Production has ended, but the boat remains a recognizable small coastal cruiser. Its retractable centerboard, shallow draft, and manageable weight give it a genuinely trailerable footprint.
Design and Construction
Classic Yachts built the Classic 22 predominantly of fiberglass with wood trim. Both the hull and deck are solid fiberglass rather than cored laminate, avoiding the delamination pathways that can affect some cored hulls.
The monohull has a fixed stub keel and retractable centerboard. This arrangement allows the boat to sit on a trailer or beach while providing a deep-keel sailing profile when the board is lowered.
The Classic 22 measures 21 feet 67 inches overall, with an 18-foot-67-inch waterline and an 8-foot beam. It displaces 2,300 pounds and carries 500 pounds of ballast. That makes it light enough to tow behind a family vehicle, yet substantial enough to feel like a proper keelboat rather than a dinghy with a cabin.
Rig and Handling
The Classic 22 carries a fractional Bermuda sloop rig. Its I foretriangle measures 25.50 feet, with a J base of 8.42 feet. The mainsail has a 24.00-foot luff and a 9.00-foot foot.
Total sail area is 215.36 square feet, divided almost evenly between a 108-square-foot mainsail and a 107.36-square-foot jib. On a boat of this displacement, that balanced sail plan supports a hull speed of 5.79 knots.
The retractable centerboard defines the boat’s handling and versatility. With the board raised, draft decreases to 1.67 feet for shallow-water gunkholing, trailering, or drying out on a beach. Lowering it increases draft to 4.92 feet, improving stability and windward grip.
Accommodations
The Classic 22 is a cruiser by design, but the authority sources don’t itemize its berth count, galley arrangement, head space, or tankage. The interior therefore can’t be described in detail from those sources.
Its 21-foot-67-inch LOA and 8-foot beam provide a small, self-contained cabin volume typical of late-1980s trailerable cruisers. Prospective owners will need to judge the layout in person against their own needs.
Known Issues
The available authority material attributes no specific structural defects or model-specific failure modes to the Classic 22. The likely wear areas are those inherent to the centerboard trunk and the age of the solid-fiberglass hull, but the sources describe no pattern of osmotic outbreaks or hardware corrosion for this design.
Refits and Ownership
Ownership revolves around the boat’s trailerable nature, retractable centerboard, and simple auxiliary power. It uses an outboard motor rather than an inboard, simplifying engine maintenance and leaving the hull clear for the centerboard trunk.
Because the Classic 22 is no longer in production, replacement parts for the stub-keel-and-centerboard hardware or fractional rig will have to come from generic marine suppliers or salvage rather than a current builder-support program.
The Verdict
The Windley Classic 22 is a straightforward, honestly built small cruiser. It trades interior volume for the freedom offered by a 1.67-foot retracted draft and a roadworthy 2,300-pound displacement. Its solid-fiberglass construction and simple outboard-and-centerboard arrangement make it a low-complexity entry into trailerable coastal cruising, though buyers should inspect the cabin in person to decide whether it suits their needs.
Pros
- Trailerable at 2,300 lb, with a 1.67 ft retracted draft for transport and beaching
- Solid-fiberglass hull and deck, with no core to delaminate
- Fractional sloop rig with a balanced 215 sq ft of sail
- Outboard power simplifies ownership
Cons
- Cabin layout and tankage aren’t documented in the authority sources
- No longer in production, which limits factory support
