Design and Construction
The hull is hand-laid fiberglass laminate, with decks that use a core for stiffness and added strength — construction that period reviewers rated better than average for a production fiberglass boat this size better than average for this size of production fiberglass sailboat. The deck and hull meet on outward flanges bedded with adhesive, fastened by either Monel pop rivets or 3/16-inch machine screws on roughly 6-inch centers depending on year and builder, and the flange is capped with a vinyl molding to fend off minor dock rash. Inside, a molded fiberglass liner carries the berths, cabinets, and sole, adding structure while defining the layout. The keel itself is cast iron — a fact that becomes a recurring theme below.
Rig and Handling
The mast is a single-spreader aluminum spar stepped on the cabin top via a tabernacle, carrying a masthead forestay, backstay, and single upper and lower shrouds. The sail plan leans on a small 112-square-foot main with almost no roach, while a 170-percent, 200-square-foot genoa supplies the real driving power; the class also permits a 375-square-foot spinnaker. Most boats carried the swept-back fin keel drawing 3 feet 5 inches, chosen for performance, though about 10 percent were the keel-centerboard version (2 feet up, 4 feet down) that sacrificed close-windedness. On the water, testers logged tacks through 75 degrees in smooth conditions, and the deep, rounded afterquarters make her easy to steer but reluctant to plane where a J/22 might. PHRF ratings land between 92 and 98, and reviewers found she'll trade blows with any boat her size and era while keeping pace with longer vintages by two to four feet. The original shallow, aft-raking semi-scimitar rudder was a weak point: it tended to lift and ventilate when heeled in a puff, prompting an owner-developed replacement that races alongside the original for about two hundred dollars.
Accommodations
Below, the cabin house runs to the sheer to open the interior visually, but headroom is strictly limited — 4 feet maximum per Practical Sailor, 4 feet 6 inches in the cabin area per the used-boat review. The plan places a sharply tapered V-berth forward, a narrow quarter berth, a small starboard galley, and a port dinette that converts to a double but is too small for comfortable dining and inadequate as a berth when converted. The cockpit above tells a different story: with no side decks, it uses the full beam and runs well over 7 feet long, seating six in a pinch and letting four sail comfortably. That generosity is deliberate one-design thinking, not cruising excess.
Known Issues
The iron keel is the sore point owners circle back to: it rusts, and one owner reported finding no primer beneath the factory bottom paint. The cockpit, for all its social space, is too big to drain quickly, and with no bridgedeck between cockpit and cabin, an unusual influx of water — the kind a knockdown might produce — can spill straight into the accommodation and flood the boat. Practical Sailor also flags the original rudder's ventilation habit, now addressed by the aftermarket foil. These are manageable, documented items rather than structural rot, but they shape how the boat should be kept and sailed.
Refits and Ownership
Ownership is buffered by the active association and a fleet still employed by a sailing school, which keeps 10 for training and rental. The rudder upgrade is a known, low-cost improvement; the iron keel demands inspection and proper coating. Outboards are transom-bracket six-horsepower units, simple and adequate. For a 22-foot 1970s design, the support network is unusually deep.
The Verdict
The Tanzer 22 is a heavy-displacement one-design that sails beyond its length, backed by a large and organized owner community. The cockpit and cabin trade-offs suit day racing and protected-water cruising more than liveaboard comfort, and the iron keel and drainage path deserve a buyer's attention.
Pros
- Better-than-average fiberglass construction for the size, with a structural interior liner
- Strong sail performance relative to length and era; active one-design class
- Large, beam-wide cockpit for its size
- Exceptional owner support network and fleet continuity
Cons
- Iron keel rusts; some factory bottom paint lacked primer
- Oversized cockpit drains slowly and has no bridgedeck to cabin
- Original rudder ventilates when heeled; minimal headroom and berths
- Keel-centerboard variant less close-winded than fin keel
