Design and Construction
The 925 stretches to an overall length of 30'1" with a waterline of 22'7½" and a beam just shy of 10 feet, carrying a displacement of roughly 3½ tons on a lead-ballasted fin keel with about 5 feet of draft anchor. Those numbers place her among moderately proportioned small cruisers: the length-to-beam ratio sits at 3.01, and the ballast-to-displacement relationship is around 40 percent, giving a comfort ratio in the low 20s that suggests a settled motion rather than a featherweight racer. The wetted surface runs about 290 square feet, and the immersion rate near 1,044 pounds per inch means she settles predictably under load. Holman & Pye's mid-seventies British practice produced a masthead sloop with a fin keel, a configuration that the used record confirms as standard anchor.
Rig and Handling
As a masthead rig, the 925 carries a standard mainsail of about 154 square feet and a No. 1 jib near 169 square feet, with a deep inventory of optional canvas including a light genoa at 346 square feet, a No. 1 genoa at 337, a No. 2 genoa at 259, a 69-square-foot storm jib, and a spinnaker anchor. The sail-area-to-displacement ratio stands at 13.05, a figure that indicates modest power in light wind rather than sparkling acceleration. Sheet specifications are precise: jib and genoa sheets run about 30 feet at half-inch diameter, the mainsheet about 75 feet, and the spinnaker sheet about 66 feet. The capsize screening value is 2.00, a threshold below what offshore race rules accept, marking her as a sheltered-water and coastal cruiser rather than an ocean racer anchor.
Accommodations
Below, the design provides seven berths along with a galley and a toilet facility, a berth count that is generous for a boat under 29 feet and points to a layout meant for family cruising or a small crew anchor. The solid fiberglass deck and hull construction frame an interior meant to be lived in rather than stripped for racing, and the 5-foot draft keeps her within reach of most marina berths.
The Verdict
Writing in Sailing Today's December 2000 issue, the magazine concluded that although an older design, the Seamaster 925 was ahead of its time in many ways and represented good value for money anchor. The combination of a Holman & Pye pedigree, a deep optional sail inventory, and a berth plan rare in the size class makes her a sensible used-cruiser candidate for sheltered and coastal waters, though the capsize screen rules her out of offshore racing acceptance.
Pros
- Holman & Pye design with period-progressive layout and sail plan
- Seven berths with galley and head in under 29 feet
- Predictable load behavior and marina-friendly 5-foot draft
- Broad optional sail range including storm jib and spinnaker
Cons
- Capsize screening value of 2.00 excludes ocean-race acceptance
- Sail-area/displacement ratio of 13.05 signals modest light-air performance
