Design and Construction
Anderson’s 1966 design combines a solid fibreglass hull and deck with a fin keel and spade rudder. At 4,000 pounds all up, with 2,300 pounds of ballast, the Hurley 22 sits at the robust end of the displacement spectrum.
Those figures give a ballast-to-displacement ratio of roughly 57.6 percent, although sources differ slightly, with one citing 59 percent. This is well beyond the usual 40 percent mark for a stiff boat and provides a powerful righting moment and excellent initial stability high ballast/displacement ratio of 57.6%.
A displacement-length ratio of 363 places the boat firmly among ultraheavy cruisers and signifies a very robustly built boat for her size. Her capsize screening value is near 1.9, suggesting that she is a sound candidate for ocean passage-making. With a comfort ratio of around 23, she offers the level of crew comfort associated with a coastal cruiser rather than a bare daysailer.
Rig and Handling
The Hurley 22 is a masthead sloop with 240 square feet of working sail: a 118-square-foot mainsail and a 122-square-foot working jib. Her sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 15.3 puts her in the under-powered category, so she needs a good breeze to achieve reasonable speeds. Theoretical hull speed is 5.52 knots.
A length-to-beam ratio of 3.00 makes her slimmer than most comparable designs. Alongside the standard fin-keel model, Hurley offered a bilge-keel variant. This twin-keel version uses the same hull and deck mouldings above the waterline and can dry out upright or be beached—a genuine advantage in tidal cruising grounds.
Accommodation
Below deck, the layout is simple and functional. There’s a V-berth forward, a quarter berth to starboard, and a galley to port, with teak joinery throughout. Headroom is about 4 feet 6 inches, which period reviewers considered below average for the class.
Early boats lacked a separate head compartment. Later versions, including the Hurley 22R, attempted to carve one out, and the 22R reportedly succeeded.
No water tank was fitted as standard, although space was provided for jerry cans. The boat also typically relied on an outboard mounted in a well rather than a fixed fuel tank.
Production Variants and Ownership
After Hurley Marine Ltd. ceased operations in 1974, South Coast Marine and Ravensail took up production of the 22. Ravensail branded its version the Hurley 22R with the separate heads compartment. Hurlwind built a few examples between 1988 and 1990, while some boats were produced under licence in Holland as the Hurley 700.
Across these builds, the essential differences were minor variations in interior finish, mast length, ballast material, and the separate-head experiment. The bilge-keel and fin-keel versions share identical mouldings above the waterline, so differences in condition trace to these factors rather than to hull integrity.
For an owner, the outboard-in-a-well arrangement keeps propulsion simple, while the robust hull encourages long-term keeping. The main practical limitations are the lack of standard tankage and the cramped headroom.
The Verdict
The Hurley 22 is a heavily built, very stable coastal cruiser with a genuine offshore pedigree in the right hands. She’s narrow, stiff, and reassuringly weighted, though slow in light air and tight below. For the sailor who values seaworthiness and simplicity over pace and volume, she remains a considered choice.
Pros
- Exceptionally high ballast ratio for a 22-footer, providing strong initial stability
- Ultraheavy displacement construction with a proven history of ocean crossings
- Bilge-keel option can dry out upright on tidal moorings
- Simple outboard-well propulsion eases ownership
Cons
- Under-powered sail plan needs a fresh breeze to perform
- Below-average headroom, with no proper head on early boats
- No standard water or fuel tankage
