what happened to island packet yachts

Common Issues With Island Packet Yacht Sailboats

Last Updated by

Daniel Wade

August 30, 2022

Island Packet sailboats have been popular for decades, and they’re still available now. But what common issues do these boats have?

Island Packet sailboats are considered solid and well-built and have always used high-quality parts. However, age and design flaws cause problems like leaking port lights, fiberglass rot, keel separation, and electrical failures over time.

In this article, we’ll cover all of the common issues that Island Packet sailboats are known to suffer from. We’ll go over why these problems happen, how to spot them, and how to repair these issues before they become severe. We’ll also cover the best ways to avoid having them in the future.

We sourced the information used in this article from our own experience with Island Packet sailboats, along with the testimony of the online sailing community.

Table of contents

‍ Island Packet Sailboat Quality

Island Packet Yachts is one of the iconic American sailboat builders of the later fiberglass era. During the 1980s and 1990s, they produced hundreds of typical production vessels for the consumer market.

They were mid-range sailboats at the time and very similar in build quality to other well-known brands of the era, such as Catalina, Islander, and O’Day. Like Catalina, Island Packet Yachts still produces some models today, such as the 350.

As far as quality is concerned, Island Packet boats were roughly the same as the other manufacturers of the time. Design, construction, and materials were generally solid, and these vessels have the ability to last quite a long time when properly maintained. In fact, many sailboat owners consider Island Packet Yachts to be slightly above average in terms of build and material quality.

That said, these vessels suffer from a few common ailments that are common to boats of their era and design. But overall, Island Packet sailboats are generally considered to be high-quality sailboats, and maintenance has the biggest effect on their future usability.

Island Packet Sailboat Electrical Problems

Electrical problems are relatively common on older Island Packet sailboats. This has less to do with the quality of the boat and more to do with the condition. Extended periods of moisture exposure, especially below decks in the cabin, can do a number to your boat’s electrical system.

Salty air is the main culprit when it comes to electrical degradation. Usually, exposed electrical contacts (such as fuse boxes and terminals where wires meet) become corroded. Light sockets and plugs are also commonly affected, as are switches and exposed wiring.

Other common causes of electrical issues include owner modifications. This issue is suspect, especially when shoddy workmanship is evident. Look for signs of tampering, such as random electrical tape, wires twisted together, and loose wiring hanging out of cracks and crevices.

How to Fix Island Packet Electrical Issues

If you’re comfortable working on electrical systems, you can retire parts or all of your Island Packet sailboats by hand. Doing so is fairly cost-effective and shouldn’t take too long if the problem is isolated.

Issues like intermittent navigational lights can be fixed by cleaning or replacing the bulb socket, and bad interior lights can be repaired with a new switch or replacing the fixture.

Electrical work should be done by someone who’s qualified and knows the proper safety procedures. This could be you or an experienced boatyard. Simple repairs, such as contract cleaning and battery terminal replacement, can usually be accomplished by laymen.

Island Packet Aluminum Tank Issues

Aluminum fuel and water tanks have a limited service life and should be replaced to avoid leaks or contamination. Most older Island Packet sailboats have reached the age where such tanks must be replaced or at least inspected.

Any competent boatyard can perform a rudimentary tank inspection and check for leaks or corrosion around the outside of the tank.

How to Repair Aluminum Tanks

Aluminum tanks, regardless of the type, should only be repaired by professionals. Aluminum can’t be welded using steel welding equipment, and the precision must be high to avoid leaks or defects.

Dissimilar metal corrosion, which often occurs with aluminum, can be difficult to spot. Plus, cutting or welding a fuel tank is inherently hazardous and should be left to professionals.

If you need a new aluminum fuel or water tank and you can’t find one that fits, try consulting a metal shop that works with aluminum. Most fabricators will make you a custom tank if you provide them with plans—or even better, provide them with the old tank. This job can cost anywhere from $500 to a few thousand, depending on the size and shape of the tank and the gauge required.

Island Packet Outfitting Issues

Outfitting issues are problems with parts installed during the outfitting phase of construction. These include issues with winches, deck blocks, thru-hull fittings, port lights, vents, and so on. Generally speaking, Island Packet sailboats were constructed well and with the correct materials.

However, some owners report small manufacturing oversights that can cause leaks and other problems down the line. This includes some models which used the wrong kind of screws for installing port lights. Proper port lights are installed with bolts, which are secured on both ends.

Port lights that are screwed on instead of bolted can cause the fiberglass around them to crack when stressed. Additionally, they can back out or strip their original holes, causing leaks and other issues around upper-deck thru-hull areas.

How to Repair Island Packet Outfitting Issues

Outfitting issues vary widely, but they’re generally easy to repair. Most of their jobs require no more than some sanding, drilling, or bolt replacing. Most items on Island Packet sailboats (such as deck vents) are standard marine parts that can be ordered through vendors such as West Marine.

If you encounter an issue with the port lights, there are a few ways to go about fixing it. The easiest way (and the riskiest) is to remove the affected screw and tap in a larger diameter screw if the hole is stripped.

You could also drill out the hole and use a bolt and washers, which are stronger and more secure. Just be sure to re-seal the area before tightening it down again.

Fiberglass Issues with Island Packet Sailboats

Fiberglass problems happen to all sailboats of this type, regardless of the manufacturer. Luckily, Island Packet always used high-quality glass and resin in their production, so systemic issues are uncommon. However, damage to fiberglass that allows water to ingress into the core (especially on the deck) can quickly cause problems.

When water gets into a fiberglass deck core, it causes rot. Rot leads to soft spots and rapid decay and should be fixed as soon as possible. If your deck sags or feels spongy, chances are there’s a water ingress somewhere, and the core material will need to be replaced.

How to Repair Fiberglass on Island Packet Sailboats

Fiberglass core issues are difficult to repair. Usually, you have to cut out the affected core material to prevent rot from spreading. Some people consider a boat to be totaled when this happens, but a careful repair can rescue it. Additionally, the cause of the leak must be corrected to prevent further issues.

