Design and Construction
The hull is a heavy-duty hand-laid GRP moulding finished with a clear gel coat underwater, and the same solid laminate discipline carries into the deck, which is bonded to the hull with plywood stiffening in all horizontal areas and additional reinforcement at heavily stressed points anchor. Bulkheads are laminated to deck and hull to form an integrated unit, while heavy double-skin GRP bulwarks incorporate the hull-to-deck joint and are capped with 25mm teak, with a teak rubbing strake and bulwark cladding left untreated as standard. The cockpit is an integral part of the deck moulding and self-drains through overboard drains, and a separate drained gas locker is moulded into the starboard seat. The Fisher 25 MS is the only Fisher family member to carry a transom rather than a canoe stern, a choice that yields an extremely spacious self-draining cockpit behind the wheelhouse.
Rig and Handling
The sloop rig is standard, with silver-anodised aluminium alloy spars, 1 x 19 stainless steel standing rigging, and Lewmar halyard and reefing winches; the mainsail carries two slab reefing points and a Furlex or equivalent genoa reefing system is fitted, with two Lewmar 40 self-tailing sheet winches on the cockpit coaming. A ketch version was offered as an extra with an additional mast and sails aft of the wheelhouse. Wheel steering from the enclosed helm links to the transom-hung rudder by a rotary cable system, but the linkage can be quickly disconnected to fit a removable teak tiller in the cockpit for direct sailing feel. Writing in YACHT, the tester found her very stable on course and able to point to around 50 degrees true wind, delivering a good 5 knots cruising speed at 2,200 rpm under the Yanmar 3GM reviewed there anchor.
Power and Systems
The standard engine is a Yanmar 3YM30 three-cylinder diesel developing 29 bhp, freshwater cooled with a water-locked silencer and mounted on anti-vibration mounts to a steel-reinforced GRP bed bonded to the hull; the engine space is soundproofed and accessed through lifting hatches in the wheelhouse sole. A bronze stern tube carries a 1-inch stainless shaft to a three-bladed bronze propeller, protected by a zinc sacrificial anode. A single 182-litre stainless diesel tank sits below the cockpit sole and is vented overboard, with a fuel gauge at the console; a flexible or GRP fresh water tank of equal capacity is under the forward bunk, feeding a cold-pressure system to galley, basin, and shower. Two heavy-duty 12-volt batteries sit in a sealed box in the engine room, one for start and one domestic, charged by a 55-amp alternator, with colour-coded wiring and circuit breakers at the console.
Accommodations
Below, the forecabin holds two full-length single berths with storage beneath, a wardrobe, dressing table, fixed hull ports, and an opening hatch that doubles as emergency escape, closed from the saloon by a folding door. The separate toilet compartment to port aft has a marine toilet, washbasin with shower tap, opening portlight, and laminate bulkheads with mirror and ventilator. In the saloon, settees port and starboard extend to full-length berths via trotter boxes, with a swiveling Lagun table; the starboard-aft galley has a stainless sink, two-burner hob with grill and failsafe, adjacent gas shut-off, refrigerator below, and laminate surfaces with rubberwood fiddle rails. The wheelhouse steering position is to port with a chart area ahead of the teak wheel, a windscreen wiper, deep sail bin, starboard seat with chart stowage, sliding door to cockpit, and a Perspex skylight. Interior joinery is solid pale Malaysian oak and ash-veneered plywood with vinyl linings and teak-and-holly cabin soles.
Known Issues
On boats built before 1990, period review records in YACHT note that wheelhouse window frames can become leaky through corrosion and require replacement, and that Treadmaster deck covering from that era was not yet epoxy-bonded and shows peeling anchor.
The Verdict
The Fisher 25 MS is a serious small motorsailer: heavily built, well-compartmented, and sheltered by an enclosed wheelhouse, with a practical sloop or optional ketch rig and a secure self-draining cockpit. Her modest sail area and long-keeled hull favour steady passages over racing pace, and her systems are laid out for owner maintenance. Early pre-1990 examples need scrutiny of window frames and deck covering, but the structure itself is sound.
Pros
- Encapsulated cast-iron ballast and bonded bulkheads create an integrated, robust hull-deck unit
- Enclosed wheelhouse with internal steering and tiller option for sailing
- Self-draining cockpit and full-beam aft layout unique among Fishers of the era
- Lifting wheelhouse sole gives direct engine access in a 25-foot boat
Cons
- Pre-1990 wheelhouse window frames prone to corrosion and leakage
- Treadmaster deck covering on early boats not epoxy-bonded and may peel
- Heavy displacement limits light-air sailing performance
