(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~
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