Other fiberglass issues, such as cracks or splits, can be easily repaired with a fiberglass and resin kit such as West System from West Marine . These materials are exceptionally expensive, so care should be taken to use them correctly the first time.

Keel Separation Issues on Island Packet Sailboats

Keel separation has been a systemic issue on many production fiberglass cruising sailboats from the second half of the 20th century. Very few of these boats had a full displacement keel or a semi-displacement keel. Instead, they utilized a fin keel, bulb keel, or some form of the long skeg.

Island Packet sailboats are no exception, as their keels are bolted to the boat and occasionally prone to separation. Keel separation occurs when the bolts holding the heavy keel blade loosen or corrode. If left unchecked, this can cause the keel to break off or water to enter through the bolt holes in the bilge.

Thankfully, Island Packet sailboats don’t suffer this issue as often as other brands. The “Catalina Smile” is rare on Island Packet boats, and it’s also easy to inspect. When purchasing an older sailboat, try to inspect it out of the water.

Look around the base of the keel for signs of stress or separation, which could be incidental but may also point to keel separation.

How to Repair Keel Separation on Island Packet Sailboats

Repairing keel separation can be easy or difficult, depending on how bad the issue is and what the initial cause was. If the keel is separating due to loosened keel bolts, simply tightening them down to spec should do the trick. However, if the problem is caused by corrosion, repair becomes more difficult.

An experienced boatyard should inspect the keel if there are separation issues. If corrosion is severe or leakage occurs, the bolts will probably have to be replaced. Fiberglass may need reinforcement as well.

The area around where the keel meets the hull may have damage due to flexing. If this is the case, the fiberglass should be replaced and patched—but only after tightening the keel bolts.

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I've personally had thousands of questions about sailing and sailboats over the years. As I learn and experience sailing, and the community, I share the answers that work and make sense to me, here on Life of Sailing.

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Island Packet Yachts: 5 Things You Should Know

The history of Island Packet Yachts

Island Packet Yachts is an American boat-building company, headquartered in Largo, Florida. Bob Johnson, a naval architect founded Island packet in 1979.

Hake Maine, the Parent company of Seaward Yachts purchased Island Packet Yachts in 2016. Besides Seaward Yachts, and Island Packet Yachts, Hake Maine also owns the Blue Jacket line of cruising sailboats.

In 2017, Darrell and Leslie Allen took ownership of the Island Packet Yachts. They are the majority shareholders of Hake Maine LLC. They changed its name to Island packet and Seaward Yachts.

Table of Contents

Is seaward yacht still in business?

Seaward yachts are no longer in business. Seaward yachts consolidated with Island packet yachts in 2016 .

Seaward yachts are famous for their lifting keels, and spacious layout on their models such as 32RK, and 46RK. The designer of this boat is Nick Hake.

Hake Marine, the parent company of Seaward Yachts closed its Stuart, Florida production facility and moved all of its production to the Island Packet Yard facility in Largo, Florida.

Where are Island Packet yachts made?

Island Packet yachts are made at their largo, Florida production facility. This boat production facility occupies 5 acres of ground with 52,000 sq. ft of manufacturing space.

There are four sections of this facility: fiberglass, hull and deck, wood shop, and assembly.

Most people on google give good reviews on this large facility. The people working there are very nice and friendly. It doesn’t matter whether you are going to purchase their boats or not, they are happy to show you around their facility and tell you about their boat-making processes.

Here is a good Island Packet largo factory tour video

Popular models of Island Packet Yachts (IPY)

There are four models of yachts produced by Island Packet Yachts: IP349, IP439, Blue Jacket 40, and 42 motor Sailer. Among these, IP349 and IP439 are the most popular ones.

• IP349 was named Cruising World’s 2019 Domestic Boat of the Year
• Total overall length is 38’3″
• Displacement 20,000lbs
• Fuel Capacity 55gal.
• Water Capacity 100gal.
• Special features include an exclusive full foil keel for exceptional safety, strength, and stability.
• Another highlight of this design is the steps and handrails added when boarding from the deck.
• A new IP349 with standard equipment is priced at $39,9000.
• IP439 model won Cruising World’s 2021 Best Full-Size Cruiser of the Year.
• Total overall length is 47′
• Displacement 32,000lbs
• Fuel Capacity 160gal.
• Water Capacity 220gal.
• Holding Capacity 50gal.
• Many customization options include rig design, rig colors, navigation station or additional storage, interior wood material, etc.
• A new IP439 with standard equipment is priced at $59,9000.

Here is a good video in which the president of IPY Darrell Allen walks you through this custom-designed IP439

• Blue Jacket 40 is a sailboat with an overall length of 39’10”.
• Displacement is 17,900lbs
• Fuel Capacity 40gal.
• Water Capacity 110gal.
• Holding Capacity 25gal.
• The highlight features of Blue jacket 40 are its one-piece hull, and one-piece deck model for superior strength and stiffness.
• A new Blue Jacket 40 with standard equipment at a price of $49,9000.
• IP42 motor sailer is designed for long-distance, offshore cruising.
• Total overall length at 42’5″ with a displacement of 23,000lbs
• Fuel Capacity 320gal.
• Water Capacity 130gal.
• The highlight features of IP42 MS are its 110 HP Yanmar turbo diesel engine, and 320 gallons tankage capacity.
• A new IP42 motor sailer with standard equipment at a price of $69,9000.

Do Island Packet Yachts sail well?

A great number of boat owners said that the Island packet is a sturdy, well-made sailboat that sails slowly.

There is a mixed good and bad review towards Island packets yachts.

Good Reviews

Everybody agrees that Island packet is a sturdy, well-made sailboat. It is very comfortable to live in.

It is noticeable of IP’s craftsmanship, and attention to detail. Some Island Packet’s hulls built in 1985 still shine today.

Full keel, very stable sailboat, with plenty of space, storage, and tankage.

You can get the right parts or supplies that retain the quality and value of your boat.

