[1] The boat was the first design built by Helsen Yachts in Saint Petersburg, Florida, United States, starting in 1971, but it is now out of production.
[1][3] The Helsen 22 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim.
It has a masthead sloop rig with aluminum spars; a raked stem; a plumb transom; a transom-hung, kick-up rudder controlled by a tiller and a retractable swing keel.
[1] The design has sleeping accommodation for five people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin, a drop-down dinette table that converts to a double berth in the main cabin and an aft quarter berth on the port side, under the cockpit.
The head is located in the bow cabin on the starboard side.