Design and Construction
Merit Marine built the Merit 22 from 1983 to 1988, producing approximately 100 to 150 boats. She displaces roughly 2,000 pounds and carries a 600-pound retractable lead keel.
Like the Tanzer, the Merit 22 has a raised deck, a configuration that provides considerable interior volume for a boat of this length. Her lightweight construction suits her high-performance purpose: the hull and deck are balsa-cored, with layers of hand-laid 1.5-ounce mat and Knytex knitted roving on either side.
The standard underbody has a fin keel, though Merit also offered a centerboard variant. A spade rudder sits beneath the reverse transom, while the bow has a raked stem. The 600-pound retractable lead keel is housed in a central armrest. In one period test, it survived being lowered rapidly and uncontrollably onto the ground. The boat heaved and panted under the impact, but showed no breach.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Merit 22 is a masthead sloop with a 28-foot I dimension and a 23-foot P. Her standard mainsail measures 114 square feet, while jibs range from around 106 to 123 square feet. A 149 to 150 percent genoa increases sail area to roughly 166 to 172 square feet. Downwind options include drifters, asymmetrical spinnakers up to 381 square feet, and a conventional 350-square-foot spinnaker.
Her behavior under sail is the headline. During Small Boat Journal’s 1986 trials, testers found her easily the quickest boat in the group, coming through the eye of the wind in a twinkling, like a thoroughbred racer. Even though her rig had sat out of tune for a year in a powerboat dealer’s yard, she showed an eagerness to sail.
The Merit is agile and easy to handle, with quick, spirited performance that rewards a skipper who enjoys a twitchy helm. She’s also highly trailerable, though period reviewers cautioned that she may not be the ideal boat for a timid beginner.
Deck Layout and Hardware
The deck is flat and uncluttered, making the Merit the easiest boat in her trial group to work. Nothing gets in the way, so rigging, sheeting, and fender placement are straightforward.
Perforated toe rails run along the sheer and provide useful attachment points for sheet blocks and fenders. However, their sharp ends can slice through anchor line, and the boat lacks good-sized chocks at the bow and stern. Bigger mooring cleats and an additional bow cleat would also be welcome. These are small hardware omissions rather than structural faults, but they’re worth correcting before serious mooring or anchoring.
Accommodations
Below, the raised deck creates an open cabin with considerable, well-proportioned space. Headroom is limited, but it’s still possible to sit comfortably.
Speed clearly took priority over finish and comfort. Cabin furnishings are minimal, and the interior is plainly finished. Asked to evaluate the joiner work, one test sailor said simply that there wasn’t any. The sole chunk of wood is a table of questionable design: resting a hand on its inner corner can flip the top from its mount like a giant tiddlywink.
The Merit makes up in personality what she lacks in finish, but her accommodations are best viewed as modest provision for short overnights rather than a proper cruising interior.
Trailering, Auxiliary Power, and Ownership
Auxiliary power typically comes from a 4- to 8-horsepower outboard mounted in a well. Steering is by tiller, and the lifting keel simplifies trailering and provides shallow-water access.
The plain interior leaves relatively little to refurbish, though a careful owner may want to redesign the table. The balsa-cored hull’s survival of the dropped-keel shock also suggests a forgiving structure.
The Verdict
The Merit 22 is a sharp little racer-daysailer that trades finish and creature comforts for pace and responsiveness. She’s genuinely quick, easy to trailer, and structurally undramatic. Her sparse cabin and twitchy helm, however, make her better suited to an experienced or racing-minded owner than to a novice cruiser.
Pros
- Easily the quickest boat in her trial group, with a lively helm
- Raised-deck design provides sit-down headroom and open cabin space
- Balsa-cored hull and deck survived a dropped-keel shock without damage
- Flat, uncluttered deck simplifies sail handling and fender placement
- Trailerable, with a lifting keel and outboard well
Cons
- Minimal joiner work and a poorly designed, flip-prone table
- Sharp toe-rail ends can cut anchor line, with no good-sized bow or stern chocks
- Twitchy helm may not suit a timid beginner
- Plain, sparse interior limits overnight comfort
