CHANNEL ISLAND 22
BUILT: 1988 PRICE: £16,995
Silva Yates Plastics was a Jerseybased industrial moulding company, and the Channel Island 22 was commissioned by the owner, Silva Yates, as nothing more than a project to keep staff busy during quiet periods. The original intention was simply to mould hull and deck units for local yards to fit out but the boat became such a success that Silva Yates began building complete boats to satisfy demand. It launched in 1974 and ran for 18 years with over 400 built.
INTERIOR The cabin is dead simple: a vee-shaped dinette that converts to a double bed by dropping the table and a basic galley and compact heads at the aft end. Big windows provide plenty of light and view and it’s entirely fit for purpose.
EXTERIOR Shaft drive puts the engine or engines (single- and twin-engine versions were built) well forward. This example being a twin, the engine boxes double as bases for the two seats for helm and navigator under the openbacked wheelhouse. There’s a bench seat back aft and wide side decks grant easy access forward.
PERFORMANCE Speed is entirely dependent on engine option. Single engines ranged between 80hp-140hp, the largest giving about 20 knots flat out. Twin motors were usually Volvo Penta 43hp units that gave mid-teens flat out. This one has been re-engined with two 55hp motors so should go a touch faster.
SEAKEEPING A reinforced keel allows a single-engined 22 to confidently take the ground (these were designed for the Channel Islands, so twin-engine versions often had beaching legs to keep the boat upright), but it also allows the semi-displacement hull to sit deeply in the water. With twin shafts and its diminutive length, these boats swivel on the proverbial sixpence when manoeuvring – by running one engine ahead and the other astern it rotates on the spot.