where are island packet yachts built

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.

Related Articles

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

Nautor Swan: 7 Questions Answered (For Beginners)

Catalina Boat: 9 Questions Answered (For Beginners)

Jeanneau Boat: 11 Things You Should Know

Beneteau Boat: 11 Things You Should Know

Everything You Need to Know About J Boats (With Prices)

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.

Continues below…

Najad 390: A pedigree cruiser for serious sailing

Thirty-nine feet is often thought of as the golden size for short-handed cruising. Rachael Sprot tests the Najad 390 to…

Moody S38: a good all-round family cruising boat

Looking for a good all-round family cruising boat with a good turn of speed, there are plenty of strong contenders,…

Salona 380: the 38 footer which has a lot to offer

From a yard that’s still relatively unknown in the UK, the Salona 380 looks set to present the established performance…

Understand your boat and her statistics

Nigel Calder and Chris Beeson explain how to use boat statistics to understand your boat, or choose the right boat…

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?

A subscription to Yachting Monthly magazine costs around 40% less than the cover price .

Print and digital editions are available through Magazines Direct – where you can also find the latest deals .

YM is packed with information to help you get the most from your time on the water.

• Take your seamanship to the next level with tips, advice and skills from our experts
• Impartial in-depth reviews of the latest yachts and equipment
• Cruising guides to help you reach those dream destinations

Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram.

• New Sailboats
• Sailboats 21-30ft
• Sailboats 31-35ft
• Sailboats 36-40ft
• Sailboats Over 40ft
• Sailboats Under 21feet
• used_sailboats
• Apps and Computer Programs
• Communications
• Fishfinders
• Handheld Electronics
• Plotters MFDS Rradar
• Wind, Speed & Depth Instruments
• Anchoring Mooring
• Running Rigging
• Sails Canvas
• Standing Rigging
• Diesel Engines
• Off Grid Energy
• Cleaning Waxing
• DIY Projects
• Repair, Tools & Materials
• Spare Parts
• Tools & Gadgets
• Cabin Comfort
• Ventilation
• Footwear Apparel
• Foul Weather Gear
• Mailport & PS Advisor
• Inside Practical Sailor Blog
• Activate My Web Access
• Reset Password
• Customer Service

• Free Newsletter

Aluminum Cruisers: The Basics for First-Time Buyers

Marshall Sanderling 18: Used Boat Review

Affordable Cruising Sailboats, Continued

Maine Cat 41 Used Boat Review

Tillerpilot Tips and Safety Cautions

Best Crimpers and Strippers for Fixing Marine Electrical Connectors

Thinking Through a Solar Power Installation

How Does the Gulf Stream Influence our Weather?

Need a New Headsail Furler? Here’s What’s Involved

Master the Sailing Basics: Never Stop Learning the Little Things

How to Mount Your Camera on Deck: Record Your Adventures with…

Un-Stepping the Mast for America’s Great Loop

Ensuring Safe Shorepower

Sinking? Check Your Stuffing Box

The Rain Catcher’s Guide

How to Change Your Engine Mounts

Vinyl Boat Lettering DIY Application and Repair

Those Extras you Don’t Need But Love to Have

Three-Model BBQ Test

Alcohol Stoves— Swan Song or Rebirth?

UV Clothing: Is It Worth the Hype?

Preparing Yourself for Solo Sailing

How to Select Crew for a Passage or Delivery

Preparing A Boat to Sail Solo

Dear Readers

Chafe Protection for Dock Lines

Waxing and Polishing Your Boat

Reducing Engine Room Noise

Tricks and Tips to Forming Do-it-yourself Rigging Terminals

• Sailboat Reviews

PS Boat Review: Island Packet Estero

Island packet’s new shoal-draft cruising sailboat keeps it simple..

Photos by Billy Black

Florida-based Island Packet targets a relatively narrow niche, so the toughest competitors to its new boats are often older Island Packets. Introduced in 2010, the 36-foot shoal draft Estero is the company’s latest attempt to introduce a distinctive model that doesn’t stray too far from the company’s proven formula for success: moderate displacement, full-keel cruisers designed to be lived on, sailed far and in comfort, and endure the bumps, scrapes, and storms that cruising boats inevitably encounter.

Like every new Island Packet, the Estero emerged from the drawing board of founder, owner, CEO and chief designer Robert “Bob” Johnson. A graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a masters in naval architecture and marine engineering, Johnson worked for McDonell Douglas for two years on ballistic missiles, dabbled in high-tech (for that era) surfboards, then followed his boat dreams to southwest Florida in 1974. He ran the Irwin Yachts plant for production-boatbuilding pioneer Ted Irwin, and then moved onto Endeavour. Johnson designs from that era include the Stamas 44, Endeavour 43, and the Endeavour 40.

Opportunity knocked in 1979, when Johnson turned the liquidated molds for the 26-foot Bombay Express into the Island Packet 26, a catboat-like center-boarder that quickly found a niche. The IP 26 eventually became the full-keel IP 27, which enjoyed a run of 249 hulls between 1984 and 1992. Island Packet has unveiled 24 new Johnson designs during the past three decades. With a few exceptions—the Packet Cat catamaran, the Packet Express powerboat, and the recently introduced 42-foot motorsailer, the SP Cruiser—the line is dominated by full-keel auxiliary sailboats sharing the same basic traits: a U-shaped hull, Johnson’s patented “full-foil” keel, conservative ballast displacement ratio, low aspect rig, and roomy interiors with an emphasis on cruising. Details oriented toward longer-term cruising such as storage space and tankage are an Island Packet strong point.

Currently, Island Packet produces seven boats, ranging from the Estero to the 48-foot flagship, the IP 485. The company’s cult-like following, worldwide dealer network, and the popularity of the SP Cruiser have helped keep the factory operating four days a week through the recent downturn.

courtesy of Island Packet

In many ways, the Estero represents a return to Island Packet’s roots. The shoal draft and flat stern bring to mind boats like the Island Packet 31 (launched in 1983), which had a flat transom and appealed to gunkholers with a centerboard version. All of Island Packet’s mid-range cruisers have a relatively shallow draft, but the Estero’s four-foot draft opens up Carolina backwaters and Florida canals where other Island Packet owners will have to play the tides.

Apart from the keel-haircut, the hull profile is otherwise consistent with Johnson’s previous designs. Johnson is tall, so all of his boats carry plenty of headroom. The high freeboard and lack of any long windows to interrupt the expanse of buff-colored gelcoat make the deckhouse appear higher than it is, but the bowsprit, opening ports, and spring in the shear-line present the intended overall look of a classic, salty cruiser.

One traditional element missing from the Estero found on previous Island Packet designs is the traditional teak caprail—a signature feature for more than 30 years. This offers welcome relief from annual maintenance, although some old salts will no doubt miss the aesthetic appeal.

The boat’s length-to-beam ratio of 2.95 is also in keeping with Johnson’s previous designs, as is the conservative ballast displacement ratio of 40 percent. Comfort in a seaway—like seaworthiness itself—is difficult to quantify, but the boat’s motion-comfort ratio (a calculation introduced by designer Ted Brewer) of 31 puts it not far below that of the Island Packet 370, which has a longer waterline and an additional 5,000 pounds of displacement.

