Design and Construction
At 22 feet overall on an 18-foot-7 waterline, with an 8-foot beam and 2,200 pounds displacement, the 6.9 is a compact monohull carrying 770 pounds of ballast in a lifting keel. S2 built its racing and Grand Slam models, this boat among them, with balsa-cored hulls and balsa-cored decks rather than the solid-glass cruising hulls elsewhere in the range, a choice aimed at maximum stiffness for the weight. The hull itself is predominantly fiberglass with wood trim, a raked stem, and a plumb transom carrying a transom-hung rudder on a tiller. The lifting keel is raised and lowered by a winch from the cockpit, giving a draft range from 4 feet 6 inches down to about 10 inches with the board up — a smooth-bottomed, trailer-friendly profile that period testers counted among its best features for launch and retrieval.
Rig and Handling
The 6.9 is a fractional-rigged sloop on a Bermuda rig, with a sail area of 228 square feet and a standard rig dimension of 26 feet on the foretriangle hoist and 7.83 feet on the base. The fractional layout and light displacement make her a lively performer: the manufacturer's spec describes her as handling light airs like a champ and reaching speeds up to eight knots in a breeze, and the same source calls her a forgiving yet competitive pocket rocket, perfectly suited to club racing. S2 brought in Graham & Schlageter to revise the cockpit, cabin, sailplan, and keel from the 6.7 parent, though the outcome was a boat no faster than that earlier design. Her PHRF rating stands at 205, a number consistent with a small, quick planing-type racer-cruiser rather than a heavy cruiser.
Accommodations
Below, the 6.9 sleeps four: a double V-berth fills the bow cabin, while two straight settees line the main cabin. The galley sits to port just aft of the bow cabin with an ice box, and the head is opposite to starboard, tucked beside the keel trunk. The arrangement is minimal but functional for a 22-footer, trading cabin volume for the racing weight discipline the design pursued.
Known Issues
The lifting keel is the one system that demands respect. The keel assembly weighs 430 pounds and is lifted straight up on a winch, a heavy, load-bearing component whose pivot and trunk live in the cabin sole beside the head. On a boat of this size, that mass cycling up and down through a trunk penetrating the hull is the obvious fatigue and leakage path, and any owner should treat keel pennant, winch, and trunk seals as primary wear items.
The Verdict
The S2 6.9 is a focused little racer-cruiser that inherits a proven Wennersten hull and wraps it in a lighter, balsa-cored Grand Slam structure with a practical lifting keel for trailering. It is quick, forgiving, and easy to launch, but it is no faster than the 6.7 it grew from, and its lifting keel is a heavy, maintenance-sensitive element on a small boat.
Pros
- Light, stiff balsa-cored hull and deck from the Grand Slam racing series
- Lifting keel gives 10-inch trailering draft and easy launch/retrieval
- Lively fractional sloop that handles light air and reaches eight knots
- Sleeps four with practical V-berth and settee layout
Cons
- No faster than the earlier S2 6.7 despite redesign work
- 430-pound lifting keel is a heavy, wear-prone cockpit-winched system
