(c) Motor Boat and Yachting, April 18, 1969
 

HURLEY 22

Designed by lan Anderson.
Built by Hurley Marine Limited, Valley Road, Plympton, Devon. Tel. Plymouth 36601.


The Hurley 22 is the largest of a series of sailing cruisers built by Hurley Marine of Plympton. She was designed by lan Anderson, a man responsible for many of the small sailing cruisers in current production by several builders. His aim in this instance has obviously been to produce a good-looking, fast boat, rather than one with the maximum accommodation. That he has been successful in this aim is apparent from the boat's appearance and from her racing results.
Her racing performance is even better if advantage is taken of the special boat, Hurley 22S, modified by South Hants Marine of Chandlers Ford. However, it was as a cruising boat that we wanted to judge her, and for this purpose we recently sailed a brand new model from Plymouth (where she was built) to Weymouth (half way to her permanent home in Chichester Harbour). We spent three nights (one in harbour) and two days on board and sampled her performance in a variety of weather conditions. The wind was unfortunately light and from the east most of the time, which accounts for the long duration of our 80-mile trip. There were, however, a few hours of stronger winds at either end of the passage to confirm our impressions of the boat's qualities in heavier going.


 

Handling under Sail

Excellent in all respects. The boat we were sailing was the twin keel version of the design and we used the standard mainsail and working jib all the time. Under this rig the boat performed well to windward, but was undercanvassed off the wind in the lighter conditions. The optional genoas or the spinnaker would have come in useful. In some
Of the harder puffs to windward, weather helm became quite marked and we countered this by easing off the wide horse rather than reefing the mainsail.
Without another similar boat nearby, it was impossible to judge Performance with any certainty. However, from our experience of other craft and from the way we pinched round the rocks off Portland Bill in a wind of force 4 and rising, we would rate her windward ability as good. The last few hours sailing, when we rounded Portland and reached up to Weymouth were by far the best part of the trip.
Short-tacking round the Bill was exhilarating, the boat tacked cleanly and the sheets were well placed for speedy action. We were never conscious of sailing a bilge keel boat. Once round the Bill we eased sheets and reached along at great speed, surfing down the fronts of the swell rolling into Weymouth Bay. There was no tendency to broach, the skeg-mounted rudder is well aft and exerted a firm control over the slithering hull.
 

Handling under Power

Due to the light winds experienced we used our 9.5 h.p. Evinrude outboard engine a great deal. In fact, we ran it until the five-gallon fuel tank was dry. The fuel lasted five hours and we reckoned it took us about 25 miles across Lyme Bay. The engine was smooth and powerful, more than adequate for its duty. A 6 h.p. Evinrude is recommended by the builders and as this is £40 cheaper than the 9.5 h.p. model and probably more economical we would agree with their choice. The engine is clamped on the centreline of the hull and steering is by the rudder.
 

Accommodation

The accommodation of the Hurley 22 is possibly the one weak point in an otherwise sound design and shows, perhaps, where a compromise has been made. Compared with her performance and handling qualities. the layout is not quite in the same class. It is still fairly good, nevertheless, and fits four berths and a well-planned galley below decks. What is does lack is space, both in headroom and floor area, so that three people in the main living area are cramped and four are definitely a crowd.
Since the toilet is not in a separate compartment there seems little point in dividing the accommodation up into two cabins. If it were open plan, the illusion of spaceif not the actualwould be greater. As the forward cabin is almost entirely filled by two berths and the toilet, it is virtually unusable except for these purposes. One of our crew slept in it the first night in Plymouth, but otherwise the area was unused (except for the toilet) during the rest of our passage.
Seating space is not very generous in the saloon, and unless the removable seat is erected between the heads of the two forward berths, there is insufficient elbow room for four adults. For sleeping purposes, however, the berths are large and comfortable, we had no difficulty in resting in the quarter berths while under way. The galley is neat and well sited, with a commendable amount of locker space. At first sight there appears to be a lack of working area, but the front of the cupboard opposite the galley hinges down to reveal a large plastic surface. Storage space throughout the hull is good. Almost all the "wall" space is occupied by shelves and there are large lockers under the berths.
The cockpit is roomy and four people can sit in it comfortably while the boat is at rest. When under way there is not really room for four unless the boat is holding a constant course. There is a locker at either side of the aft end of the cockpit, one contained a battery for the navigatio~ tc@KI/#0+$Ĩc)g0 @c0!