Bad Reviews

Poor windward performance

Not light air boats

It takes strong wind such as 7 knots for Island Packet to start sailing

Island Packet Yachts is a solid-built, shoal draft, full keel sailboat. People who like the features of a well-made, traditional full keel sailboat would pay a premium price to have one Island packet yacht.

Island Packet Yachts is also great for a family weekend out. It is spacious and roomy, with a lot of storage space, wonderful for a long-distance voyage.

If you prefer racing to comfort then the Island packet may not be a good fit. Quite a few people complained about the speed of Island Packet.

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You may also find the following articles helpful on other brands of sailboats

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Hallberg-Rassy: 9 Questions Answered (For Beginners)

www.ipy.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_Packet_Yachts

Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

Island Packet 380: The best liveaboard cruiser out there?

• Rachael Sprot
• June 17, 2022

When it comes to liveaboard credentials, is the Island Packet the cream of the crop? Rachael Sprot went to find out...

Product Overview

With their ivory colour and tall, rounded coachroof, the Island Packets are nothing if not distinctive and the Island Packet 380 is a fine example of the popular marque.

Designed and built in Florida, they’re sought after across the pond for blue-water cruising but a few of them have migrated to colder climes.

I joined Jalan Jalan , an Island Packet 380, to find out how they perform in our northern waters.

The first Island Packet was built in 1979. Designed by Bob Johnson, it was a 26-footer with a cutter rig, long keel and 10ft beam!

The yard soon made a name for itself producing well-built, spacious cruising yachts. From the outset, safety and stability were front and foremost in the design.

The 380’s wide beam gives her plenty of stability with a relatively low angle of heel. Credit: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

The Island Packet 380 came along some 20 years later and was a highly successful model – 169 were built between 1998 and 2004.

My first impression of the boat was just how much boat there is – she dwarfed the Sigma 38 next-door.

The bow platform and davits mean she’s about a metre longer than her 38ft title suggests, and with a 4m beam she considerably out-girths her rivals too.

The result is a boat with a huge interior volume. Unlike other boats of these proportions though, she has the underwater profile to match.

The ‘full foil’ keel, which Johnson espoused, means there’s a lot more going on below the surface than meets the eye.

Forwards visibility is restricted due to the large sprayhood. Credit: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

The keel-hung rudder is well-protected from encounters with floating objects and the encapsulated keel is another sound feature for blue-water cruising.

Despite her substantial size, the hull itself has a nice touch of sheer emphasised by the rubbing streak, and the stern has a wineglass shape which counterbalances the boxy coachroof.

Simple solutions

There’s seamanship in evidence in much of the design: the bow platform has twin bow rollers as standard, and the chain locker below is split in two thereby accommodating both sets of chain.

A sloping shelf beneath the hawse pipe helps the chain to self-stow and there’s easy access through the forward cabin if it doesn’t.

It’s the kind of simple, practical solution which comes from a designer who goes cruising himself.

There are five mooring cleats on each side, each one with a stainless chafe protector guarding the teak toerail beneath.

The self-tacking staysail makes the cutter rig easy to handle on the Island Packet 380. Credit: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

The low-profile toerail is attractive but I’d have liked a more substantial brace on an ocean-going yacht.

The high coachroof has an excellent handrail which gives good security on the side decks though.

Four full-size dorades with storm blanks provide good ventilation below and there’s room for a liferaft or rolled up dinghy under the boom.

Safety over sportiness

The cockpit is carried all the way aft to the pushpit. It’s a big space, which is exactly what you want in the lower latitudes where you spend more time outdoors, but it feels wide when heeled.

There are two huge lockers under the cockpit seats and there’s space beneath the cockpit sole for a generator.

A split backstay and small sugar scoop makes getting on and off the transom easy.

The wheel is fairly small and because the sprayhood is necessarily wide to take in the big coachroof, forwards visibility is restricted.

The Island Packet 380 is ideal for blue-water cruising, with a keel-hung rudder and encapsulated keel. Credit: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

We found ourselves standing with a foot on either cockpit bench in order to keep a proper lookout.

A bigger wheel would have made it easier to steer and peer around the side of the sprayhood. However, it does mean there’s good access when berthed stern-to.

Davits and solar panels are easily accommodated, and her volume means she copes well with all the cruising gear.

The companionway hatch is a heavy duty, GRP moulding which can be bolted into position to secure the washboards beneath.

It’s a reassuring feature on an ocean sailing boat – you may encounter green water before arriving at your blue-water cruising grounds.

The short traveller forward of the companionway is another feature which prioritises safety over sportiness.

No back rest makes the chart table impractical at sea. Credit: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

Island Packet pride themselves on their superior construction standards.

The hull is solid laminate, which is heavier than a cored hull, but this means damage is easily repaired.

The trademarked Polyclad 2 gelcoat system below the waterline is reported to offer better protection against osmosis, and above the waterline Durashield gives a high-gloss finish.

The hull is a single moulding, as is the deck, and they’re bolted and bonded together.

The deck is cored with Polycore, which is supposed to be impervious to rot.

The davits, solar panels and sprayhood add windage. Credit: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

The chain plates are another example of robust design: the single spreader rig is stayed with forward and aft lowers and together with the cap shrouds are terminated to three separate chain plates.

The separate chain plates are welded and braced together with a framework that locks into the hull to deck joint before being glassed to the hull – very much a belts and braces solution.

It’s below decks that the Island Packet 380 wins her admirers, though.

The high coachroof gives an unparalleled sense of space, feeling more like a 42-footer. The saloon is bright and comfortable with lots of natural light.

There’s a mixture of solid teak joinery and GRP mouldings which gives a feeling of excellent quality without making them prohibitively expensive.

Sturdy structure

There’s a structural ‘pan’ which forms the sole, and the bulkheads, structural webbings and many of the bunks and seats are bonded to the hull to give more rigidity.

It’s a more labour-intensive process than the ‘tray’ style construction of many production boats, but the result is a much stronger structure.

