Design and Construction
The H22 was originally designed around the Prefix build system, which the designer described as patent-pending. A laser-cut collection of plywood panels and numbered frames, longitudinals, hull and deck shells, a fiberglass coachroof and bow cone, mast pillar, and rudder components arrived on a pallet as a Prefix assembly kit.
A builder could assemble those parts into something recognizably boat-shaped in less than a day. Reaching the pre-paint stage took around 300 hours in total. The numbered parts and overall system point to a boat engineered for amateur completion, though the condition of a home-finished example will depend on its builder’s skill.
Finished boats have smooth, clean topsides, without hard chines or slab-like flat panels. Soft, rounded sections carry the U-shaped forward body into a gentle, near-constant arc aft, ending at a very broad stern.
The H22 is now molded by Lion Yachts in Latvia using glass-fibre sandwich construction Latvian glass sandwich build, and Harley Racing Yachts has marketed this fibreglass version. That change removes the kit owner’s 300-hour build commitment. It also means used buyers may encounter either a home-finished Prefix plywood-composite hull or a factory molding built in Latvian glass sandwich, both sharing the same Humphreys lines.
The lifting keel has a 715-pound bulb on a constant-chord fin with vertical leading and trailing edges. Its ballast ratio has been quoted variously at 40 to 45 percent. The transom-hung, high-aspect rudder has roughly half the plan area of the keel fin.
Rig and Handling
The H22’s defining feature on the water is its fractional rig, with swept-back spreaders and a top set of jumpers. Period reviewers called the sail plan high-powered, based on a sail-area-to-displacement ratio near 30. The deep bulb keel provides the righting moment needed to carry that rig.
For downwind sailing, a 55-square-metre masthead asymmetric spinnaker flies from a long carbon bowsprit. A second, 45-square-metre fractional kite is also available. Both tack to the bowsprit and hoist on the same halyard; when the fractional sail is set, a block pulls the halyard into the mast.
An earlier review describes the asymmetric chute as tacking to a pivoting pole on short struts. This weathers the kite almost like a masthead pole and allows the boat to sail deeper downwind than rivals with simpler poles.
Deck gear is Harken throughout, apart from Spinlock power cleats. The layout is clean enough for the boat to be sailed without winches. A single winch on a barney post can serve as a sheet winch or, when turned horizontally, help raise the mast and keel. Extension tubing provides the throw needed to lift the bulb.
Two crew can rig and set up the H22 in about 20 minutes. It trails easily behind a retractable or lifting keel. The boat can be sailed by as few as two or as many as five people, although three has been cited as a practical minimum for racing.
Cockpit and Accommodation
The H22 is a daysailer with a useful cuddy cabin for stowing gear, rather than a boat with a full cruising interior. Shelter and overnight accommodation are therefore limited.
Its long, open-ended cockpit is the working center of the boat. Two large lockers in the sole hold sails, while additional wells and hatches provide more storage. The broad stern, which aids downwind control, also gives the cockpit its generous footprint.
The Verdict
The H22 is a clever small sportsboat that combines a racer-grade rig and strong downwind ability with easy trailering and modest crew requirements. Its kit-built origins give it an unusual garage-build history, while the molded version makes the design more accessible without changing the broad-sterned, easily driven hull.
Pros
- Trailerable lifting keel, with a multi-purpose winch arrangement for raising the mast and keel
- Fractional rig with two asymmetric kites
- Clean Harken deck layout that allows sailing without winches
- Broad stern and U-section hull provide form stability and controlled high-speed downwind sailing
Cons
- Daysailer-only accommodation, with a cuddy cabin that limits shelter and overnight use
- The condition of home-finished kit boats varies with the original builder’s skill