Johnson, who represented the National Marine Manufacturers Association on the Conformité Européenne (CE) committee that helped establish the ratings categories for sailboats (Category A for Ocean, Category B for Offshore, etc.), is keenly aware of the importance of stability, scan’tlings, and resistance to down-flooding in a boat that is to be sailed on oceans. His boats’ solid fiberglass laminate schedule, high freeboard, and conservative ballast-displacement ratios reflect his philosophy on these matters. All Island Packet yachts meet CE Category Standard A for Ocean, “designed for extended voyages where conditions may exceed wind force 8 (Beaufort scale) and significant wave heights of 4 meters and above but excluding abnormal conditions, and vessels largely self-sufficient.” Although PS does not regard the CE Category A to be an automatic stamp of approval of ocean voyaging, we do believe that Island Packets more closely approach our ideal of a cruising boat than some other boats that bear the same rating.

In the endless quest to turn a 36-foot boat into a comfortable second home, and still provide secure and comfortable berths while the boat is underway, the Estero takes a most radical step by placing the main social area forward of the mast. (The new IP 360 features the conventional V-berth/main saloon layout on the same hull.)

Boats with forward main saloons are by no means original, but they remain very rare birds. Perhaps the most familiar contemporary cruisers with this feature are those of the Gozzard line, which dedicate the space forward of the mast to a spacious sitting/dining area that easily converts to a queen-size berth. In the Gozzard version, the berth conversion can be a semi-permanent setup, because even the smallest Gozzard 37 has an alternate dining nook near the galley.

The Estero’s forward saloon is principally a social/dining area. With the drop-leaf table down, there’s comfortable seating for two couples. With the dining table up it could seat a family of four, and squeeze in a couple of guests, as needed. The table pivots, making it easy to slide in and out of the seats. Throw down sheets and pillows, and the two settees make comfortable berths.

Conversion to the larger berth is more complicated than it should be, considering the premium, well-ventilated sleeping space the saloon occupies. It requires two people (one on their hands and knees fiddling with a troublesome support pole) and optional filler cushions. And once it is set up for sleeping, there is no place to dine belowdecks. With room for four (friendly, we presume) adults and a passel of kids, it is the proverbial feather bed, but the conversion could be easier.

Just aft of the mast and to port is the U-shaped galley. The galley placement is probably the biggest advantage of this layout compared with other boats in this size. Instead of being tucked into an aft corner or in the line of traffic, the galley is set near the fore-and-aft center of the boat, with a hatch overhead and opening portlights for ventilation and a view. The galley covers all the essentials such as counter space, cupboards, and deep well-insulated fridge-freezer systems, but we were disappointed in the shallow, 6-inch-deep sinks—unusual for Island Packet.

Johnson stands 6-feet, 3-inches tall, so his interior designs are sensitive to a tall person’s needs. Just opposite the galley is a super-sized head featuring a bench seat in the separate shower stall.

The owner’s stateroom, located aft and to port, has 6-foot, 4-inches standing headroom, with a cutout in the berth for sitting or getting dressed. A hanging locker, bureau, and full-length mirror add homey touches. A 9-inch overhead hatch and opening portlight offer ventilation, although the hatch won’t allow much breeze if the boat is fitted with a dodger. Our test boat was fitted with a single, full-sized inner spring mattress. We would ask for a folding or two-piece mattress here to simplify access to the storage below, as well as access to the stern gland and stuffing box.

Opposite the owner’s cabin is the nav station with a fold-down chart table and a roomy pilot berth. This area could also be used for storage of larger items like sails, cushions, or guitars.

For the past 30 years, the standard Island Packet sail plan has been a cutter rig, featuring a high-cut foresail and a furling working staysail that sets on a Hoyt boom. While a deck-sweeping, club-footed staysail gobbles up foredeck space and leaves remarkable shin bruises, Island Packet owners praise the arrangement for balancing the helm and running wing-and-wing. The Hoyt boom has the added advantage of being self-vanging, keeping the leach clew from lifting as the sheet is eased.

The Estero breaks away from the cutter tradition (although its sistership, the soon-to-debut IP 360 brings it back). The Estero’s working staysail is eliminated, and a foresail sets from a Hoyt boom fixed just forward of the stem on the bowsprit. In this way, both the jib and the main are self-tacking, so working to windward is as easy as turning the wheel. The arrangement also allows for tight sheeting angles.

Although conventional mainsails with lazy jacks were the standard on earlier Island Packets, the company has seen a clear trend toward in-mast furling. According to Bill Bolin, vice president of sales and marketing at Island Packet, the company has sold few, if any, boats with conventional full-battened mainsails in the past eight years. PS generally prefers conventional mainsails for voyaging in boats this size, but if you plan to do a lot of short coastal hops, the in-mast Sparcraft mainsail furler can make life easier, allowing you to set, reef, and furl both sails from the cockpit.

The mainsail and jib halyards are led to dedicated Lewmar Ocean Series 16C two-speed winches on the mast; this reduces clutter at the cabin and makes sense for cruising boats with a furling mainsail. The mainsail roller-furling control line, jib sheet, and spare mainsail halyard lead aft through stoppers to the Ocean Series 30CT two-speed self-tailing winch on the portside of the companionway. The mainsheet and boom-vang lead through a stopper and matching winch on the starboard side of the companionway.

Those accustomed to contemporary sloops will be surprised to find that the only sail control line within easy grasp of the helmsman is the jib furling line, which is on 16CT Lewmar on the starboard coaming. Because the mainsail and jib set on self-tacking booms, the arrangement is not as inconvenient it would seem. Leading the mainsail traveler lines (fixed in cam cleats) aft allows limited sail control from the helm. A port coaming winch will be missed when you want to kedge off a shoal, or when trying to warp the stern to port.

The 7-foot-long cockpit seats offer plenty of room to stretch out. A large starboard locker offers room enough for two folding bikes and more; a port tray keep small items accessible. Liner bins in the coamings keep the deck clear of running rigging. The emergency tiller has a dedicated spot in the starboard locker.

Visibility is excellent, and the twin 2-inch cockpit drains and high bridgedeck deal with any boarding waves. Drop boards are solid hardwood. Comfortable platform seats are integrated into the stern rail.

The boat we test-sailed had an optional stern swim platform. By eliminating the sugar-scoop transom/swim platform on other Island Packets, the Estero benefits from more usable interior space, a larger cockpit, and more cockpit storage space. A boarding ladder is accessible from the water for emergency reboarding. One drawback to this design is the inevitable “slap” that will accompany pitching at anchor. According to Johnson, the platform is elevated high enough (24-inches above displacement waterline) so that slapping at anchor or added drag underway is unlikely.

“This is an immensely strong installation typical of our approach to all structural components on an IP,” Johnson said. “(It) has been validated over a number of years . . . by other IPs that have this identical installation.”

A high coaming and wide passage forward leads to the foredeck where a deep locker with an aft-opening Lewmar hatch seals a deep anchor well. The divided well swallows up chain and fenders and drains into the bilge through a watertight bulkhead that seals the locker off from the rest of the boat. An optional VRC 1250 Muir windlass, single bow roller, and chain stopper handled anchoring duties on our boat.

except where noted.

Johnson brings his engineering expertise to bear on the Estero’s mechanical systems. The conventional drive train is the most sensible choice for long-term cruising. The solid Edson CD-I geared rack-and-pinion steering is well adapted to belowdecks autopilot. The propeller and rudder skeg are protected by a long “shoe” extending from the keel to the skeg.

Twin lead-acid house batteries and a dedicated engine battery serve electrical storage needs. Pre-tinned, labeled wiring meets American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) standards. A Charles 5000 series three-stage temperature-compensated charger with a galvanic isolator protect the electrical system and ensure it is well charged at the dock.