The headlining is a single moulding, which is durable and easy to maintain. It also means the underside of the deck is well insulated and during the cold March nights I spent on board the only condensation was on the hatches and portlights.

The portlights themselves are a window into Island Packet’s philosophy.

Twin bow rollers point to the Island Packet 380’s seaworthiness. Credit: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

The stainless steel frame has two threaded lock nuts to clamp them shut, in the moulding above there’s a perfectly positioned hook to hold them open.

They’re simple, tough and functional, with no friction hinges or plastic catches to wear out.

The fold-up table is versatile, creating lots of floor space when you need to get the tools out or for morning yoga sessions, although it’s a shame it doesn’t have a fiddle.

A small, aft-facing chart table utilises the end of the starboard saloon berth, maximising the seating in the saloon, but making it impractical at sea: there’s no back rest and nothing to stop the charts from sliding off the top.

It’s a strange oversight on what is otherwise a well-thought-out interior.

The deck of the Island Packet 380 feels secure, with plenty of hand holds. Credit: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

For many though, the vast U-shaped galley makes up for any shortcomings.

It’s a fantastic area with a double sink, lots of locker space and plenty of surface area for food prep.

The top-loading fridge and freezer are bigger than most boats’ cockpit lockers.

There’s a roomy master cabin in the forepeak with an island bed which allows you to get up in the middle of the night without disturbing the other person – a nice feature for a liveaboard.

The heads is also vast with two access doors, one to the forward cabin and one to the saloon.

Access on and off the Island Packet 380 is easy with a split backstay and small sugar scoop. Credit: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

It would be nice to see some sort of wet-locker arrangement or hanging rail though, especially in our colder, wetter climes.

The aft cabin is also a generous double which runs athwartships. Beneath it there’s excellent access to the gearbox, stern gland and back of the engine .

The front and sides of the engine box have access panels too.

However, it looked like removing the engine entirely would involve dismantling some of the joinery.

Spotless condition

Despite Jalan Jalan ’s fairly high mileage, there wasn’t so much as a scuff in the gelcoat or joinery.

They’re the kind of boats that attract conscientious owners and many of the examples on the market have been well looked after.

The accommodation on offer is as much about what you don’t see as what you do see.

The deep bilges are cleverly compartmentalised and the storage space extends well below the waterline.

The high coachroof makes the saloon feel roomy. Credit: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

I managed to extract a cruising chute, spinnaker sheets and storm jib from underneath one corner of the port seating!

The Packet boats of the 18th and 19th centuries were originally designed to take cargo, passengers and mail up and down the coast, and the Island Packet 380 pays more than a nod to this heritage.

The flip side to this is the windage.

Jalan Jalan ’s sprayhood doesn’t fold down easily, and once you’ve added in davits and solar panels she’s challenging in confined spaces.

The long keel helps to stabilise her, so she doesn’t skate around as much as a fin-keeled yacht, but she’s hard to turn in strong winds.

The 56hp Yanmar is hefty for a boat of this displacement, but with the large wetted surface area and drag from the superstructure, she needed 2,500rpm to achieve 6 knots in calm conditions, which doesn’t leave a lot of headroom for when it’s windy.

With a little help from the bow-thruster she did follow her rudder in astern, although she was slow to respond to helm inputs.

A 4 metre beam means there is plenty of space in the master cabin. Credit: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

As with most long-keeled boats, steerage in reverse is a privilege and not a right, and it’s one which may be withdrawn at short notice.

The million-dollar question though, is how does she sail? The answer is: better than you think.

She doesn’t want for sail area: there’s a 16 per cent sail area/displacement ratio just taking the mainsail and fore triangle into account.

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If you add in an overlapping genoa and the staysail, it pushes up to 18 per cent.

The headsail track is on the toerail and with her 1.4m draught, it is an early indicator that she isn’t designed to be close-winded.

The heads can be accessed from the saloon and forward cabin. Credit: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

She likes to be sailed ‘full and by’ according to the manual.

Apparent wind angles of 50-55° were optimum where she made a comfortable 5.5-6 knots upwind in a Force 4 and above.

A slab reefing main instead of in-mast furling , and some crisp new sails would have given better performance.

Impressive in light airs

The self-tacking staysail sheets are closer to the centreline, so in stronger winds you’d achieve better tacking angles from this.

Off the wind we reached along at 6.5-7 knots in blustery Force 6, but there was a law of diminishing returns above that.

In light airs she was impressive though, managing 3.5-4 knots in 6-8 knots breeze, which is valuable on long passages where you don’t want to reach for the throttle every time the wind drops.

The Polycore deck should last, and it is reported to be impervious to rot. Credit: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

Thanks to her beam she has plenty of form stability, keeping the angle of heel relatively low. She’s also well ballasted and forgiving in gusty conditions.

The large rudder gripped the water even when a 30-knot squall hit, never threatening to round up.

With in-mast furling it was easy to balance the sail plan to minimise weather helm.

She’s never going to point like a Sigma 38, and she needs to be sailed accordingly, giving lee shores a wider margin, but blue-water sailing is best done by tortoises, not hares.

The Island Packet 380 is superbly well adapted for tradewind sailing, exploring shallow atolls and spending long periods of time afloat.

The galley has plenty of stowage and has decent fridge and freezer space. Credit: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

There’s a trend these days to pair high volume interiors with a flat, racy bottom and deep fin keel.

Comfort and performance: it’s a seductive mixture, but like all good cocktails the innocuous first impression could leave you with a headache offshore.

Not this boat – it is unapologetically safe, sensible and seaworthy.

The Island Packet 380 is a Marmite kind of a boat, but like it or loathe it, there’s a lot to admire in the design, not least that it isn’t trying to be something it’s not.

Expert opinion on the Island Packet 380

Ben Sutcliffe-Davies, Marine Surveyor and full member of the Yacht Brokers Designers & Surveyors Association (YDSA) www.bensutcliffemarine.co.uk

Over the years I’ve surveyed several of these for both pre-purchase and insurance claims.

