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# Straight Shooter
- URL: https://www.pinaforemaritime.com/straight-shooter/
- Published: 2026-11-04T07:00:42.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T07:22:33.000Z
- Author: Bobby Wayland
- Tags: Boats of Note

Twenty-two feet is a pretty great size for a boat: decently capable offshore, roomy enough to take a small crowd for a harbor cruise, and comfortable for three or four to go fishing. It’s light enough to trailer with a medium-large SUV, and maintenance is manageable by a motivated owner. Although they’ve waned in popularity, walk-around cuddy cabins of this size are quite useful. This Shamrock, in particular, is a sharp-looking runabout that would be superb for exploring coves and family fishing.

The proportions - and the compromises they represent on this model - are excellent. The cockpit is long, roomy and social; this model sports a broad transom bench as well as aft-facing seating on the engine box. Accommodating four or five people (plus the captain) while keeping the heart of the cockpit clear for fishing is smart space allocation.

The cabin is helpful, too. Some people look at a small cuddy cabin and think, “I’m not going to spend a weekend in that,” and toddle off to find a center console. They’re right about weekending - for adults, these cabins are tight, cramped, and sweaty. But it’s not for overnighting! A cuddy is a place where kids can escape the sun to nap, adults can change out of wet clothes, and expensive reels can be locked up. And you won’t cop to it later, but there’s room for a head down there when you’re in extremis.

What made Shamrock famous was its signature drivetrain: a straight-shaft, inboard engine on boats as small as 20’ - much more nautically traditional than today’s boats bearing a bouquet of outboards.

Shamrock’s approach has its downsides, though: the engine box takes up cockpit space that an outboard wouldn’t, and you cannot raise the propeller out of the water. The company partially mitigated this by running a keel and skeg down the centerline to protect the prop, but you can’t just lift the engine if you misread a shoal.

Also, close-quarters maneuvering in a straight-shaft boat with no bow thruster can be tricky - but honestly, there’s a lot of satisfaction in it. Mastering prop-walk, back-and-fill, and having to truly consider the effects of winds and current before landing makes you a stronger mariner. There’s no joystick, but if you enjoy the mechanics of piloting a boat, it’s more fun.

The upsides of Shamrock’s engine layout are tremendous. First, the engine’s placement helps lower the center of gravity by keeping weight down and midships. The drivetrain is simplified compared to a stern drive or outboard: there’s no submerged gear case required to translate vertical twist from the powerhead to horizontal output at the prop. The engine is easier to work on than an outboard, and it’s better protected, as well. And frankly, a straight shaft with a rudder in a 22’ boat is nautically classic - a 1982 Porsche 911 with the stick.

For fishing, the transom is clean and uncluttered. If you’ve fished a boat with stern drives or inboard power, you appreciate the simplicity and space when there’s no outboard in between you and a fish.

The lines on this particular Shamrock are crisp and salty; the cabin top lives low and unobtrusive (with the acceptable tradeoff of little headroom in the cuddy) and the walkaround deck is well-recessed for safety. There’s even a platform for a seat in the bow.

Significantly, this boat is listed as having a repower in 2021, new fuel tanks (that’s huge - replacing tanks is difficult and expensive), as well as new canvas. At $12.9k asking, this could be a very good deal on a well-rounded, capable, and interesting boat that will mark you as a bit of an aficionado.

[https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1993-shamrock-220-walkaround-10319695/](https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1993-shamrock-220-walkaround-10319695/?ref=pinaforemaritime.com)