Designed for serious coastal and inland cruising, including North Sea conditions, the Victoire 22 deliberately favors robust construction, stability, and simplicity over outright performance.
Design and Construction
The Victoire 22 measures 21.65 feet overall, with an 18.7-foot waterline and a 7.2-foot beam. It displaces 2,425 pounds and carries 992 pounds of iron ballast. That gives it a ballast-to-displacement ratio of 40.9 percent, which explains its composure in a seaway.
The solid fiberglass hull and deck, fin keel drawing just over three feet, and spade rudder reflect a practical construction brief rather than a racing agenda. Koopmans shaped the boat for predictable behavior in coastal chop. This focus on robust construction, stability, and simplicity, rather than high performance, puts the boat firmly in the pocket-cruiser camp: it was built to absorb weather rather than skirt it.
Rig and Sail Plan
The Victoire 22 has a masthead sloop rig, with a foretriangle height of 22.75 feet and a base of 7.87 feet. Despite those modest dimensions, the sail inventory is generous for a boat of this length.
The working mainsail measures just over 101 square feet. The standard jib, with 115 percent overlap, covers 87 square feet. For reaching, a 150 percent genoa provides nearly 135 square feet, while the inventory includes a 275-square-foot spinnaker for downwind passages.
A sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 15.5 keeps the boat moving in an ordinary breeze without demanding athletic crew work. That suits its intended role as a simple, stable cruiser.
Accommodations and Intended Use
Victoire Yachts built the 22 for two people making genuine coastal and inland voyages, rather than limiting it to dockside day sailing. Its 21.65-foot hull and 7.2-foot beam provide enough room for a compact cabin suited to overnight hops along the Dutch coast or through inland waterways.
The interior reflects Koopmans’ brief for North Sea capability in a small package. Its uncomplicated layout and systems were intended to make the boat practical to live aboard at anchor and underway without fuss.
Known Issues
No structural defects, osmotic blistering, rigging failures, or systemic construction faults specific to the Victoire 22 are reported. Its solid fiberglass hull and deck avoid the moisture-ingress caveats associated with later cored-deck Victoire models. Chainplates, keel bolts, and deck hardware also have no recurring problems on this design.
Refits and Ownership
With approximately 1,100 hulls launched since 1961, the Victoire 22 has passed through decades of private ownership without model-specific refit campaigns or mandated upgrades. Its simple construction—a solid fiberglass hull and deck, a single modest rig, and straightforward systems—means ownership generally centers on ordinary maintenance rather than design-driven interventions.
The Verdict
The Victoire 22 has earned a quiet reputation as a dependable small Dutch cruiser. Koopmans gave it enough ballast and beam to feel steady in North Sea conditions, while Victoire Yachts built it in solid fiberglass without generating a paper trail of defects.
For a sailor looking for a simple, stable pocket cruiser with a long production history, the Victoire 22 is an easy boat to trust.
Pros
- Robust solid fiberglass construction with no systemic faults
- High ballast ratio of 40.9 percent for a 22-foot pocket cruiser
- Generous sail plan, including a 150 percent genoa and a large spinnaker
- Long, successful production run of roughly 1,100 hulls
Cons
- Deliberately modest performance; not suited to racing
- Minimal interior space, as expected with a 21.65-foot hull
