The Liberty 22 is a 1979 David Thomas design penned for Hunter Boats (the British company, not Hunter Marine of the US). Thomas drew inspiration from the traditional British Navy Montagu Whalers and the unstayed masts of Gary Hoyt’s Freedom line of yachts. 

Hunter Boats built 65 Liberty 22s in the 1980s. They also built another 19 Liberty 23s, which were the same hull as the 22 with more ballast and sail area. Both designs came out of the same mold as the later Minstrel 23. Unlike the gaff-rigged sloop rig of the Minstrel, the Liberty 22 is a cat-ketch rig with 170 square feet of sail area between the two mainsails. Owners have also added ballooners and staysails to the rig.

With the forward location of the mast, there is a relatively large and open cabin given the overall length. Typically, there is a double or two single berths, quarter berth, galley, and head.

There is an active Hunter Liberty Minstrel Owners Association in the UK with most of the boats having found homes in their native waters.