Ben Sutcliffe- Davies has been in the marine industry for over 40 years as a long- time boat builder, has been surveying craft for over 20 years and is a Full Member of the YDSA.

These vessels have a distinctive off-white/cream hull moulding colour; while attractive, it can be a headache for yards to colour match when damaged.

When viewing, look carefully for areas of repair. The strength of the hull is unquestionably reliable.

I’ve surveyed several which have been bounced on the bottom, against rocks or quay sides, and the boat has upheld the stresses surprisingly well.

I am not keen on the method of laying the ballast into the keel moulding.

During hammer testing the keel moulding arrangements, I have had a couple where the ballast is not very tight within the moulding.

Surveying two Island Packet 380s after groundings, I have found water was able to easily ingress into the keel void and soften the lean mix of sand and cement used around the lead ingots.

The Island Packet 380 is ideal for living aboard long term and tradewind sailing. Credit: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

This has been a very hard job to sort and in both cases quite expensive to deal with.

Protect the boat’s teak cappings before liftout as they can be damaged.

Have some carpeted blocks made and place below the strakes to stop the strops lifting the cappings off under load.

Lastly, be aware of the skeg fitting fastenings that can weep into the keel void, the security of her deck fittings and, most importantly, moisture in the deck core around fittings, especially around winches and the portlights.

Alternatives to the Island Packet 380

Moody 38 mk1.

All controls on the Moody 38 lead aft. Credit: David Harding

Moody was to the British what Island Packet was to the Americans: reliable, solidly built cruising boats.

They had a prodigious output, over 160 Mk 1 Moody 38s came out of the mould in the 1990s, and a further 37 of the Mk 2 version in the 2000s.

Owing to the centre cockpit, the master cabin is aft rather than forwards.

Described by the original Yachting Monthly review in 1992 as ‘truly splendid’, it’s still impressive today with lots of stowage and a portlight in the transom.

Like many centre-cockpit boats the cockpit lockers are sacrificed, with two deep but narrow lazarettes in each quarter instead.

Another compromise is that the companionway steps descend quite steeply.

Forwards there’s a generous V berth and second heads – useful if you’re cruising as more than a couple.

There’s a proper, forward-facing chart table to keep the fuddy-duddies (like me) happy too.

The 38 came with a masthead rig with double spreaders and fixed backstay as standard. Credit: David Harding

Below the waterline there’s a stout fin keel and semi-balanced rudder on a partial skeg. The masthead rig has the least sail area of all the boats in this selection.

The small mainsail area is partly because they came with in-mast furling as standard and they were also designed to have a generous genoa.

Once you add an overlapping headsail into the equation she has a better sail/area:displacement ratio. The smaller main will also make her easier to handle in a blow.

The modest draught will slightly limit upwind performance, but most cruisers aren’t concerned about losing a few degrees of pointing and it gives better access to tidal harbours.

The hull is solid laminate but the deck is balsa-cored, so you’ll need to watch out for moisture ingress.

The Plymouth-built hulls met Lloyd’s construction standards so should stand the test of time.

Although Moody didn’t splurge out on the joinery, they didn’t skimp on it either: the fit-out is good.

If you’re looking for an affordable fin-keeler with plenty of space but that’s easy to handle under power and sail, this is a great option.

Nauticat 39

A deep forefoot means the Nauticat 39 handles well in heavy weather. Credit: David Harding

Nauticat is not a name you normally associate with handsome sailing yachts.

They’re better known for their quirky motor sailors but in the 1980s and 1990s a touch of thoroughbred was introduced to the stables of the Finnish design team.

A series of much more athletic boats appeared, including the Nauticat 39.

With a narrow beam, relatively light displacement and large sail area she’ll likely outsail her contemporaries, especially upwind.

The deep forefoot makes her sea-kindly in heavy weather and the bulbed fin keel is substantial, giving better than average directional stability.

The joinery below decks is of Scandinavian quality with all teak sourced from the same trunk so that the colour and grain matches.

The master aft cabin has an en suite heads, with a second heads forward to serve the V berth and single cabin down the port side.

The major selling point of the boat is the wheelhouse, where you can sip a gin and tonic, enjoying the sunset in whichever beauty spot you’ve arrived in.

It’s quite ambitious to fit one of these on a boat under 40ft, so the seating area of the raised saloon is smaller than that of a conventional saloon.

It also means that the galley is buried in the belly of the boat which, whilst snug in heavy weather, is a bit lonely when the rest of the crew are enjoying sundowners on deck.

The interior helm station will appeal to anyone missing those working-from-home pyjama days – with a throttle control and hydraulic steering link you can wear your slippers on watch.

With her performance credentials, though, she’ll reward those who want to play on deck too.

Hunter Legend 41

The Legend 41 was designed for easy handling shorthanded. Credit: Graham Snook

Another American cruiser which has been popular in Europe is the Hunter Legend 41.

Like the Island Packet 380, it’s broad-shouldered and beamy with high topsides. The interior is voluminous.

The B&R rig is a trademark feature of the Hunter brand.

Originally designed by Swedish engineers Lars Bergstrom and Sven Ridder, it removes the need for a backstay by substituting aggressively swept back spreaders and a web of reverse diagonals.

The result is a sail plan that’s heavily weighted in favour of the mainsail, thanks to a big roach and small foretriangle.

It’s intended to make sail handling easier because there’s no large headsail to sheet in.

However, careful mainsail management may be required in order to reduce weather helm close-hauled.

The stainless-steel cockpit arch keeps the mainsheet clear of the crew yet still within reach of the helm.

Innovative rig design aside, the deck layout is fairly standard for this type of cruising yacht.

Accommodation-wise there’s little to fault.

The L-shaped galley has acres of work-space and a full-height storage locker. The saloon seating wraps around the table and could easily accommodate eight.

Big overhead windows let in lots of natural light. There are two big double cabins, one forward, one aft, both with an en suite heads.

A deck saloon version gives 7ft of headroom in the saloon! The shoal draught version comes with a bulb keel, whilst the full-fin keel will give better upwind performance.

