boat for trailing. A bowsprit and boomkin extend the sail plan, and the loose-footed mainsail simplifies trim. In flat water a test crew clocked 4.5 knots upwind, nudging 5 knots at times, and bearing away on to a reach took the log up to well over 6 knots — lively for a 2,650 lb hull with 21.7 m² of canvas. The outboard hinges up in its well, flanked by lockers for gas or petrol, and an optional centre console in the cockpit provides stowage as well as acting as a mounting point for a single jib-sheet winch.
Accommodations
Below, the Drifter 22 gives a berth that is 1.96 m fore-and-aft and, at its aft end, as wide as it is long, with 96 cm between the bunks and the deckhead for sitting up under a total headroom of just over 1.3 m. On the Mk II, both the galley and the stowage units are now moulded at the aft end of the cabin, and two rectangular aluminium-framed ports each side plus one forward, all opening, vent the space. Moulded inserts in the cockpit lockers give a smooth, wipe-clean surface for the 1.05 m draught with plates down trailerable package.
Refits and Ownership
The Mk II updates are mostly moulded-in conveniences rather than structural change: smoother locker surfaces, moulded galley and stowage units, and a plastic headfoil rather than aluminium that owners were expected to welcome. Over 30 boats had been built before Stewart Brown's death in 2018, and the RCD category C frames her as a sheltered-water and short-coastal cruiser rather than an offshore passage boat.
The Verdict
The Drifter 22 is a faithful modern Drascombe: a trailerable yawl with traditional looks, a shallow-draught lifting-plate hull, and a bright if low cabin. She sails with more pace than her weight suggests and trails easily at 1,800 kg all-in, but headroom and beam-confined berths suit the short-stay cruiser, not the liveaboard.
Pros
- Shallow 0.40 m draught with plates up, 1.05 m down for versatility
- Gunter yawl rig steps and stows short for trailing
- Reinforced deckhead removes the compression post for clear berth space
- Over 6 knots reachable in testing
Cons
- Just over 1.3 m headroom limits cabin comfort
- RCD category C restricts offshore ambition
- Original long-keel Drifter's inboard option lost in the redesign
