Design and Construction
The 925 has an overall length of 30'1", a waterline length of 22'7½", and a beam just shy of 10 feet. She displaces roughly 3½ tons and carries a lead-ballasted fin keel drawing about 5 feet. These measurements and details are documented by the Seamaster Owners Club.
Those figures place her among moderately proportioned small cruisers. Her length-to-beam ratio is 3.01, while ballast accounts for around 40 percent of displacement. A comfort ratio in the low 20s suggests a settled motion rather than the behavior of a featherweight racer.
Wetted surface is about 290 square feet, and an immersion rate near 1,044 pounds per inch means she settles predictably under load. Holman & Pye’s mid-1970s British design practice produced a masthead sloop with a fin keel, a configuration confirmed as standard by the used-boat record.
Rig and Handling
The masthead rig carries a standard mainsail of about 154 square feet and a No. 1 jib of nearly 169 square feet. The extensive optional sail inventory included:
- A 346-square-foot light genoa
- A 337-square-foot No. 1 genoa
- A 259-square-foot No. 2 genoa
- A 69-square-foot storm jib
- A spinnaker
These standard and optional sail areas gave owners several ways to adapt the sail plan to different conditions.
The sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 13.05, indicating modest power in light wind rather than sparkling acceleration. Sheet specifications are precise: jib and genoa sheets are about 30 feet long and half an inch in diameter, the mainsheet is about 75 feet long, and the spinnaker sheet is about 66 feet long.
The capsize screening value is 2.00, a threshold below what offshore race rules accept. That marks the 925 as a sheltered-water and coastal cruiser rather than an ocean racer.
Accommodations
Below deck, the design provides seven berths, a galley, and a toilet facility. That’s a generous berth count for a boat under 29 feet and points to a layout intended for family cruising or a small crew.
The solid fiberglass hull and deck frame an interior designed for living aboard rather than stripped-out racing. With about 5 feet of draft, the 925 also remains within reach of most marina berths.
Verdict
In its December 2000 issue, Sailing Today concluded that, although the Seamaster 925 was an older design, it had been ahead of its time in many ways and represented good value for money.
The combination of a Holman & Pye pedigree, an extensive optional sail inventory, and a berth plan unusual for the size class makes the 925 a sensible used-cruiser candidate for sheltered and coastal waters. Its capsize screening value, however, rules it out of offshore-racing acceptance.
Pros
- Holman & Pye design with a layout and sail plan considered progressive for the period
- Seven berths, a galley, and a head in a boat under 29 feet
- Predictable behavior under load and a marina-friendly 5-foot draft
- Broad optional sail inventory, including a storm jib and spinnaker
Cons
- Capsize screening value of 2.00 excludes ocean-race acceptance
- Sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 13.05 indicates modest light-air performance