She’s flighty for tricky offshore sailing, but would make a comfortable island-hopping liveaboard.

Enjoyed reading Island Packet 380: The best liveaboard cruiser out there?

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Island Packet 31

A beamy, shoal-draft cruiser whose fanatical followers find little wrong except upwind sluggishness..

In the 13 years since naval architect Bob Johnson founded Island Packet Yachts, he’s developed quite a following. We’ve had many requests to review one of his boats, mostly from satisfied owners. The others have come from couples considering the boat for living aboard and cruising. In a period when most boatbuilders are foundering, Island Packet has found a niche and is servicing it admirably.

Bob Johnson is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Before founding Island Packet Yachts he worked as a designer for Endeavour Yachts and Irwin Yachts. In 1979 he launched his own company, Traditional Watercraft, with the 21-foot Lightfoot. A year later he followed with the beamy 26-foot Island Packet (originally called the Bombay Express). Its catboat lines, complete with barn door rudder, caught everyone’s attention. But it was the completely redesigned Mark II version that really catapulted the company to success.

In 1983 Johnson followed with the Island Packet 31. Orders for 14 were taken at that year’s U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis. It remained in production until 1989, after 262 boats had been built. The 31 was replaced with the Island Packet 32. In case you hadn’t noticed, successful builders must at some point introduce new models, even if only a foot shorter or longer, so as not to compete with their own used boats. At present, the company builds a 27, 29, 32 and 35, though, like most owners of boats with bowsprits, you’ll find owners referring to the same models as 30, 32, 35 and 38, generously adding the three-foot length of their bowsprits for LOA (length overall). This is where you need to add LOD (length on deck) to the specifications.

In 1990, the company enjoyed its best year, building  163 boats. At a time when most are losing ground,Traditional Watercraft continues to prosper.

The entire Island Packet line springs from that first catboat-like 26. You’ll rarely see other boats with the beam of an Island Packet. The overhangs are very short, and the bottom is what the company calls “Ushaped.” The bow is almost plumb and the stern is vertical, in line with the trailing edge of the keel attached rudder. Add a coachroof parallel with the waterline and a cutter rig and you have all the makings of a traditional looking yacht. There is no doubt that this look has found favor with the boatbuying public, and to a large degree is responsible for the company’s success.

Let’s discuss, for a moment, the wide beam of the 31. At 11′ 6″, it exceeds many other boats of this length. The reasons for it are several. First, a boat derives its stability from two sources—ballast and beam. Both help resist heeling. Johnson obviouslystarted his design with the premise that the boat would be a shoal-draft cruiser. The centerboard version draws just 3′ 0″ board up, and the fixed keel draws just 4′ 0″. With either configuration (about half built were centerboards), it isn’t possible to concentrate ballast very low in the boat, especially since iron ingots set in concrete are used (in the deep keel model only) instead of the customary lead, which has a much higher specific gravity.

Given the shallow draft, additional stability is achieved by adding to the beam. This brings us to the second reason for the wide beam—greater volume, which is always desirable in a live-aboard boat.

There is nothing inherently wrong with shallow draft and wide beam, assuming you know what you’re trading off. In this case, it’s upwind sailing performance and the increased possibility of achieving inverse stability, that is, the tendency of a hull form to remain upside down and not right itself. Beamy, shallow boats have a greater potential to  achieve inverse stability than narrow hulls with deep, heavy keels.

On the face of it, all this suggests that the Island Packet 31 is a fine coastal cruiser, but is less suited to severe offshore work than a narrower hull with a deep, heavy keel.

Few remarks seem to vex readers more than our stating a boat design is best suited to coastal sailing. “What do you mean I can’t take this boat offshore?” they say, incredulous.

We didn’t say you couldn’t. The operative phrase is “best suited.” People have crossed oceans in rowboats, sailboards and mini-boats that were hardly more than bathtubs with decks and spars. Sure you can take this boat offshore (the definition of which is yet another semantical quagmire. For the purposes of this argument, let’s say offshore is anywhere away from the coast from which one cannot make harbor at the approach of severe conditions). And probably do so quite happily.

All the talk of capsize screening formulas and righting moment and the like are essentially responses to yachting disasters, such as the famous 1979 Fastnet Race, in which racing boats were damaged by heavy storm conditions, sometimes with the loss of life. Often poor engineering and construction (in the pursuit of light weight) is to blame. In some instances it’s design. Good seamanship probably is more important than either engineering or design.

That said, the Island Packet 31 is a handsome, rugged boat that is, according to readers, a delight to sail, well built, and emminently suited to the cruising life.

Construction

The Island Packet hull is solid fiberglass, using triaxial cloth and polyester resin. The deck is “cored” with a mixture of polyester resin and microballoons (called by the company PolyCore) that the company says weighs about the same as a deck with 1/2-inch balsa core. The intent of this innovative method is to avoid using the more common end-grain balsa. This makes for a chemically coupled deck structure without possibility of delamination, common in older boats with balsa cores. No readers have reported problems with their decks. Similarly, we do not have any reported cases of blisters.

The interior is developed by means of a PolyCore liner tabbed to the hull. We are not fond of such liners, because they do not absorb sound as well as wooden soles, make modification of the layout much more difficult, and, if the builder hasn’t carefully planned his tooling, they can obstruct access to some parts of the hull (always imagine that if you struck an object in such and such location, could you reach the hole to plug it). However, Johnson has done a nice job tooling his liners. We like especially the fact that the liner isn’t brought up to window level, but terminates at the backrest of settees so that wood and fabrics hold the eye at mid-heights rather than large, austere panels of fiberglass. The liner also incorporates structural stringers that are bonded to the hull. The sand color of all Island Packet interior and exterior moldings is a trademark, and if you had to commit to one color, this one is easy on the eyes.

The ballast, as mentioned, is encapsulated in the keel cavity. The rudderstock is 1 1/2-inch stainless steel. The semi-balanced rudder has a high-density foam core and is covered with fiberglass. A stainless steel box functions as a “lobster strap.” This connects the keel to the rudder and prevents lines from riding up into the propeller. The centerboard is built essentially the same way, with some lead at the tip.

