Design and Construction
Twin bilge keels allow the boat to take the ground upright as the tide falls and provide access to shallow marinas. She can also be beached on a falling tide.
The hull has about 226 square feet of wetted surface, along with a 24-foot waterline and 9.5-foot beam. Displacement is 7,500 pounds, including 3,000 pounds of iron ballast. That gives her a 40 percent ballast ratio and a length-to-beam ratio of 3.05. A displacement-length ratio of 242 puts her in the heavy-cruiser camp.
Thames Marine decks built during the 1960s and 1970s typically used plywood or balsa coring.
Rig and Handling
The Snapdragon 890 is a masthead sloop with a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 15.70. The jib and genoa sheets use 29 feet of 3/8-inch line, while the mainsheet is 72.5 feet and the spinnaker sheets are 63.8 feet, according to published running-rigging lengths.
Under sail, her hull speed is 6.6 knots. The optional 32-horsepower BMC diesel drives her at about 7.5 knots. Her capsize screening value is 1.94, and her Motion Comfort Ratio is 22.5.
Accommodations and Coastal Use
The 9.5-foot beam gives the boat a beamy layout. Draft varies from 3.25 to 3.55 feet, depending on load. The beam and load-dependent draft give her predictable motion and wide coastal anchoring options.
Known Issues
Plywood or balsa deck coring can admit water around fasteners, potentially softening the core over several decades. This is a general vulnerability of the construction method, not a failure specific to the Snapdragon 890.
Refits and Ownership
Thames Marine stopped manufacturing in 1981. Maplin Marine briefly distributed the boat, after which Boating Scene acquired the rights to the 890.
Where fitted, the BMC diesel now has a narrowed spares network. Fuel capacity is 19.2 gallons, shaping refit thinking toward conservative motoring.
The Verdict
The Snapdragon 890 is a pragmatic coastal cruiser: beamy and steady, with bilge keels that reduce concerns about draft and allow her to dry out upright.
Pros
- Twin bilge keels allow drying out and access to shallow water
- Solid-fiberglass hull and 40 percent ballast ratio
- Moderate, manageable sail plan
Cons
- Period deck coring is vulnerable to water ingress
- Modest fuel capacity of about 19 gallons
- No offshore design metrics beyond coastal comfort