The 60-gallon fuel tank is made of heavy-gauge, marine-grade aluminum (5052-H32), while the freshwater (120 gallon) and holding tanks (35 gallon) are located below the cabin sole and made of fiberglass. All through-hulls are bronze and through bolted to flanged seacocks.

Cables for the anchor windlass and bow thruster are pre-wired. The LPG system meets ABYC standards with a self-draining locker and shut-off valve in the galley. LED lighting is an option. The bow thruster, located under the main-saloon settee, had tighter all-around clearances than installations we’ve seen on other boats with big V-berths.

Performance

By contemporary fin-keel standards, the sailing performance of the Estero is unimpressive, but Island Packet owners aren’t the kind that go looking for the extra 5 percent of hull speed and the Estero isn’t meant to be a Wednesday-night racer.

Our test boat was provided by Ed Massey of Massey Yacht Sales and Services, and the test sail took place within sight of Massey’s Bradenton dealership on the Bradenton River, Fla., in squally weather, with light gusty winds from the east between 8 to 12 knots, with gusts to 14 knots.

At 2,400 rpm, the Yanmar 40-horsepower engine with a big 17-inch, three-bladed prop pushed the boat at 6.6 knots. At wide-open throttle, 3,400 rpm, the average speed was 7.3 knots. The higher RPM is clearly not an efficient motoring speed, but testing it confirmed that reserve horsepower is available if needed. Unlike flat-bottomed fin-keel boats, the Estero’s hull speed is tightly constrained by its waterline length. At the lower cruising speed, we registered 79 decibels in the center of the main saloon and a quiet 74 decibels in the cockpit with the companionway open. Vibration at the higher RPM raised the main saloon volume to 83 decibels. (Conversation is about 60-70 decibels.)

Under power, the Estero embodies the typical tradeoffs of a full keel. The full keel’s tracking ability—so helpful on long passages—becomes a handicap in close-quarter maneuvering. The lateral resistance lengthens turning radii, and when backing, the boat has a stronger tendency to “walk” in the direction of the prop rotation. Our test boat was equipped with a $6,000 Vetus bow thruster that took the drama out of docking and maneuvering at slow speeds. A good skipper will soon become accustomed to the Estero’s idiosyncrasies under power and learn to use prop-wash and spring lines to his advantage, but full-keel novices will appreciate the bow thruster.

Like her cutter-rigged cousins in the Island Packet line, the Estero is happiest on a reach. Broad reaching with the apparent wind at 135 degrees, the boat balanced well, but averaged only 4 knots speed over ground in about 9 knots of apparent wind—suggesting an asymmetrical spinnaker would be a wise addition in light-wind areas. On a beam reach in 9 knots apparent, average speeds were about 5.5 knots. The best sustained speed during our test was 6.3 knots, with the apparent wind at about 10 knots and 110 degrees.

Any shoal-draft boat must sacrifice windward performance, and the Estero is no exception. The Estero’s tight sheeting angles and foil-shaped full keel help add lift, but the windward performance is still held back by the increased skin drag and low-aspect keel.

The course made good on our test sail fell below fin-keeler standards, but it was comparable to that of similar boats we have sailed. The best sustained speed close reaching was 5.7 knots, and the boat tacked through 100 degrees, including leeway. (For a stark comparison, the lightweight J/95 daysailer, drawing 3 feet with its board retracted, tacked through 92 degrees in similar conditions.)

The Estero doesn’t like to be pinched, and it will quickly let you know when the main is over-trimmed with an insistent weather helm. Like many full-keelers with low-aspect rudders, too much helm will stall the boat. It responds slowly but positively to the helm, and it is slow to pick up speed. We would not characterize the Estero as exciting in light winds, but in breezier areas, the boat’s ability to keep her feet and to shoulder aside chop will be appreciated.

The Estero will appeal strongest to Island Packet fans who’ve been waiting for a shoal-draft, easy-to-sail boat that compares to the IP37 in terms of interior space. These strengths will be most apparent on intracoastal or riverine adventures like the Great Loop.

The novel changes aren’t suited for everyone. Those who cruise warm climates in summer, for example, will miss the large overhead hatch of a V-berth. The self-tending headsail will please sailors who prefer a relaxing bay sail or motor-sail to winch-grinding and close-hauled excitement.

The list price of $350,000 seems steep when you see IP37s going for less than half that, but Island Packet offers a generous 10-year warranty on both the hull and deck, and a three-year stem-to-stern warranty. Past owners have done fairly well sailing their boat for a couple of years and then trading up or selling for close to purchasing price, while the boat is still covered under warranty.

For those who like the shoal-draft concept but would prefer a conventional layout, the cutter-rigged IP360, with 130 square feet of additional sail area, fits the bill. While we see a niche for the Estero, we expect the IP360 will be a more popular design.

• Estero’s solid FRP hull, balsa-free deck is built to last

• Island Packet

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Log in to leave a comment

Latest Videos

The Cheap Big Cruising Sailboat – Endeavour 42

Marine VHF Radio – What You Need to Know

Pearson 37 & 37-2 – Behind the Curtain

How To Test a Boat Engine

Latest sailboat review.

• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell My Personal Information
• Online Account Activation
• Privacy Manager

Island Packet 38

This proven offshore cruiser is built for comfort, not speed

B ring up the Island Packet 38 as a topic of discussion and you're likely to hear opinions that range from amazing offshore cruising yacht to sit back and get comfortable, it's going to be a

When the 38 rolled off the assembly line in 1986, it offered few surprises from a boat builder known for staying close to the same design despite variations in hull length.

On the up side, buyers expecting a safe, heavy, solidly built, full-keel yacht got exactly that. The boat's relatively high price tag of $128,000 put off some potential buyers. Sailors in the market for a pre-owned boat have since found the 38 holds its value remarkably well, and in some cases the current used price is about the same as it was in the showroom.

First impressions

Sound construction, utilitarian layout and voluminous storage capacity are the prime virtues of the Island Packet 38. With a chopped-off transom, high freeboard, uninspiring sheer and slablike sprit, this cutter-rig sloop has a somewhat ungainly appearance when viewed from abeam. But belowdecks the roominess and overall comforts are likely to catch the eye of liveaboards, couples cruising with guests and sailors planning an extended journey. Teak trim above deck and generous wood panels below add a traditional nautical luster.

Construction

The first 38 was built in 1986, and the 188 were build by 193. Bob Johnson, founder and chief executive officer of Island Packet Yachts designed the 38-footer with a protruding bowsprit that pushed its overall length to nearly 42 feet.

An MIT graduate with a master's degree in naval architecture, Johnson worked in California designing missile systems for McDonnell Douglas and later, using aerospace materials, made surfboards for a company he started under the Hollow Wave brand. As his career progressed, he joined Irwin Yachts as a designer, eventually taking those skills to Endeavor Yachts before striking out to build boats on his own.

The 38, with its distinctive beige hull and deck, boasted 100% hand-laid fiberglass construction. The hull was molded in one piece with strong triaxial glass that was unified with a molded, interior grid structure. The laminated deck was cored with a synthetic material nearly impervious to rot. All deck hardware was through-bolted with aluminum backing plates. The deck was attached to the hull flange with bolts, lock nuts and adhesives. Ballast was integrated into the full keel.

What to look for

Like any boat that has been in use for nearly three decades, condition of the standing and running rigging, all sails and the engine are key factors that must be taken into consideration. The deck should be inspected for delamination, although Island Packet claims the core of its sandwich construction doesn't take in moisture like balsa or other fillers.

