Design and Construction
RM builds its hulls in plywood while turning to GRP for decks and superstructures, and the 890 follows that split exactly: the hull is epoxy-impregnated marine ply, painted to a finish so fair that testers have mistaken it for molded fiberglass, while the cabin house above wears smooth curves that plywood alone could never yield hulls are plywood; decks and superstructures are GRP. The chined hull is no styling exercise — those flat sections let her surf quicker than most when the breeze fills, and the narrow static waterline paired with fuller bow sections and greater aft beam gives her a easily driven shape with a displacement/length ratio of just 111. Because RM lays hulls up on template molds rather than female molds, the yard avoids plug-and-mold costs and can tweak the shape along the way, with each hull needing only about three weeks to build. Top-grade marine ply, sealed in epoxy and two-pack polyurethane, should outlive a routine GRP hull and remains straightforward to repair.
Keel and Rig
Every RM offers a choice between a T-bulb fin keel with twin rudders or twin bulbed keels with a single rudder, and Lombard sharpened the twins with higher aspect ratio and deeper draft than the traditional breed. The keels bolt through a steel frame that spreads load laterally and fore-and-aft, and the twin-keel version lets the boat dry out upright — a genuine advantage for shoal-water cruising. Up top, the 890 wears a high-fractional rig with long, well-swept spreaders and outboard chainplates, an aluminum Z Spars mast (carbon optional) set further aft than usual so the mainsail and headsail share sail area evenly. A short bowsprit stows the anchor and projects an asymmetric spinner, while a free-flying staysail on a 2:1 halyard at the upper spreaders remains a standard RM option. The mainsheet runs to a full-width traveler just forward of the transom, and the tiller helm sits forward of that traveler, close to the inboard primary winches.
Handling and Performance
Practical Boat Owner found the 890 remarkably stiff, rarely heeling past 15 degrees, with form stability from the leeward-shifting center of buoyancy and low-down ballast keeping her on an even keel remarkably stiff, never feeling over-pressed. Polars for the fin-keeler show 6.3 knots at 35 degrees to apparent wind in 15 knots of breeze, and test sailors elsewhere topped 9.4 knots beam-reaching in 20. She maintains steerage when pinched and heaves to gently, gybing without hesitation; the helm stays light with only a modest tug at speed, though one tester noted slightly stiff steering. The tiller-and-cockpit layout lends itself to short-handed sailing, with a click-adjustable Wichard extension and well-angled coamings.
Accommodations
Inside, the 890 is open-plan white-painted ply with no enclosed cabins: a bow V-berth and a port aft double are curtained off rather than walled, and the famous RM “utility room” abaft the heads to starboard gives systems access and stowage. A large forward-facing window floods the saloon and forward berth with light, though lighting forward is modest and headroom barely clears six feet under the hatch. A bow locker swallows fenders that won’t fit the aft cockpit-sole locker by the liferaft, and vented under-bunk stowage plus abundant handholds show the practical bent. Testers concede the galley is basic and the finish lacks the luxury feel of mass-produced rivals, with shelved stowage a bit rudimentary and privacy limited.
Known Quirks
The flat hull sections that aid surfing also mean the 890 will occasionally thump or slam when she falls off a wave and lands upright in a trough. That is the price of the ply-and-chine approach, not a defect, but buyers should expect it in choppy reaching conditions.
The Verdict
The RM 890 is a thoughtfully modern interpretation of the plywood cruiser: light, stiff, and genuinely fast for her length, with a rig and cockpit made for two people and a hull that can take ground on twin keels. She trades privacy and polished interior trim for access, repair ease, and sailing punch.
Pros
- Easily driven 111 D/L hull that surfs and tops 9 knots
- Stiff, balanced helm with short-handed tiller layout
- Plywood-epoxy hull fair enough to pass for GRP, simple to repair
- Twin-keel option dries out upright; steel-frame keel attachment
Cons
- Open-plan interior with minimal privacy and basic galley
- Flat sections slam when dropping into troughs
- Modest headroom and forward lighting
