Have a Seaward22 since 1986. Have a long shaft
Nissan 6 which gets it close to
hull speed. Typically only use the
motor it to put the
boat back on the
trailer or tight
docking. Have sailed it from Erie to little river inlet SC over the years. Did catch a trash bag on the prop while doing the
ICW years ago which is the only time I ever ran out of
fuel. Boat has a
head, small sink and two burner
stove. On that trip the draw bridge operator decided not to open for me so I anchored, had breakfast, and dropped the
mast. Once that was accomplished the bridge opened for a small
fishing boat so I proceeded, giving the appropriate hand jesters to operator on the other side, where I anchored and re-stepped the
mast ( blowing twenty on the nose). So ease of dropping the stick is a prime consideration if you truly want a functional
pocket cruiser. Launching is another consideration as most ramps are made for powerboats
(short and shallow). I have had the
trailer fall off the end of a
ramp once (made launching easy) and my boat only draws 2 feet with CB up. Have some YouTube videos of coastal trips believe the links are on my profile (Beaufort NC and Oriental NC).
Shallow draft is nice for the areas I sail in as well as launching and retrieving (the hard part). Do
trade off on
headroom for that feature but that design planes well in +26
knot winds and surfs well on waves. Some areas may have width restrictions (eastern shore of MD) used to, where you would need a wide load
permit on a beamy craft.