Engine maintenance, or lack of it, can often be verified by the presence of fluid leaks, cracked hoses and worn belts. Closely sight along the hull and feel for smoothness to determine if repairs to cracks, crazing or blisters have been made. Such repairs are easier to spot because of the hull's beige color. The chainplates are embedded in the fiberglass hull rather than to the exterior and so cannot be inspected without removing built-in furniture, followed by chiseling and grinding.

Since the oldest 38s came off the assembly line 28 years ago, it could be time for new roller furling. Many owners already have replaced the mainsail with a full-batten version and a Dutchman flaking system.

The 38 has a roomy cockpit with shower, folding swim ladder and cavernous lockers. The engine control panel has a protective cover. Nonskid decking, double lifelines and full-length cabintop rails suggest safety, while teak coamings and caprail add touches of elegance.

Deck hardware and equipment includes cutter-style standing rigging with twin backstays, self-tailing Lewmar winches, a mainsheet traveler, a boom vang with preventer package, spring line cleats and a single-line reefing system.

Spaciousness is a key word aboard the 38. Headroom tops out at 6 feet 4 inches. Large staterooms are located fore and aft, flanking the saloon. There are two heads, but owners have maximized the space by keeping the forward head and transforming the aft head into a dedicated navigation station instead of a cramped navigation nook.

Bill and Amy Betts of Florida, who spent 12 years circumnavigating aboard their 38, Estrellita , gutted the forward head and turned it into a sail locker, but say the boat has plenty of storage.

"This boat swallows tools and spare parts, along with three months worth of groceries," he said. "We have all kinds of storage, especially behind the settees. We call it our hardware store."

Belowdecks there are oversized hanging lockers, a bureau with chest of drawers, large settees, retractable table and a pull-out double berth. The U-shaped galley has an LPG range with oven, double deep sinks, 14-cubic-foot icebox, teak dish rack, cutlery drawers, hot and cold water pressure in the galley and both heads, and lots of natural light via overhead hatches and opening ports. Four dorade vents assist ventilation. The boat can carry 157 gallons of water.

The yacht is equipped with a reliable 44-horsepower, freshwater-cooled Yanmar diesel engine. Access to the engine compartment is excellent, via matching side panels and from behind the companionway ladder. The fuel tank holds 57 gallons and a supplemental, flexible fuel tank can be added.

If your dream is to win races around the buoys, this probably isn't your boat. The full keel hull is relatively slow and the boat is not particularly responsive in light or moderate air.

"This boat isn't a racer, but if you want to go places, it's great," said Florida yacht broker Alan Both. "It's comfortable, and in heavy air it doesn't get knocked around in a following sea like boats with fin keels."

He noted the owners of an upgraded 38 have sailed it without incident along the East Coast, to the Bahamas and on to Central America.

Bill Betts offered a different view, noting Island Packet yachts often participate in the Newport-to-Bermuda Race and other prestigious offshore competitions.

"We cruised around the world for 12 years and just got back in the fall. We had a 110% genoa and a large drifter. The latter makes all the difference in light air," Betts said, adding the boat is seakindly and has never been swamped by a following sea. "The rear end lifts up for a dry and comfortably ride, not a sloshy one."

Blaine Parks wrote about his family adventures aboard their Island Packet in an online journal.

"We agree that our boat doesn't move as well in light air, but we're going around the world, not just around the racing buoys," he wrote. "The ability to take the heavier air is more important to us than the lighter air sailing."

Parks added that a quality cruising chute kept their boat moving in most conditions.

Built for comfort, not for speed, the spacious and stable 38 is an ideal yacht for a family planning to coastal cruise, sail offshore to the Bahamas, hang out indefinitely in the Caribbean, and maybe even go around the world.

PRICE: When the Island Packet 38 entered the market in 1986, the standard model was offered for $128,950, slightly more than the average used model sells for today.

DESIGN QUALITY: The 38 is a full keel, cutter-rig sloop designed by naval architect Bob Johnson. Ballast is integrated into the keel and its design does not offer the performance of a fin-keel boat but most IP-38 owners are not racers.

CONSTRUCTION QUALITY: The 38 is solidly constructed of hand-laid fiberglass and the deck is securely fastened to the hull. Teak handrails and trim enhance the deck while exotic wood panels warm the interior. High-quality Island Packet workmanship is exhibited throughout.

USER-FRIENDLINESS: The full-keel design lessens the need to worry about snagging fishing nets while providing plenty of living and storage space below deck. The cutter rig allows for easier sail handling. The 38 is, however, a weighty vessel and that typically translates to needing more sail area to get her going.

SAFETY: The 38 was designed with generous freeboard that keeps its passengers high above the water where it's easier to stay dry. The boat has a Category A offshore rating. From the helm, views across the cabintop and deck surface are unobstructed.

TYPICAL CONDITION : Most Island Packet owners take pride in, and care of, their boats, so finding a used 38 in good-to-excellent condition is more the norm than the exception.

REFITTING: The 38s are often upgraded with refrigeration, electric winches, electric windlass, full-batten mainsail, larger genoa to replace the standard 110% genoa, and three-blade propeller instead of the stock two-blade version.

SUPPORT: Island Packet Yachts in Largo, Florida, ( www.ipy.com) maintains an active customer-service department. Support is available from Island Packet Yacht Owners' Association at www.ipyoa.com and at www.iphomeport.com .

AVAILABILITY: At least 10 38s were on the market in late 2013 in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and Alabama. Brokers report the boats tend to get snapped up quickly.

INVESTMENT AND RESALE: The 38 holds its value and can even sell for more than its original price when new. A cultlike following ensures the resale value remains high.

Also in Used Boat Notebook

• Hunter Passage 42
• Pearson Rhodes 41
• Santa Cruz 52
• Allied Princess 36
• Kelly-Peterson 46

Also from David Liscio

• Chasing a dream
• The wide, wide world of multihulls
• Flares are expired. Now what?
• Saved from the scrap heap
• Pedal to the Medal

• BOAT OF THE YEAR
• Newsletters
• Sailboat Reviews
• Boating Safety
• Sails and Rigging
• Maintenance
• Sailing Totem
• Sailor & Galley
• Living Aboard
• Destinations
• Gear & Electronics
• Charter Resources

• Island Packet 439: Best Full-Size Cruiser
• By Herb McCormick
• Updated: December 8, 2020

Our second dedicated category for 2021 was the Full-Size Cruiser class, with a quartet of dedicated, long-range cruising boats capable of extended voyaging and living aboard, including three very substantial nominees: the Southerly 480 (which, at a cost of over a million dollars, was also considered in our Luxury Cruising class deliberations), Dufour 530 and the Beneteau Oceanis Yacht 54. As with the Performance Cruiser division, however, for the winner we chose the boat we felt best served its stated purpose: a capable cruiser with robust displacement for an experienced couple of retirement age. That yacht also happened to be the lone entry for 2021 built in the United States: the Island Packet 439.

Under previous ownership, Murphy said, “the company built 25 boats on this same hull, the IP 440. And then there was a model called a 460 that was also on the same hull, with minor modifications. There were 12 of those built. So as we talk about themes within this year’s Boat of the Year contest, there are companies that brought us full-on innovations, either in hull form or with features such as deck layouts and interior plans and things like that. And there are others that are very much evolutionary. This 439 goes squarely in the evolutionary category.

