Pearson 22 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The Pearson 22 is built predominantly of fiberglass with a balsa-cored deck, a construction approach Pearson used to add stiffness and insulation without bloating displacement. Her hull carries a raked stem and a slightly reverse transom, with a fixed swept fin keel and an internally mounted spade rudder steered by tiller. At 2,600 pounds displacement with 1,000 pounds of iron ballast, her ballast-displacement ratio of about 38 percent and a capsize screening number of 2.25 place her firmly in the small-trailerable-cruiser class rather than the daysailer toy box. The long-waterline premise Shaw baked into the design was deliberate: stretched sight lines at the waterline were meant to increase speed and interior space at once. A self-bailing cockpit acknowledges that a boat this size gets wet, and the whole package is trailerable, extending her reach beyond any single home port.

Rig and Handling

The 22 wears a fractional sloop rig under a mast roughly 30 feet above the waterline, carrying about 218 square feet of sail for a sail-area-to-displacement ratio near 18.4. On the water she accelerates quickly and responds instantly, traits that make her feel larger than her length. In her first year of competition she kept up with boats half again her size, and hull No. 45 won four races beyond 20 miles by corrected margins over five minutes, then took a season championship as the smallest boat in her fleet. Owners who sailed her against peers in the same size band rate her probably the stiffest boat in that group, and her PHRF average handicap of 246 confirms a genuinely raceable small cruiser rather than a dockside prop.

Accommodations

Below, the Pearson 22 sleeps four: a double V-berth in the bow cabin and two straight settee berths in the main cabin. The builder's literature lists four full-length bunks and notes galley provisions, while the detailed layout places the galley on both sides just aft of the bow cabin, with an optional stove and sink. The head sits in the bow cabin under the V-berth, and an optional toilet was offered, so the boat could be spec'd either as a weekender or a stripped racer. The long-waterline hull that sharpened her speed also widened the habitable footprint, which is the quiet trade Shaw's design made look easy.

Known Issues

The one documented ownership complaint centers on ergonomics rather than structure: the throttle and shift are mounted well aft of the cockpit, with the propeller carried outside the counter stern. That placement puts the helmsperson away from the throttle and the prop in vulnerable exposure aft, worth knowing for anyone who maneuvers in tight quarters under power.

Refits and Ownership

Because production ran only four years before the 22 was discontinued and superseded by slightly larger cruisers like the Pearson 26, surviving boats are a finite, early-Shaw cohort. The trailerable nature of the design means many escaped harsh northern winters, but the outboard-control geometry is inherent to the layout and not a fixable oversight without custom work. The balsa-cored deck, standard for Pearson of the era, demands the usual moisture vigilance at through-deck fittings.

The Verdict

The Pearson 22 is a small Shaw cruiser-racer that punches above her length: quick to accelerate, stiff among peers, and blessed with a long-waterline interior that sleeps four without pretending to be something she is not. Her four-year run makes her a neat historical footnote, but her on-the-water record shows a boat that beat bigger fleets on corrected time. The remote outboard controls and exposed prop are the price of her counter-stern layout.

Pros