Design and Construction
Einar Ohlson’s 22-foot design is built in solid fiberglass with an iron fin keel, and the yard offered it in two distinct interior configurations. The earliest boats carried a light mahogany interior that weighed at least 300 kilograms less than the later 1971 version, which adopted a molded GRP interior anchor. The displacement of 3,527 pounds carries 1,213 pounds of iron ballast for a 34.39 percent ballast ratio, and the 8.04-foot beam gives a length-to-beam ratio of 2.65. With a draft of 4.10 feet under typical load, the hull draws lightly enough to tuck into shallow marinas. The wetted surface measures about 172 square feet, and the immersion rate of 542 pounds per inch speaks to a stiff, shallow-bodied hull that responds visibly to crew and gear weight.
Rig and Handling
The Ohlson 22 is a masthead sloop carrying 270 square feet of sail. With the ISO 8666 reference sail its sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 15.3, rising to 18.2 with a 135 percent genoa, and the displacement-length ratio of 216.99 places it firmly among heavy-displacement cruisers of its size. The theoretical hull speed is 5.9 knots. Period data list the standing and running rigging in detail — the mainsail, jib/genoa, and spinnaker halyards are all 67.4 feet of 5/16-inch line, while sheets run 10 mm diameter in lengths from 21.3 to 53.3 feet depending on function. The capsize screening value of 2.09 means the boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races, and the motion comfort ratio of 17.0 suggests a settled ride in a chop. An outboard of 3 to 4 horsepower — or an electric motor producing 73 to 87 pounds of thrust — is the usual aid for docking and maneuvering.
Accommodations
Below, the Ohlson 22 provides two cabins with four berths, a galley, and a toilet facility. The interior is finished in mahogany, consistent with the early version’s light wood joinery, while later boats substituted molded GRP for those surfaces. The compact volume is typical of a 21-foot cruiser of the era, and the four-berth count reflects a boat pitched at weekend couples or small families rather than long-haul liveaboards.
The Verdict
The Ohlson 22 is a modest, well-defined product of the Ohlson office’s early fiberglass years: a shallow-draft, solidly built fin-keel sloop with a clear two-generation interior story and conservative cruising proportions. Its numbers mark it as a sheltered-water coastal boat rather than an ocean racer, and the light early interior gives buyers a meaningful weight penalty to weigh against the later molded finish.
Pros
- Solid fiberglass hull with iron fin keel and 4.10-foot draft for easy marina access
- Early mahogany-interior version weighs at least 300 kg less than the 1971 GRP-interior boats
- Four berths with galley and head in a 21-foot hull
Cons
- Capsize screening value of 2.09 (per yachtdatabase review) excludes it from ocean racing
- Displacement-length ratio of 216.99 limits light-air acceleration
- Auxiliary power is an outboard or electric motor, not an inboard