“The original Island Packet brand was very much built on the image of its founder, Bob Johnson, who had very, very strong opinions about many features in the boats, and there wasn’t a lot of variation,” Murphy added. “So I was curious when talking with Darrell Allen (a former dealer who now owns the company with his wife, Leslie) about his visions for the future, to what degree he felt like he was constrained by the legacy of the brand that he bought. You know, it’s a legacy with strong customer loyalty in a lot of ways. And basically, I thought he had a very refreshing attitude toward the whole idea of not fundamentally changing the things that were really working, but also being willing to change things that were within that Island Packet framework they could change.”

2021 Boat of the Year Winners at a Glance

• Excess 11: Boat of the Year
• X-Yacht’s X4 0 : Best Performance Cruiser
• HH 50: Best Luxury Cruiser
• Hylas 60: Best Luxury Cruiser
• Beneteau Oceanis Yacht 54: Honorable Mention
• Corsair 880: Best Sport Boat
• 5 New Sailboats That Were Nominees

Lead ballast in the full keel is one of those major changes. Subtler ones include the option of swapping the self-tacking Hoyt jib boom on the foredeck for a traditional staysail (our collective judging panel, unanimously, are not fans of the sweeping boom forward) or opting for a different hull color than the traditional ivory. And we all loved the Solent rig with the Code Zero-type reaching headsail, which turned our sea trials into a delightfully unexpected outing—a sail so fine that it definitely influenced our ­decisions—on Tampa Bay.

“I really liked the layout of our test boat,” Pillsbury added. “It was a two-cabin, two-head boat, and there was this unbelievable workspace on the starboard side aft (you could also get a third cabin in that space). There was a washer and vented dryer with standing headroom for doing laundry, a workbench and all sorts of storage. Inboard, there’s a 6 kW Northern Lights genset with a little stool. It was sort of like the ultimate MacGyver man cave. The saloon was kind of a mini living room with a pair swiveling captain’s chairs. Topside, the furling main was handled by the new Selden SMF synchronized main furling system, which was very nifty and made sailhandling very manageable. Of the boats in this class, if I were picking a boat for the missus and me to go off on for an extended cruise, it would be the Island Packet, without a doubt.”

Allen left us with a lasting impression, about the ­constant input he seeks from previous owners. Murphy said: “He gathers them together regularly, he listens to them, and then he actually ­incorporates what they say into his next line of boats. The other thing he said that was interesting was, ‘Every one of our new boats is better than the last one.’”

After visiting the yard and then sailing the 439, we believe that to be true. Which, if you’re ­contemplating a new Island Packet, is exactly what you wish to hear.

• More: 2021 Boat of the Year , Boat of the Year , BOTY 2021 , Island Packet 439 , Sailboats
• More Sailboats

For Sale: 2015 Dufour 500 GL

New Sailboat Brand: Mishi Yachts

For Sale: 2005 Tayana 48

For Sale: 2015 Catalina 355

Pro-Grade Sailing Eyewear

Le Boat and Groupe Beneteau Ink Deal

Hurricane Beryl Relief Efforts: How You Can Help

Gary Jobson To Talk U.S. Prospects in Upcoming World Sailing Competitions

• Digital Edition
• Customer Service
• Privacy Policy
• Email Newsletters
• Cruising World
• Sailing World
• Salt Water Sportsman
• Sport Fishing
• Wakeboarding

ISLAND PACKET 35 Detailed Review

If you are a boat enthusiast looking to get more information on specs, built, make, etc. of different boats, then here is a complete review of ISLAND PACKET 35. Built by Island Packet Yachts and designed by Robert K. Johnson, the boat was first built in 1988. It has a hull type of Long Keel and LOA is 10.77. Its sail area/displacement ratio 15.25. Its auxiliary power tank, manufactured by Yanmar, runs on Diesel.

ISLAND PACKET 35 has retained its value as a result of superior building, a solid reputation, and a devoted owner base. Read on to find out more about ISLAND PACKET 35 and decide if it is a fit for your boating needs.

Boat Information

Boat specifications, sail boat calculation, rig and sail specs, auxillary power tank, accomodations, contributions, who designed the island packet 35.

ISLAND PACKET 35 was designed by Robert K. Johnson.

Who builds ISLAND PACKET 35?

ISLAND PACKET 35 is built by Island Packet Yachts.

When was ISLAND PACKET 35 first built?

ISLAND PACKET 35 was first built in 1988.

How long is ISLAND PACKET 35?

ISLAND PACKET 35 is 9.14 m in length.

What is mast height on ISLAND PACKET 35?

ISLAND PACKET 35 has a mast height of 11.43 m.

Member Boats at HarborMoor

• Sails & Canvas
• Hull & Structure
• Maintenance
• Sailing Stories
• Sailing Tips
• Boat Reviews
• Book Reviews
• The Dogwatch

Select Page

Island Packet Interview

Posted by Henry Cordova | Reviews , Sailor Profile

Bob Johnson at the helm

Robert K. Johnson, N.A., is the founder, chief designer, and CEO of Island Packet Yachts of Largo, Florida. The company is celebrating its 25th anniversary in the boatbuilding business, specializing in the construction of high-quality, luxury offshore cruising yachts. Bob Johnson is an imposing gentleman, tall, fit, and of great personal charm and authority. He’s an articulate and intelligent conversationalist. This interview was conducted in his office at the Island Packet facility in Largo, Florida, October 15, 2004.

GOB:  You were originally trained at the University of Florida as a mechanical engineer before you specialized in naval architecture and marine engineering at MIT. Were you always interested in boat design or is it something you picked up along the way?

RKJ:  No, I’ve had the bug ever since I’ve was a boy. I did my ninth grade “My Career” report on Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering and wrote letters to Chris-Craft and other companies to find out about careers in the field. My mother still has the folder of my report to the class. It’s been in my genes since I was born. I subscribed to Yachting when I was 8; I bought my own subscription. My dad had a small powerboat in Connecticut that we rebuilt in the garage before we moved to Florida when I was 14, but I always wanted to get into sailing. I wanted a pram, but we lived 50 miles inland in Connecticut and it just wasn’t going to happen when I was 12 or 13 years old.

In 1957, when I was in ninth grade, we moved to Florida and one of the first things I did was plan on building a boat. My parents bought a house on a canal in North Palm Beach. I bought plans from Rudder magazine for a 12-foot catboat, it had hard chines and a V-bottom, and it wasn’t a simple boat to build by any means. My dad was a machinist and an expert woodworker. He made his own machine tools and he was a big help, but it was still very much my project. I lofted it on the living room floor and built it on the carport. I altered the rig, installed a folding mast, and even changed the shape of the hull while I was building it. I put a bowsprit on it (boys love bowsprits because you get more sail area!) and I made it a gaff rig to shorten the mast so I could get under bridges. Before the rig was finished, my brother and I tested the hull by sailing it downwind with a beach umbrella for a sail. I’d never sailed before in my life. I built the boat first and figured I’d learn how to sail once I did.

GOB:  But you started your studies in mechanical engineering?

RKJ:  I wanted to start off with a strong foundation in fundamental engineering principles. I almost went into physics because I loved it, but I’m a nuts-and-bolts, hands-on kind of guy, so I stayed in engineering. I planned on getting a master’s, and between mechanical engineering, aeronautical engineering, and naval architecture three quarters of the principles are identical. A lot of it is hydrodynamics and fluid flow. Some of my exams and courses were related to aircraft, submarines, you name it. I feel I’m well rooted in the fundamentals and scientific method. I never took a business course, but there’s no such thing as perpetual motion or perpetual money, you have to account for everything. I would do it the same all over again.

