Design and Construction
Her twin bilge keel lets the boat take the ground upright when the tide falls and ease into shallow marinas beached on a falling tide. The solid fiberglass hull shows about 226 square feet of wetted surface, consistent with a 24-foot waterline and 9.5-foot beam. At 7,500 pounds displacement with 3,000 pounds of iron ballast, she has a 40 percent ballast ratio and length-to-beam ratio of 3.05. The displacement-length ratio of 242 places her in the heavy cruiser camp.
Rig and Handling
She is a masthead sloop with a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 15.70. Jib and genoa sheets are 29 feet of 3/8-inch line, mainsheet 72.5 feet, spinnaker sheets 63.8 feet running rigging lengths. The optional 32-horsepower BMC diesel drives her to about 7.5 knots; hull speed under sail is 6.6 knots. Capsize screening is 1.94 and Motion Comfort Ratio 22.5.
Accommodations and Layout
The beamy 9.5-foot width and 3.25-to-3.55-foot draft dependent on load give predictable motion and wide coastal anchoring options. Decks built by Thames Marine in the 1960s and 1970s typically used plywood or balsa coring.
Known Issues
Plywood or balsa deck coring is vulnerable to water ingress at fasteners, which can soften the core over decades. This is a generic construction vulnerability, not a failure specific to the 890.
Refits and Ownership
Thames Marine ceased manufacturing in 1981; Maplin Marine briefly distributed, then Boating Scene acquired the 890 rights. The BMC diesel where fitted has a narrowed spares network. Fuel capacity is 19.2 gallons, shaping refit thinking toward conservative motoring.
The Verdict
A pragmatic coastal cruiser: beamy, steady, freed from draft anxiety by bilge keels.
Pros
- Twin bilge keels allow drying out and shallow access
- Solid hull with 40 percent ballast ratio
- Moderate sail plan manageable
Cons
- Period deck coring water vulnerability
- Modest 19-gallon fuel capacity
- No offshore design metrics beyond coastal comfort
