This is a genuine sailor’s boat: a light, easily driven plywood design with hard chines and a reverse bow. She weighs more than a tonne less than a conventional glass cruiser of similar length, yet feels larger than her dimensions suggest. The helm sits perched on the transom, above a large, thoughtfully arranged cockpit. Yachting Monthly found her a joy to helm—light and highly responsive on the wheels, despite the twin rudders. Several European testers considered the combination of low displacement and a 63.3m² sail plan the best balance yet achieved in the RM range.
Design and Construction
The 970 follows RM’s signature construction method: a hard-chined plywood hull, built without female moulds, paired with a more conventional GRP deck lined in wood. The yard has continually improved its boats, and the 970’s modern lines—including a reverse sheerline and voluminous forward sections—create a spacious, versatile platform rather than a stripped-out racer. Multicoloured hulls are available for owners who want the distinctive look RM has cultivated.
There are two keel and rudder configurations. The single-keel version has twin rudders and draws 2.10m. At the other end of the range, the twin-keel version has a single rudder and can take the ground with ease, and draws 1.65m.
Displacement is 3,900kg, rising to 4,100kg with twin keels. The boat carries 1,235kg of ballast, giving a ballast ratio of 31.7%. She is rated RCD category B and has a 20hp Volvo Penta diesel with saildrive, plus tankage for 65 litres of fuel and 140 litres of water.
Rig, Deck Layout and Handling
The deck layout is one of the boat’s cleverest features. RM worked with INO Rope on the arrangement, placing the primary winches inboard. It’s a highly practical solution. The genoa winches flank the companionway, allowing a short-handed crew to work the boat without scrambling around the cockpit.
One person can trim both genoa sheets through a tack without moving their feet or leaning over the coaming. From there, it’s a short step forward and up to tend the coachroof winches while standing upright. The 3D genoa uses a particularly neat inhauler/barber system, while the mainsheet fine-tune is led back to the helm. There are plenty of control lines for sailors who enjoy tweaking sail shape, but the boat doesn’t need constant adjustment to sail well.
A cutter-rig option is well suited to cruising, and buyers can choose wheel or tiller steering.
On the water, the RM 970 feels direct. Yachting World’s testers found the helm neutral, with genuine traction from the twin rudders, and considered her especially good fun with the kite up. In 15–18 knots of wind under full sail, they averaged 8.5 to 9 knots under gennaker and noted that the boat begins to plane at just over 9 knots.
Upwind speeds hovered around 7 knots at a low angle, even under staysail. In lighter conditions, Yachting Monthly recorded more than 5 knots to windward in 10 knots of apparent wind, although the boat wasn’t carrying a cruising payload.
Cockpit and Foredeck
The large cockpit is well thought out, but the steering choice involves a compromise. With wheels rather than tillers, the helmsman is squeezed against the backstay.
The foredeck is flat and broad, making it suitable for sunbathing or inflating dinghies. A vast anchor locker has room for fenders, while a single bow roller for the bower anchor is set into the optional bowsprit. On a swinging mooring, a bridle must be rigged.
Accommodation
Below decks, the white-painted interior and open vee berth forward bring light and a sense of space into the saloon. The saloon adjoins a galley and a proper little navstation. Reviewers from Germany, Spain and Switzerland all remarked on the fresh, bright, contemporary appearance and the remarkable feeling of volume for a boat of this length.
The two-cabin layout includes a large heads compartment aft, with wet hanging space and access to a utility area. There is no solid door to the forepeak. Soft-closing locker doors are a thoughtful detail that even some more expensive yachts omit.
Equipment and Practical Considerations
Equipment levels are generous for the class, including Antal deck hardware, Dyneema halyards and UV screens on the windows. The builder’s continuous-improvement approach also meant that later boats refined early details.
A few practical drawbacks emerged during testing. The technical area aft of the heads is awkward for everyday use, and its paintwork will become scratched if the space is treated as routine storage.
As on other twin-rudder boats, there is no propwash over the rudders during tight manoeuvres. Sailors accustomed to the feedback of a single rudder may also find the neutral helm somewhat disconnected.
Testers noted that the purchase price was comparatively high relative to past RMs. That remains the main ownership caveat, balanced by the boat’s low weight and short-handed-friendly deck arrangement.
The Verdict
The RM 970 is an unusual combination: a lightweight plywood cruiser that sails like a sportboat but functions as a proper family boat. Marc Lombard’s lines and RM’s construction give her speed potential and stability that impressed testers across Europe. The inboard-winching arrangement also makes short-handed sailing notably straightforward.
Her neutral twin-rudder helm and awkward daily access to the technical area are relatively minor drawbacks beside the versatility offered by the single-keel and twin-keel configurations.
Pros
- Light, easily driven hull weighing more than a tonne less than a comparable GRP cruiser
- Inboard primary winches and genoa winches beside the companionway simplify short-handed sailing
- Twin-keel version can take the ground; single-keel version for speed
- Bright, spacious interior with a proper navstation and large aft heads
- Strong performance, including planing above 9 knots and around 7 knots upwind at a low angle
Cons
- Neutral helm lacks the feedback of a single rudder, and there is no propwash for close-quarters steering
- Technical area aft of the heads is awkward to use and easily scratched
- Wheel steering crowds the helmsman against the backstay
- Comparatively expensive for her size