GOB:  I would imagine naval architecture is also broken up into specialties, wouldn’t it be different to design offshore platforms as opposed to, say, oil tankers?

RKJ:  It’s like getting a medical degree. First you learn the body and how it works, from scalp to toe. Then you specialize.

GOB:  Are the principles the same whether you’re building a yacht or a submarine?

RKJ:  Yes and no. MIT didn’t dwell much on the subtleties of sailboat design, but you’re completely prepared to learn and use that information as applied to sailing boats or high-speed powerboats. That’s architecture, not naval engineering. If you want to design a propulsion system it’s going to take so many horsepower to move it, you try it out in the towing tank, you’ll want to determine plate thicknesses so it doesn’t break up in a seaway, that sort of thing. And there was a tremendous amount of published information available, even before the days of computers. That’s the engineering part. The architecture is the art aspect of it. The shape of a hull can’t be fully quantified. Computer programming can help because you can do an awful lot of modeling very quickly, and mathematical models can help you evaluate hull change. But ultimately you have to go out into the real world and try it. I graduated in ’67, 38 years ago, and there’s been a lot of new ideas since then or elaborations of older ideas: hydrofoils, surface-piercing vessels, and many others.

There’s a steady evolution, but new ideas too. Look at high-speed powerboats: Dick Bertram’s and Ray Hunt’s entry in the Miami-Nassau race in the late ’50s — there was no second place. The boat finished hours ahead of Number 2. It had this “wrong” deep V-hull with strakes on it which everybody has nowadays that could go through heavier seas faster without breaking something or hurting anyone. That didn’t come from an academic think tank, it came from an idea these guys had. That’s the art.

Think of high-speed sailing catamarans, guys are building these 30-knot offshore cats, breaking them, and reverse-engineering them to correct the problem. It’s much like the early days of aviation: build it, fly it, fix it, and hopefully survive. Our industry is full of wonderfully creative people who went out and did the wrong thing. Take the Hobie Cat; it can be hard to sail, and one of our dealers likes to tell the story of how he passed up on a chance to sell it because he didn’t think he could give them away. Now they’re a sailing icon. When I was in California making surfboards, Hoyle Schweitzer was the first person to popularize Windsurfers (it was his registered name, he owned that term) and he was able to get past the idea that if surfing is hard, if you put a sail on the board it’s harder still. But he had the vision to see that some people would learn how and he opened up a new market. Hoyle wanted us to make his boards, but we couldn’t see any future in it. Shame on me, and laudits to Hoyle for having that insight. That’s what I love about our industry: there’s always some new, clever idea out there. I’ve got several patents of my own I’d like to try out that I just haven’t had the time to do so. I have an idea for one powerboat that really deserves to be built, but I just haven’t gotten around to it.

GOB:  In spite of this excellent background, I gather than your earliest job was working in missiles.

RKJ:  Yes, we were designing anti-ballistic missiles. I worked for McDonnel-Douglas in Culver City: acoustics, shock, and vibrations. Shock and vibration are very important, they determine destructive loads; things don’t usually break under a static load, they shake apart. This proves the broad-based value of an engineering education. I took all the vibration courses (from Den Hartog) I could because they define structural loads and shock loading. My master’s thesis was on damages caused by setting off depth charges near a ship. In structures, you have masses, springs, and dampers. In a ship with water-born shock loads, structures are broken down for convenience into finite elements for analysis. 1966, I worked at a General Electric summer job where they had computer programs determining shock damage to reduction gear trains, but they were very slow, in those days computers were steam-powered. Missiles are designed the same way; I devised a process to show loads on critical components, using finite element analysis, and determining if it made a difference. I worked at M-D for two years,

There was a surfer who worked there with me and I had surfed, so he asked me what could a naval architect do to improve surfboards. I designed and patented an adjustable fin system for surfboards and wound up working for Wave Corporation for five years developing and making high-tech surfboards using aerospace materials. I installed my system and became a minority stockholder in the company. We developed honeycomb core surfboards, in those days, people were very anxious to use high tech materials in recreational products, and we felt we could increase performance by making surfboards lighter and more durable. Our final boards were very good but very expensive, and the market wasn’t really there. The kids who bought them just didn’t care. It was a marketing lesson, a classic case of Marketing 101 — make sure someone out there appreciates the features for value. The company went public, Karl Pope, an electrical engineer and surfer, was president, and I give him a lot of credit. He’s still making surfboards, and we still correspond. But I wanted to go back into boating and to my family back east.

GOB:  Do you feel that your education or experience actually translates directly to your boat features or just as general background knowledge?

RKJ:  Both. It’s an art: you build the type of boat you think the market wants and that you want to build, but our boats are rigorously engineered; they don’t just happen. All design decisions I’ve made have some justification, objective or subjective. My background helps engineer these boats for these uses, and they are very qualified for their intended purpose, cruising. Even the 27 has gone offshore safely. Formal training and my family culture contributed, my father and father-in-law worked at Pratt & Whitney, and at home we always did things in a very thorough manner. We built and fixed stuff around the house, and I got a hands-on perspective on building and maintaining things. For example, at McDonnel-Douglas I always made sketches in addition to blueprints of assemblies to help guide workers. A formal drawing can be pretty intimidating and it sometimes helps to have a simpler preview done from the perspective of the man who is going to do the work to help him get oriented. The same here. From tooling to shipping, I can do everything that we do here, maybe I haven’t done it in a long time, but I can do it; it helps create a bond with our workforce and I hope, create better boats. I love building things, the candy for me is the designing. But you can’t separate the two. The world is full of products which are beautifully conceived but poorly executed. I can avoid this through my practical boating experience in power and sail and my formal training. The consumer benefits.

GOB:  What boats have you built other than for Island Packet?

Island Packet: Into the Sun

RKJ:  There were some one-off boats that no one would know about, followed by the Stamas 44 and then the Endeavour 40. I started working in 1974 for Ted Irwin as a naval architect and did some modifications on existing hull models, the 30 and 33, hulls and rigs, keels and rudders, that sort of thing. I worked on modifying an Irwin one-ton racer inspired by Terrorist (not a name anyone would pick today!). Terrorist was a beautifully built aluminum boat that came from California and was fitted with twin bilge boards and internal ballast. She was a very fast boat. Ted was very creative. He loved boats and I loved working with him. There was another designer at Irwin at the time, Walt Scott, and we all became good friends. I’m not an avid racer, like Ted. I’ve raced, but I don’t cut the handle off a toothbrush to save weight, but he might. His motto could have been, “If it won’t break it’s too heavy.” So I got to work on this boat and I like to make models so we sent one to Stevens Tech for tank testing. This eventually became Voodoo (an evolution of Pantera) with hard chines and triple boards — if two are good then three are better — gybing daggerboard, asymmetrical bilge boards, as a one-ton IOR boat. It didn’t dominate the circuit, but it had its moments, it was clear that it had its advantages.

I ran the plant for Ted for two years then went to work for Endeavour, which was an offshoot of Irwin run by some of his prior employees. Endeavour was just beginning in 1975 and they bought the old abandoned Irwin 32 molds to get started. The two firms were sort of joined at the knee, Endeavour buying materials from Irwin and so on, until Endeavour finally became a competitor to Irwin. I eventually left Irwin, on good terms, and I went to Endeavour so I could design boats with my name on them and run the plant. I designed the Endeavour 43 from scratch. They already had developed the 32 and 37, and a lot of people seem to think I designed them, too, but I didn’t. A fellow called Dennis Robbins evolved them. Then came the 40 which became the 42, both of which were of “Miami Vice” TV fame. It was the real home run for the company.

