Westerly Nomad 22 Buyer's Guide
The Westerly Nomad 22 a buyer meets on the brokerage market is a Rayner-designed bilge-keeler with generous interior volume and aft-led control lines for short-handed sailing. These are small cruisers with overbuilt bones and a distinctive turned-up nose, and the used fleet ranges from tidy restored examples to boats that have suffered years of grime and neglect. Knowing what to look for separates a sound classic from a restoration project.
Layouts on the Used Market
The Nomad carries a cabin stretched right across the hull, with volume owners compare to a twenty-six footer and sitting headroom Rayner built in for tall men. A charcoal burning stove can be part of the setup, and some restored boats use the redundant space under the cockpit floor for a freshwater tank and pump. The twin-keel arrangement means many examples have spent time in estuaries and canals as well as at sea, so wear patterns differ from a purely coastal racer.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Heating is commonly fitted, and a chartplotter and autopilot are typical of well-equipped listings, alongside a short-handed setup that reflects Rayner's aft-led running rigging intent. For a buyer, heating and a self-steering or autopilot setup extend shoulder-season usability, while a chartplotter reduces the navigation load on a 22-foot hull that suits relaxed cruising. The short-handed setup is a genuine consequence item: it speaks to how the boat was meant to be sailed and what upgrades previous owners valued.
What to Inspect
A recovered example found in Normandy showed the failure modes to probe on any viewing. Paint was peeling and the main hatch plywood had rotted, so test the hatches for softness and look under the coamings for delaminated wood. The electrics were shot on that boat, so switch every circuit and check the 12-volt system for corrosion at the panel. Over her life someone had made dubious changes to the rudder and cockpit, and an earlier owner took out the inboard engine to bolt in an outboard well that was badly done, so inspect the cockpit sole and transom area for a rebuilt or crude well and confirm the rudder stock and bearings are unmodified and sound. The major problem on that derelict hull was grime and neglect rather than structural defect, so a dirty engine bay or stained liner is a cue to dig deeper rather than walk away.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets for the Nomad 22 are the United Kingdom and the United States. For a viewing, run through this short list:
- Check the main hatch plywood for rot and peeling paint.
- Test all 12-volt circuits and inspect the panel for corrosion.
- Examine the rudder and cockpit for undocumented modifications.
- Confirm any outboard well conversion is properly rebuilt.
- Look past surface grime to judge underlying structural soundness.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Westerly Nomad 22. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 3 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25 | 1 | $1,500 | — |
| Feb 26 | 1 | $2,379 | +58.6% |
| Jul 26 | 2 | $6,731 | +182.9% |
Where they're listed
Westerly Nomad 22 listings appear across 1 country. United Kingdom has the most listings with 3.
Country view
3 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | $6,731 | 3 | 2 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
2 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacWester 26 | 26' | $ 4,759 | 6 | 1 |
| Westerly Nomad 22You are here | — | $ 6,731 | 3 | 2 |