Design and Construction
Reinell Boat Works built the 22 in solid fiberglass, a monohull with a fin keel and transom-hung rudder, and the listed ballast figure is zero pounds. She is described in the spec record as a moderate-weight sailboat rather than a lightweight racer or a heavy cruiser. Arthur S. Henry's layout gives a 22-foot overall length on a 19.7-foot waterline, with 7 feet of beam keeping the footprint narrow enough for easy trailer or davit handling yet broad enough for a small day-boat's volume. The construction approach is straightforward molded fiberglass.
Rig and Handling
The fractional sloop rig measures an I of 22.8 feet and J of 9.2 feet forward, with a P of 19.8 and E of 8.4 feet aft, splitting the 188 square feet into roughly 104.9 square feet of foretriangle and 83.2 of mainsail. The boat is characterized as under powered on the available sail plan relative to her displacement. She is at the same time reasonably stable and stiff, and the same assessment credits her with a good righting capability if capsized, a reassuring trait for a small keelboat sailing unprotected water. The transom-hung rudder and modest 2.8-foot draft make her predictable in close-quarters steering though the light rig means she asks for patience in faint air.
Accommodations
The Reinell 22 is explicitly best suited as a day-boat, and the specification fields bear this out: zero cabins, zero berths, zero heads, zero headroom, and zero water capacity are listed. There is no enclosed accommodation to speak of, no fitted tankage, and no overnight infrastructure in the as-built record. She is a throw-it-in-and-go coastal sailer meant for afternoons afloat rather than weekending, and buyers expecting a pocket-cruiser interior will find none here from the factory.
The Verdict
The Reinell 22 is a purpose-built small day-sailer with a stable, self-righting hull and a simple fractional rig that keeps handling light. Her limits are equally clear: she is under canvased for her weight, carries no ballast in the record, and offers no accommodation or tankage. As a first boat or a knockabout daysailer she is honest and forgiving; as anything more, she is the wrong shape.
Pros
- Reasonably stiff and stable with good capsize righting capability
- Simple solid-fiberglass construction in a narrow, trailer-friendly 22-foot hull
- Fractional sloop rig is easy to handle for day sailing
Cons
- Under powered for her displacement
- No cabins, berths, head, or water capacity as built
- Zero ballast listed and no provision for overnight use