After that, I went on my own to become an independent designer/builder. By this time, I had a family and two babies. I did a lot of small work: rigs, new keel and interior and deck for Watkins, two complete boats for ComPac, and other odd jobs. I did some work for CSY, also an Irwin spinoff. They were charterers, not builders, and I helped them out with some manufacturing consulting because they were having some trouble. They couldn’t sell enough boats or make money. Basically, I told them they weren’t going to make it, they just weren’t very analytical about running a business; as a chartering outfit they knew what they wanted, but it was too late for them. What they really needed was an infusion of venture capital to keep them going until it all became profitable, and it just didn’t materialize.

George Hahn at Prairie Boat Works was one of my old surfboard dealers and promoters at Wave. He was a delightful guy, and he started off with one of his own designs, the Prairie 32. He had some manufacturing concerns, Prairie was a model of how a boat company should be set up but he still couldn’t make it go. He had a beautiful plant, molds, great new designs by Jack Hargraves, but couldn’t operate profitably and didn’t know why. I still had to put food on the table, so I consulted for two different companies, and did some more odds and ends.

I designed the Lightfoot 21 for my own use, and it got written up and received a lot of attention. It was a combination New Haven sailing sharpie and motor launch, I sold it by plans for plywood construction, but there was also a demand for a glass version, so I made the molds and sold 18 boats. I made the first molds in my carport, probably to the great distress of the neighbors, and then I rented a garage and called the company Traditional Watercraft, working with a lot of fellows in town here who were looking to moonlight a few hours a week.

I marketed the boat and priced it with a dealer in mind but no dealer wanted it, it was too unusual. But it was a great boat, lots of fun. When the SORC was in town at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club for the Boca Grande race, I had my Lightfoot with me and we went to see the start of the race. We motored by with the rig stowed inboard, it had an internal motor well. There were five of us in the boat, my family and Walt Scott, a good friend who’s passed on now. Anyway, the whole pre-race huddle aboard Kialoa, that year’s SORC scratch boat, stops, comes over to the rail and starts asking us questions about the Lightfoot. It was a lot of fun, I wouldn’t take it offshore , but it was trailerable and a good bay boat.

I was also consulting, doing odd designs, but I really wanted to be an independent designer and builder. I was making a living but knew I had complete knowledge of how to build production boats. I had an opportunity to buy molds for a relatively new boat from Bombay Yachts, a local company that was being liquidated. It was founded by two guys who left Irwin: Ross James and Chris Petty. One was production manager and one was sales manager. I bought the molds for the Bombay Express which Walt Scott had designed for them as a beamy cat sloop. Chris Petty had always liked that kind of boat and was the prime mover behind its creation.

That concept (a little history here), in ’74 or ’75 generated the Irwin 10-4 while Chris was Sales Manager at Irwin. A cat sloop is beamy for her length and rigged like a catboat but with a bowsprit and a small jib. With a jib you get rid of some of the difficulties of a big cat. In my opinion, once you get over 22- to 23-feet catboats don’t make a lot sense. If Mark Ellis (Nonsuch) were sitting here he might feel differently, and his 26, particularly with the wishbone boom, seemed to work OK, but the 30, in my estimation, was pushing the limits for a variety of reasons. That’s the art part of naval architecture, the subjectivity of boat design. Everybody liked beamy boats, they’re roomy below, have lots of initial stability, are easy to sail, and to some eyes they look right. Chris Petty convinced Ted to build this boat because he initially didn’t want to do it. It was 25 feet long 10 feet 4′ inches wide, and we called her 10-4, it was the days of citizen’s band radio, and we decided to have a little fun with that. The design got modified, Ted’s idea. He wanted to make her into a sleeper IOR rules racer/cruiser. It made her not quite the same boat; she was initially tender and it made her a little harder for the average sailor to handle. Having said that, hundreds were built. She was roomy, inexpensive, and they’re probably all still floating around.

Chris and Ross left Irwin to start Bombay Yachts, they did a 31-foot Bombay Clipper designed by Walt Scott from scratch then bought a Canadian mold and converted a 44-footer. Their last boat before they went out of business was the Bombay Express, they built 16 or 17, and some were sold as unfinished boats because they were winding down. They didn’t go bankrupt, but they had sold out to an investor who passed away, and the business was liquidated. I realized an opportunity was before me and it was a boat I related to, a centerboarder with a barndoor rudder, looking like a Cape Cod catboat with 5-foot 9-inch headroom. This was the parent boat for the IP line, the Island Packet 26.

Alden in the ’30s started designing these cat sloops, and Irwin did the 10-4 in the mid 70s. Petty left Irwin for Bombay, and they built the Bombay Express. It was in production for 9 months before Bombay was liquidated. I came on the scene and made an offer to buy the molds, and they sold them. I was still operating out of my house but I had two friends, Pete Pastor and Bob Folks, who owned a company called Marine Innovators. They were building the Sandpiper 32 and the Beachcomber 25, but they also were a tooling company and they had made the plugs and molds for the Bombay Express so they were familiar with it. I redesigned the interior and rig, left the rudder as is, put in a different centerboard, and introduced it as the Island Packet. I incorporated formally as Traditional Watercraft, Inc. in the fall of ’79. We built 16 boats over a year and a half; we were able to estimate the pricing fairly well and sold the boats with classified ads in magazines. Our pricing guesses were spot on, and we sold the first three sight unseen, staged payments, owners never seeing them until they were delivered to their doorsteps.

GOB:  That’s remarkable, what motivated them to take a chance and buy the boat?

Island Packet 26 Mark I Brochure

RKJ:  I did a very thorough brochure, talked to them a lot on the phone, and I knew the boat backward and forward so I could answer their questions. I guess they were comfortable with who I was although they had no reason to be, God love ’em, I couldn’t have gotten started without them and their confidence in me. Their payments financed the construction. Dick Watts of Massachusetts bought the first boat, I built it for a year and a half under contract with Marine Innovators. At that point, the Beachcomber 25 was becoming a pretty popular boat for them, and they couldn’t produce enough of them. I was selling more and more so I realized it was time to take the big step. I rented 4000 square feet, hired five people and started building in-house. I had the glass parts built by one company, the wood parts by another, everything came in ready to put in the boat. Spars, hardware, the same. I built up to about hull 30 then came out with the Mark II, with more headroom, the first Full Foil keel (the original 26 was centerboard and only drafted 2 feet 4 inches with an outboard rudder). The first Island Packet Mark II (not the 26 Mark II yet) was introduced at the Miami boat show in February of ’82 and was bought and called Bubbles. Everyone around Dinner Key seems to know Bubbles; she’s still going strong. (She won the Miami-Key Largo race earlier this year). This doubled our market interest with keel and centerboard options although our business was 90% keel, the rest shoal draft. We built that boat through ’82 and ’83. Then we developed the 31 through the spring of ’83 and in the fall introduced it at Annapolis. I was going to call the 31 the Bermuda Packet or something similar, the company name being Traditional Watercraft, but we went with the name Island Packet 31 because of the name recognition we had achieved. Retroactively, the first two boats became the 26 and 26 Mark II in the fall of ’83. In ’84 we released the 27, which was actually a Mark III 26. The 27 eventually wound up with 6-foot 1-inch headroom by increasing the freeboard. The 31 was the “do or die boat,” I bet everything on it, financially and emotionally, and it was a completely new boat, from the ground up, not an evolution of an earlier design. We sold a lot of 31s right off the bat, it must have hit a nerve in the market. It had an aft cabin with a foldaway door and an articulating chart table, she was a good boat that was both roomy and a good sailer.

