Santana 22 Buyer's Guide
The Santana 22 is Gary Mull's first independent design and a W. D. Schock Corp. product that entered production in 1966, with about 800 built in the original run and a later reintroduced generation sharing the same hull and sailplan. For a shopper scanning the used market, she is a 22-foot masthead sloop with a fin keel and spade rudder whose longevity as a one-design class makes examples relatively findable in the right places.
Layouts on the Used Market
Used Santana 22s divide into the 1966–1978 original boats and the later reintroduced hulls. Both share the same solid-fiberglass hull, sweptback fin keel, and 217-square-foot working sailplan, so the practical difference is construction detail rather than shape. The original boats used a compression post under the deck-stepped mast and a rubrail-covered hull-deck joint vulnerable to impact; later boats substituted an athwartship fiberglass deck beam that opens the interior and revised the joint. Below, every example carries a two-compartment layout with two full-length berths forward and two settee berths in the saloon, plus a low cabintrunk with two portlights per side and "full-sitting" headroom. The cockpit is a shallow well with coamings that hit the small of the back, and the transom has a cutout for an outboard mounted low but liftable.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
A spinnaker is commonly fitted, matching the class's separate spinnaker division, and the rig itself is straightforward: deck-stepped mast, aft mainsheet traveler for end-boom sheeting, winches on molded islands, and backstay adjusters usually within helmsman reach. The boat is set up for an outboard, and the builder noted the transom will support newer four-stroke engines. Beyond that, most upgrades a buyer meets are owner-driven rather than standard, so inspect the actual sail inventory and rigging age rather than assuming a tier.
What to Inspect
The original aluminum chainplates are a known weak point, tending to elongate and corrode over the years anchor, and the first-generation boom was too lightly built and could fail when loaded, with an undersized gooseneck fitting anchor. Rudder play is a common problem, and the stainless steel rudder post may need better bearing support in the fiberglass rudder tube anchor. On older boats, check the hull-deck joint for impact damage beneath the rubrail and confirm any mast support post or later deck beam is sound.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The Santana 22 is typically found in the United States. For a buyer, the short checklist is: confirm chainplate condition and any replacement, inspect boom and gooseneck for original lightweight parts, test the rudder for play and tube support, and verify the hull-deck joint on original boats. A simple, older rig can still win class events, so the right boat is more about structural honesty than optional gear.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Santana 22. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 1 row
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 25 | 1 | $3,000 | — |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
3 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catalina 22 | 23.83' | $ 6,500 | 79 | 24 |
| Friendship 22 | 23.95' | $ 9,203 | 15 | 4 |
| J-Boats J/22 | 22.5' | $ 10,000 | 10 | 4 |