MacWester Rowan 22 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

The Rowan 22 is a monohull with a masthead sloop rig and a triple keel drawing about 2.92 to 3.22 feet by load. The builder's solid-fibreglass deck and hull carry 1,400 pounds of iron ballast in a 4,080-pound hull, so expect a narrow 8.25-foot beam and an 18-foot waterline rather than a sprawling interior.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

A chartplotter is commonly fitted to boats on the market, the one piece of electronics frequent enough to plan around. Beyond that, period owners fitted an air-cooled JAP Villiers engine with a forward-facing cockpit snorkel to starboard of the companionway, and a large ghosting genoa with a boomed self-tacking inner staysail to lift light-air handling — these are the meaningful sail-and-power upgrades a buyer should look for or budget to add.

What to Inspect

The critical check is the rudder. Early boats carried an enormous blade twice the standard area with a deep prop cutaway that made the boat refuse to steer in reverse and shook the helm hard enough to cause white finger. On later hulls the aperture was relocated partly into the keel itself, so confirm the blade is the smaller standard pattern or a shortened replacement, not the prototype oblong. Feel for helm vibration both ahead and astern, and look at the keel aperture where the cutlass bearing mounts — at least one owner cut it with a jigsaw and patched in GRP, so check for rough or amateur glasswork at the stern. Under sail, a persistent shake that grows with speed signals the wrong rudder still in place.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

The typical market for these boats is the United Kingdom.

• Confirm the rudder is the standard or shortened pattern, not the oversized prototype
• Check the keel aperture glasswork where the cutlass bearing sits
• Test helm shake both in forward and reverse
• Verify a chartplotter is present or budget for one
• Look for a ghosting genoa and inner staysail for light-air ability