A 22-hp Yanmar diesel was standard in the 1984 boats, which one owner said was inadequate power. The next year a 27-hp Yanmar was installed, which provided better power. Island Packet owners cited few problems with their Yanmars.

Hardware is for the most part of good quality—Edson rack and pinion steering, Ronstan blocks, Isomat spar, etc. One owner complained of his Par toilet. Few builders can justify installing expensive models—no one buys a boat for its toilet, despite the fact that malfunctions with the toilet are one of the most onerous repair jobs imaginable. We think the investment in a top quality toilet is repaid many times over.

Readers report overall construction as excellent. Many said that the company pays close attention to detail. Nearly all report good response from Bob Johnson and his staff in resolving problems.

Performance

The Island Packet 31 was offered as a cutter or sloop. Most owners seemed to have chosen the cutter. One reader wrote: “The boat is not a true cutter, but a double-headsail sloop with a 110-percent lapper and a free-set staysail. I recommend either a staysail stay and a hanked-on staysail or disposing with the staysail and sailing her as a proper sloop with roller reefing 150-percent genoa.”

This is technically correct, though the line between cutter and double-headsail sloop is not always clear. On a cutter, the mast is usually stepped near the center of the boat.

On a double-headsail sloop, the mast is stepped farther forward, which is the case with the Island Packet 31. There are no running backstays, but the company says the Isomat spar was engineered to withstand the loads of the inner forestay without additional support.

Owners report being very happy with the cutter rig. Some admit to having to learn the nuances of proper trim of the staysail and jib. While not necessarily as efficient as a large genoa on a sloop, the advantage of two sails occupying essentially the same area is that trimming is easier, and when the wind pipes up, the jib can be dropped altogether.

Not surprisingly, the Island Packet 31’s best point of sail is a reach. Owners say she’s quite fast. Upwind is a different story. One reader said, “Forward wide beam slows boat in seas.” Another said she’s slow in light air, fast in heavy air.” Several reported difficulty tacking through the wind, finding it easy to end up in irons. Full-keel boats don’t tack as readily as fin keel boats, but on the Island Packet this tendency seems to be exacerbated by the wide beam forward.

The boat balances well. Readers say she will steer herself for miles with little attention to the helm. One wrote: “Sometimes we thought the autopilot was on and then discovered she was just tracking on her own.” And she is stiff. “I can’t intentionally wet the rail,” said one reader.

Performance under power is rated as good, as is engine accessibility and reliability.

The only complaint is control in reverse, which is to be expected of a full keel design with the propeller in an aperture. But for a serious cruising boat, that’s exactly where you want the prop—backing down be damned.

Besides looks and quality, many readers chose the Island Packet for its voluminous interior.

There’s nothing particularly unusual about the layout, which is fine. It works. There are 6′ 6″ Vberths forward, a generous head compartment with shower, settees in the main cabin, a doubled quarter berth aft to starboard, and a U shaped galley in the port quarter.

The quarter berth doubles as a nav station, and can be enclosed by a folding door. Headroom in the cabin is 6′ 3″.

“The icebox is huge and exceptionally well insulated (we have Adler-Barbour refrigeration),” wrote one owner. “Used as an icebox it is also great. The interior design is user friendly.”

We have reviewed few boats whose owners are more uniformly enthusiastic. This applies to the company as well as the boat itself.

“Ask any owner how they feel about their boat,” wrote one owner. “All Island Packet owners are the sales force of the company. Sit aboard one for an hour, sail one and it’s yours.”

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All-new Island Packet 349 Review: “A true sailor’s boat” — SAIL Magazine

“A pleasure to be aboard in every sense of the word,” writes Adam Cort about the all-new Island Packet 349. “Belowdecks, topside, on the hook or under sail,” writes Cort in the February 2019 issue of SAIL Magazine, “I liked this boat a lot.”

Some other takeaways from the SAIL Magazine review of the IP 349:

• “Takes the Island Packet style of sailing performance to a new level”
• “The list of nice touches aboard the Island Packet 349 goes on and on. is is a true “sailor’s boat” throughout, and it shows”
• “Wonderfully spacious”
• “And were soon doing 3.5 knots at a 50 degree apparent wind angle, generating all of 9 knots of apparent wind out of seemingly nothing”
• “A boat that sails equally well in all conditions”
• “The boat will also not only stand up to a blow, but provide a nice seakindly motion as it does so—the mark of a true seagoing cruiser”

And during his test sail, Cort even got to experience the new performance capabilities of the Island Packet 349 writing, “At one point we actually found ourselves drag-racing a similarly sized lightweight European model and coming out the winner.”

Clearly Cort and SAIL Magazine are impressed by the 349 and what it means for Island Packet. “We’ll likely be seeing a lot more of the company in the years to come,” gushed Cort.

If you want to see a lot more of the Island Packet 349, S&J Yachts sells more Island Packets than anyone else. Give us a call at 410-639-2777 or email us at [email protected] . Or visit one of our five locations : Annapolis and Rock Hall, Maryland; Deltaville, Virginia; Charleston, South Carolina; and Palmetto, Florida.

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Island Packet 439 Boat Review

• By Mark Pillsbury
• Updated: June 9, 2021

When Island Packet Yachts launched some 40 years ago, skippers in yacht clubs and bars from here to Oz still heatedly debated whether boats equipped with fin keels and spade rudders were safe to sail out of sight of land. And so, between the wrangling over newfangled foils—and design trends favoring plummeting displacement/length ratios—it’s no wonder that company founder and naval architect Bob Johnson struck a chord with his liveaboard cruising sailboats that featured stout ivory-colored hulls, patented Full Foil Keels, skeg-hung rudders, and manageable cutter rigs. In the decades since, in fact, it’s those very elements that, when combined, created the iconic “IP look” that’s still available and in demand today from the Largo, Florida, yard.

