Fox Terrier 22 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Copland Boats built the Fox Terrier 22 in fiberglass with a solid hull and a fin keel as standard, while fin and bilge keels were offered as options fin and bilge keels were optional. The lifting-keel configuration left an obtrusive lifting keel box amidships that intrudes on the cabin, a structural compromise struck for shoal-water access rather than interior elegance. At 22 ft 1 in overall and 19 ft 4 in on the waterline, with an 8 ft 2 in beam, she displaces 2,650 lb and carries 1,200 lb of lead ballast — a 45 percent ballast ratio that exceeds 76 percent of comparable designs. Her length-to-beam ratio of 2.70 makes her beamier than 69 percent of similar boats, and a displacement-length ratio of 164 places her among the "light racers" of her size, with two-thirds of peer designs rating heavier.

Rig and Handling

The Fox Terrier 22 is built with a fractional rig and a transom-hung rudder, and her sail-handling geometry follows a predictable small-boat pattern: jib and genoa sheets run about 22 feet at 3/8 inch diameter, the mainsheet stretches 55 feet, and the spinnaker sheet 49 feet, all in 10 mm line estimated mainsheet length for the Fox Terrier 22 is 16.8 m. Draft sits at roughly 4 feet loaded but drops toward 1 foot with the lifting arrangement, giving her genuine shoal-draught capability. Yachting Monthly judged her not quite as sharp a performer as the Sonata but well suited to shoal draught, fast cruising. The capsize screening value of 2.36 means she would not be accepted to participate in ocean races, and her theoretical displacement hull speed is 5.9 knots. The Motion Comfort Ratio of 12.3 leaves her more comfortable than only 34 percent of similar designs, and an immersion rate of 550 lb per inch speaks to a lightly loaded hull that responds quickly to crew and payload.

Accommodations

Inside, the Fox Terrier 22 provides four berths and 5 ft 3 in of headroom, but she lacked the spacious accommodation of her rival the Sonata. The beamy hull form suggests roominess by the numbers, yet the lifting keel box eats into usable floor area, and the cabin volume was never the boat's strong selling point. She is a weekender rather than a camp-cruiser, and the comparison with the Sonata's interior is the clearest measure of her limitations.

Known Issues

The decor and interior furnishings have struggled to withstand the test of time, a weakness rooted in the original materials rather than abuse by owners. Separately, the shroud plates demand attention: period guidance directed buyers to check shroud plates, since these chainplate attachments are a known stress point on a lightly built 22-footer and fatigue there is a path to rig failure check shroud plates. Neither issue is structural to the hull itself, but both bear directly on the cost of keeping a Terrier 22 safe and presentable.

Ownership and Market Context

Sales of the Dixon-designed Terrier suffered as a consequence of the Sonata's stronger showing, and Copland's own line — which also produced the Copland 28 cruiser, 24 ft Foxhound and 20 ft Harrier — never made the Terrier a volume name. For the owner, that means a small fleet and limited second-hand choice, but also a simple, light boat whose systems are easy to understand. The light-racer pedigree and high ballast ratio reward careful loading and an honest look at the chainplates.

The Verdict

The Fox Terrier 22 is a specialized shoal-draught lightweight with a high ballast ratio and a beamy hull, let down by a cramped, time-worn interior and a lifting-keel box that compromises cabin space. She is a fast coastal cruiser for the sailor who values draft flexibility over creature comfort, and who will inspect the rig attachments before committing.

Pros