Design and Construction
The hull is laid up with a chop layer on the skin, then roving, then Coremat, while the deck and cabin top use a roughly one-inch glass syntactic foam core hull and deck laminate structure. The hull-to-deck joint is a shoebox arrangement with a vertical deck flange slipping over the hull, and the keel is molded in as an integral part of the hull, which removes the usual keelbolt concerns while reinforcing the bottom. Two molded foam sections are glassed into the hull—one under the forward bunk, one under the cockpit sole—and the builder described the boat as unsinkable on that basis. The shoal keel with centerboard avoids the swing-keel pivot pin and the winch-and-cable machinery of retractable keels; the 70-pound centerboard pivots inside the boat so it cannot leak, and it kicks up on striking an obstruction. Ballast totals 600 pounds in the keel plus 630 pounds of encapsulated shot, and the centerboard needs no hold-down line under sail.
The pronounced flare at the gunwales is more than styling. The builder claimed the compound curvature stiffens the hull, gives a hiking seat that reduces heeling, helps deflect spray, and provides extra buoyancy when heeled to aid capsize resistance flared hull benefits. Practical Sailor's testers found the boat initially tender but quick to stiffen as it heels, and that the flare made hiking out easy and not especially athletic; two bodies on the rail flattened the ride considerably.
Rig and Handling
The masthead sloop rig centers on a 26-foot mast into which the 100-square-foot mainsail rolls, while a 175% roller-furling genoa of 200 square feet lives on the forestay, for a generous 300 square feet of total area. The hinged mast is well stayed with a forestay, twin backstays, upper shrouds, and forward and aft lowers, each with its own chainplate; the forestay padeye is through-bolted to deck and hull, the backstay plates bolt through the transom corners, the upper shroud chainplates bolt through the hull-deck joint, and the four lower shroud chainplates are glassed into the cabin top. Roller furling is convenient but does not make the most efficient sail shape, particularly with a partly furled jib in heavier air and without battens. A self-tending jib and conventional hank-on sails were offered as options, and the centerboard is raised by a braided pennant secured at a cleat.
On the water the boat sails nicely with the board down and presentably with it up, though it cannot point as high board-up; it sails fine under jib alone or main alone, and testers called the hull fast especially off the wind. With board up it draws 20 inches and can be sailed in that depth, extending to 48 inches board down. The PHRF rating is about 258. The traveler rides a stainless rod across the twin backstays, keeping it out of the cockpit and adding shock absorption in an accidental jibe, and all controls are cockpit-mounted and fall readily to hand. A tiller that swings up, a hiking stick, and clips to lock the tiller let one steer from almost anywhere.
Accommodations
The cockpit is enormous for the length—about 7 feet 4 inches long and nearly 8 feet wide—self-bailing with full-length bench seats that have open fronts and storage room beneath, plus a transverse aft bench over a lazarette opening to a six-foot-wide access area. Coamings double as backrests with shelved compartments, and a sole socket accepts the table moved up from below. The cabin top pops up to 6 feet 4 inches of headroom, supported aft by telescoping stainless tubes rather than pivoting arms, with no gasket but a deep lip and overhang to shed water. Two side-by-side deck hatches forward light the head and dinette.
Below, the dinette converts to a 6-foot 6-inch double berth to port with cushions that flip to settee backs, while secondary 6-foot V-berths fill the bow. The galley and head sit to starboard; the galley has a 4-1/2-foot counter with sink, stove, and a large front-opening icebox, and the head is fully enclosed by a multi-panel door, fitted with marine toilet, holding tank, and pump-out or macerator fittings, plus a tiled floor and an overhead opening that permits a person to stand up through it when the top is lowered. A rotating telescoping table serves dinette or cockpit, and the entry panel hinges down flat to double as a navigation surface or lifts away entirely.
Known Issues
Practical Sailor noted there is no boom vang, which the reviewer called unfortunate, and testers wished for footrests or toe straps to keep crew from sliding in the large open cockpit. The roller-furling rig gives up some sail efficiency, especially with a partially furled jib in stronger breeze.
The Verdict
The Rhodes 22 Continental is a thoughtfully detailed small cruiser that punches above its 2,000-pound displacement. Its unsinkable foam sections, integral keel, inside-pivoting centerboard, and pop-top cabin make it a genuinely capable trailerable couple's boat, while the wide cockpit and well-laid controls suit day sailing and modest cruising alike. The absence of a vang and the furling-driven sail-shape compromise are the main caveats.
Pros
- Unsinkable molded foam sections and integral keel eliminate common keelbolt and pivot-leak worries
- Pronounced gunwale flare stiffens hull, aids hiking, deflects spray, and adds heeled buoyancy
- Huge self-bailing cockpit with deep storage and a pop-top cabin to 6-foot-4 headroom
- Well-supported hinged mast with individual chainplates and through-bolted attachments
- Sails acceptably board-up in 20 inches yet reaches 48 inches board-down for better pointing
Cons
- No boom vang as delivered
- Roller-furling main and genoa sacrifice sail efficiency, notably partly furled in heavy air
- Large open cockpit lacks footrests or toe straps to brace the crew