The company, though, is now owned and operated by former longtime West Coast IP dealers Leslie and Darrell Allen, who last fall introduced their second new model, the IP 439, which Cruising World’s Boat of the Year judges named Best Full-Size Cruiser for 2021. That award came just two years after their first new design, the IP 349, was named overall Boat of the Year for 2019.

Against competition that included boats built to much more modern and trendy designs, both these Island Packets stood out for their sailing performance. And it’s no accident that both sported so-called solent rigs that pair a self-tacking jib on an inner forestay with a 170 percent genoa on a second stay just forward of it. In moderate and heavier breeze, the self-tacker takes the work out of upwind sailing, and cracked off a bit, or in very light conditions, the big genny has all the horsepower needed to give the boat some get-up-and-go.

And off we went. Sailing on Tampa Bay in 5 to 8 knots of breeze this past October, the 439′s speedo hovered in the mid-6- to low-7-knot range—not bad for a boat with a displacement-to-length ratio of 259, by far the highest of all the boats we tested.

A choice of sail plans is just one of the options the Allens are willing to entertain now that they’re running the company. Their challenge: to keep what works but incorporate ideas from customers and even the team on the shop floor that will make the designs better and keep them evolving. For instance, at the request of customers, IP will now build boats with or without a Hoyt jib boom for the self-tacking jib. One customer asked for a safe, and now a lockbox is a standard option. They even have a couple of boats under construction with blue hulls and white decks rather than the trademark ivory!

But don’t get me wrong—compared with what’s out there, the 439 is still very traditional, some might even say conservative. It sports a sugar-scoop stern rather than a drop-down transom, a single wheel and rudder, hand-laid solid fiberglass hull, and lead ballast that’s encapsulated in the full keel and then covered with concrete and resin.

Gone, though, is the marine plywood used in interior construction. It drove the Allens crazy as dealers. Water would seep under sinks and counters and rot the underlayer, or customers would return from the tropics, where termites literally ate and destroyed the plywood used in structural areas. Instead, the yard now uses Coosa Board, a composite material that’s indestructible. The intent, Darrell says, is to use the best material they can find and look for improvements without straying too far from what’s made the brand successful.

The 439, for instance, uses the same Bob Johnson-designed hull as did the older 440 and 460 models. The interior, aforementioned sail plan and transom have all been revised, though, and all exterior wood has been eliminated to cut down on maintenance.

Down below, the nav station was sacrificed to free up space for a larger galley with room for a stove, an oven and a microwave; Corian counters with deep fiddles; and abundant fridge, freezer and storage space.

Aft of the galley, in place of a starboard cabin, there’s an interesting little utility room that on the boat we sailed included a vented washer and dryer, additional freezer, storage space, a 6 kW Northern Lights generator (complete with a little stool for working on it), and filters for the genset and 80 hp Yanmar diesel with shaft drive, located in the adjacent engine compartment.

The port aft cabin is cozy, with a double berth and hanging locker, and access to the guest head and shower. And the saloon is laid out similar to a small living room. To port, a pair of captain’s chairs flank a drop-down table. To starboard, there’s an L-shaped settee that can double as a sea berth, and a bulkhead-mounted table that folds down for dining and reveals a nifty cabinet with movable shelves and dividers that can be adjusted to accommodate various-size bottles and glasses.

The owners’ cabin is forward to starboard, with a diagonally oriented queen berth and his-and-her hanging lockers. In the head off to port, I thought the glass shower door with waves etched into it was a nice touch.

Base price for the 439 is $470,000 and change. But the boat we sailed was loaded with options and carried a price tag of $670,400. Among the bells and whistles: watermaker, four additional house batteries, three solar panels incorporated into the Bimini arch and davits, underwater lights, a four-blade Max Prop, 12-volt air conditioning in the forward cabin, bow thruster and absolutely stunning Quantum Fusion Membrane sails.

Oh, speaking of sails, the 439 also sports the new Synchronized Main Furling system from Seldén, which lets you set the main while standing at the helm with the touch of a button. (For more on the system, see “Smart Winch, Smart Furler,” page 46.)

This being Hull No. 1, there were a few things to tweak. Under sail, I found it a little tough to read the jib telltales, and a plastic cover over the control switches for the electric jib-furlers made it hard to reach them when furling the genoa to tack. But things like that are easy to fix. Over all, there was a tremendous amount to like about the 439, including the Allens’ willingness to, say, rearrange the saloon, add a nav station, or replace the utility room with a third cabin. The list goes on and on.

Unfortunately, our sail didn’t. The 439 is a big rangy boat that makes you want to live aboard, go sailing, entertain friends in warm places. We, the Boat of the Year team, couldn’t, of course. We needed to get back to work and give it a big award.

Island Packet 439 Specifications

LENGTH OVERALL: 45′9″ (13.94 m)

WATERLINE LENGTH: 38′1″ (11.61 m)

BEAM: 14′4″ (4.37 m)

DRAFT: 5′ (1.52 m)

SAIL AREA (100%): 1,131 sq. ft. (105.1 sq. m)

BALLAST: 12,000 lb. (5,443 kg)

DISPLACEMENT: 32,000 lb. (14,515 kg)

BALLAST/DISPLACEMENT: 0.38

DISPLACEMENT/LENGTH: 259

SAIL AREA/DISPLACEMENT: 18

WATER: 260 gal. (984 L)

FUEL: 160 gal. (606 L)

HOLDING: 55 gal. (208 L)

MAST HEIGHT: 62′5″ (19.03 m)

ENGINE: 80 hp Yanmar

DESIGNER: Bob Johnson/Island Packet Design Team

PRICE: $670,400

WIND SPEED: 5 to 8 knots

SEA STATE: Calm

SAILING: Closehauled 3.7 knots/Reaching 7.2 knots

MOTORING: Cruise (2,000 rpm) 6.2 knots/Fast (2,600 rpm) 7.6 knots

• More: Boat Review , Boat Reviews , Island Packet , print 2021 may , Sailboats
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