Merit 22 Buyer's Guide
The Merit 22 is a Paul Yates-designed, Merit Marine Inc.-built 22-foot trailerable sloop produced from 1983 to 1988 in roughly 100 to 150 examples. She is a lifting-keel racer-day sailer with a raised deck, drawn for MORC and PHRF club racing and short coastal use, and the used market offers her as a light, agile boat for the sailor who values pace over polish.
Layouts on the Used Market
Two underbody layouts appear: the standard fin-keel version and a centerboard variant, both carrying a spade rudder, raked stem, and reverse transom. The raised-deck hull gives the 22 more cabin openness than her length suggests, with room to sit comfortably below despite low headroom, but the interior is plainly finished and minimally furnished — speed was the design priority, so buyers should expect a single table and little else down below. The lifting keel and outboard well (typically 4 to 8 hp) make her a straightforward trailer-sailer, and the flat deck is easy to move around on.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Most boats carry tiller steering and an outboard in a well rather than inboard power. The perforated toe rails along the sheer are a built-in feature that anchors sheet blocks and fenders, so buyers get usable deck hardware without aftermarket additions. Given the small cleats and absent chocks noted on period boats, a sensible ownership upgrade is larger mooring cleats and a bow chock, plus chafing protection at the rail ends. Beyond that, the rig is a masthead sloop with genoa and spinnaker potential, so sail inventory rather than systems is where owners tend to invest.
What to Inspect
The weaknesses are hardware-related, not structural. Check the toe-rail ends for the sharp profile that can slice through anchor line, and confirm whether goodsized bow and stern chocks have been added, since the originals lacked them. Look at the mooring cleats — bigger ones and an extra bow cleat are worthwhile and often retrofitted. The interior table is a known design quirk: its top flips off its mount if a hand rests on the inner corner, so verify it is secure or has been reworked. The keel housing in the center armrest should be inspected for the lifting mechanism's condition, as the boat was shown without it in period documentation.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The Merit 22 is a scarce trailer-sailer on the used market given the low production run. For a buyer, the checklist is short:
- Confirm fin keel or centerboard variant and test the lift mechanism
- Inspect toe-rail ends and added chocks/cleats for anchor safety
- Check the flip-prone table mount below
- Verify outboard well and tiller steering condition
- Expect a plain interior — budget for personal comfort upgrades, not structural repair