Drascombe Drifter 22 Buyer's Guide
The Drascombe Drifter 22 on the used market is the 2008-onward Churchouse Boats rebirth of the original 21-foot Drifter, a trailer-sailer yawl with lifting plates and a shallow keel-cum-skeg. Built in modest numbers through the 2010s, she appeals to buyers wanting traditional looks with modern moulded convenience, but the low cabin and category C rating shape where she fits.
Layouts on the Used Market
The Drifter 22 carries a low aspect-ratio yawl rig on wooden spars with tan sails, a bowsprit and boomkin, and a gunter rig that keeps the mast short for stepping and stowing inside for trailing. Below, a berth runs 1.96 m fore-and-aft and is as wide as it is long at the aft end, with 96 cm of sit-up room under 1.32 m total headroom. The Mk II is recognizable by rectangular aluminium-framed portlights — two per side and one forward, all opening — and adds moulded galley and stowage units at the cabin aft end plus moulded cockpit-locker inserts for a wipe-clean surface.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Consequence-bearing items on these boats center on power and sail handling. The outboard well takes an engine up to 8 hp and hinges up flanked by gas or petrol lockers, while the optional cockpit centre console adds stowage and mounts a single jib-sheet winch. A plastic headfoil replaced the aluminium original, and the rig itself — gunter yawl with loose-footed mainsail — is the defining handling upgrade over a standard sloop trailer-sailer. No generator, watermaker, or navigation electronics appear as standard fitment in the record; buyers should treat such gear as owner-added.
What to Inspect
The hull is a simulated lapstrake GRP shell over an iroko keelband developing into a shallow keel-cum-skeg, with twin galvanised-iron lifting plates retracting into cockpit-locker cases — confirm the plates move freely and the cases are sound. A lead section amidships is the bulk of the 300 kg ballast; check for added weight or ballast disturbance. The reinforced deckhead beam carries rig loads without a compression post, so look for deckhead cracks around that beam. On Mk II boats, verify the aluminium-framed portlights seal and the moulded locker inserts are intact.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats turn up in the United States. For a shopper, the checklist is short: confirm draught of 0.40 m and plates-down of 1.05 m, inspect the lifting-plate cases and keelband for wear, verify the deckhead beam and portlight seals, and match the rig to your trailing setup. A Drifter 22 rewards the buyer who wants a traditional-feeling yawl that trails at 1,800 kg all-in and reaches smartly, within category C limits.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Drascombe Drifter 22. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 1 row
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25 | 1 | $49,000 | — |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
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