Design and Construction
Hannay gave the 22 a high, Van de Stadt–styled coach roof that lifts interior headroom to 5 ft 9 in and shelters four berths below. The hull and deck are solid fibreglass, and the fin keel is cast iron bolted to that glass hull. Because the design was also released as a home-completion kit, the quality of finish and structural detailing varies from one hull to the next — a buyer cannot assume every example left the Robert Ives works fully finished.
Rig and Handling
The boat carries a fractional rig with a mainsail-and-jib area of roughly 199 square feet; with a 135 percent genoa the sail-area-to-displacement index rises from 13.8 to 16.1. Period comparison put her rig among the lighter third of similar sailboats, so she reads as slightly underrigged against modern norms. Despite that, Yachting Monthly remembered her as a sharp racer in her day, especially in the JOG classes, while still offering reasonable cruising space. Her capsize screening value of 1.91 would clear the usual ocean-race threshold on that formula alone, and a displacement-length ratio near 268 places her among moderate racers rather than heavy cruisers.
Accommodations
Below the tall coach roof the interior is mahogany, with four berths arranged under that raised trunk; the builder claimed two of those berths run a full 7 ft. A compact galley and a 15-liter fresh-water capacity round out the cabin, and the 5 ft 9 in headroom makes the small volume usable for short cruises.
Known Issues
The principal ownership caveat is the home-completion route. Hulls finished outside the Robert Ives works may show inconsistent glass work, keel-bolt bedding, or interior joinery, since the variation in build quality is a function of who completed the boat. A shopper should treat any non-factory hull as an individual case rather than a uniform production item.
Refits and Ownership
Most Galion 22s run on outboard power, though a few were fitted with Vire petrol inboards and the specifications also list an optional 6 hp Vire diesel with shaft drive and a 5-gallon tank. The diesel variant calculated a max under-power speed near 4.1 knots, while her theoretical hull speed as a displacement boat of this length is 5.7 knots.
The Verdict
The Galion 22 is a tidy, characterful small racer-cruiser with genuine offshore-race pedigree in the numbers and a usable cabin for her size. The Van de Stadt coach roof gives her more standing room than many 22-footers, and the surviving fleet suggests she was built to last. The home-completion history is the one cloud: it demands careful, hull-by-hull judgment rather than blanket praise.
Pros
- High coach roof yields 5 ft 9 in headroom and four berths in a 22-foot hull
- Capsize screening and DL-ratio figures support moderate-racer intent
- Large surviving fleet points to durable, economical ownership
Cons
- Home-completion option means build quality varies by individual hull
- Slightly underrigged next to comparable sailboats
- Modest 15-liter water and 19-liter fuel capacity limit extended cruising