GOB:  Was this a coastal cruiser?

Island Packet 27

RKJ: There was a battle in the early years: are these or are they not bluewater boats? They weren’t designed as rigorously as they are today, but nothing was done casually: scantlings, laminates, stability calculations – what constitutes a safe stability range – they were as good as anything in the industry at the time. In the ’90s I wound up working on an international stability standard for sailboats when the European Union decided on CE standards for all products, cars, film, cigarettes, everything. They created an International Standards Organization (ISO) effort and the National Marine Manufacturers Association asked me to participate. It took 8 years to hammer one out. It meant going back to the roots and fundamentals of naval architecture and marine engineering, what do we know, think we know, what don’t we know, what do we really know. We came up with, I think, the first holistic approach to a stability assessment for a boat. Our 27’s performance and history is well documented and was one of the validations of this assessment. We studied boats that had gone through “stability events,” one 27 free-fell off a wave on a passage to Bermuda and then rolled over; it took the rig right off of her, (not good) but it righted, even without the rig.

You need to have some weight aloft for resistance to capsize, galleons used to hoist cannon into the rigging in bad weather and beam seas, so light-weight rigs aren’t necessarily a good thing for cruising although they’re certainly useful for racing. The 27 was right on the cusp between Category A (the most seaworthy) and B and today only a few tweaks would be necessary to make it Category A.

All designers have their own standards, particularly for stability, but people couldn’t agree, especially the French, because they design extreme boats; and that is not a criticism of them, it’s a compliment. You also have to factor in that often it’s the mariner’s skill that helps keep a marginal boat afloat, so we had to quantify stability empirically, from actual histories and records. There’s a lot of science involved, but a lot of interpretation, too. When assessing something as complex as a motion of a yacht in a seaway you have to rely on real world experience to develop a numerical rating. This number is the result of a formula, a composite of 7 factors or variables, and we compare this number with documented events. Actual incidents are used to adjust these variables and assign a category based on that number and actual stability statistics. All of my boats now rate as Category A, certified for ocean use.

Competent designers usually find their boats already meet these requirements but in Europe you have to certify that your boats meet these requirements and you must publish them. It was an international work group and the numbers that came up already correlated with boats of known good performance. Island Packet meets these considerations. But you don’t work backward from the rule, to a design. You evaluate the design according to the rule. After all, you can create abberations just to beat a rule, IOR did that, and they have been disparaged for it. All my design work wound up as Category A, and I wouldn’t be surprised if most reputable designers specifically designing for real ocean use would meet the standard already without deliberately trying. We’re known as “America’s cruising yacht leader,” and our boats have nicely complied with those standards.

GOB:  What is it about Island Packet that makes them an expressly offshore boat and that makes them different, that defines the niche in the market that you feel you fill competitively?

Island Packet 26

RKJ:  In a word, cruising. Quality, safe, dependable cruising. A good turn of speed but not built with that focus. All boats are compromises, and that’s what we favor. Our motto is “First in cruising.” We improved the cutter rig, employ roller furling on all sails, a Hoyt Boom staysail, and a full keel in profile only, that is, a long fin keel, not a wineglass section. All the ballast is in the bottom of the keel — very low and elongated and internal with a low center of gravity. It acts as a backbone to the yacht and adds strength. One fell off a jacknifed trailer at highway speeds and skidded along an Interstate highway and survived with only minor damage. It was essentialy intact; you could have sailed it away.

The keel is something that’s at the heart of an Island Packet, it’s something I’ve never wavered from. It’s been noted that we’re the only full-keel manufacturer although I prefer to think of it as a fin keel that’s morphed to a long fin keel, not a full keel morphed down to what we have. I call it a Full Foil Keel. It’s a 6 1/2 to 7 percent thickness airfoil, which is relatively thin with a modest amount of frontal area for its size. It’s thick because it’s so long, but water doesn’t care; it’s going around a relatively slim blade. We have all the ballast down low and a nice sump for any bilge water to collect in. One of the major advantages to it is that the keel is not fastened to the boat, it is part of the hull, everything is internal and the ballast is capped so we have a double bottom. You could take a chain saw and remove all the glass around the keel and nothing would happen; you’d still have full watertight integrity. You don’t have to have access to keel bolts so tankage can be placed under the sole, below the waterline in the middle of the boat, adding to stability. The tanks are heavy when they’re full. And whether they’re full or empty it doesn’t change the trim much. With no keel bolts you don’t need to have access to them; they don’t need to be periodically tightened. In the event of a hard grounding you don’t have to worry about all the shock being absorbed by a handful of steel bolts, leading to leaks or even structural failure.

The ballast fits inside the keel, and keel and hull are molded in one piece with the ballast ingots — lead or iron in past boats — but mostly lead now, secured in place with cement and resin. The keel is part of the hull, molded in one piece, the angle between the hull and keel is actually a radius, not a right angle, reinforced inside with a series of floor timbers (the garboard on a wooden boat, this is a highly stressed part of the hull) and we have double overlaps and local reinforcement there. One of the things that’s hard to quantify, but easy, I think, to appreciate, is that a hull in a seaway is subject to a variety of motions and forces as the turbulence of this heavy, viscous fluid (water) acts on it. These confused motions reach way below the surface, and a long keel tends to average out and damp these loads in a way a fin keel and a separated rudder cannot. Fin keels give you a much livelier boat, and if you want to go racing, engage in tacking duels and such, that’s exactly what you design for, but you pay a price for that attribute. There are ways to mitigate this but, in general, every effort to shorten the length of that keel is going to require either more draft or more control. You want a boat that’s easy to steer for long periods of time so your autopilot doesn’t have to work its lungs out to steer a straight course. And a cruising boat wants to be able to sail itself without a lot of work. And you certainly don’t want it to broach. Cruising sailors like the wind over their shoulders, and that’s when you have quartering or following seas. You don’t want a cruising boat to get easily knocked off course or broach and roll over.

GOB:  Every boat is a compromise. What’s the price you pay for these cruising virtues?

RKJ:  More wetted surface, and slightly slower response to the helm. It’s like comparing a Corvette to a Chevy Surburban. If you want a hot rod that surfs off the waves and does 15 knots, that comes with a price. But in your more conservative cruising boats with a large capacity for stores and fuel, the price you pay for stowage, accommodations and so forth will impact performance but still in a pretty minor way. The proof of this can be measured by numerous Island Packet offshore race victories often competing against “performance-oriented designs.”

GOB:  I imagine that one of the factors you consider in design is accessibility, that is, how easy is it to get to critical points for maintenance and inspection, providing room to maneuver tools and for replacing parts and moving things around. Could you comment on this?

Island Packet 31

RKJ:  Having built boats, owned boats, and sailed boats my whole life, I do give this a lot of thought. Also, being a guy who’s over 6 feet tall, I design around my own stature. Most people who walk around in an Island Packet are pretty comfortable no matter what compartment they go into because I’m comfortable when I go there. People who are a lot bigger than I am are probably already resigned to the fact that the world is too small for them anyway. There is an important ergonomic element of getting to things, sleeping in a bed that’s comfortable, room to turn a wrench, and so forth. Of course, if different people designed a boat, a fiberglass laminator, a woodworker, a mechanic, each would get a caricature of a design that reflected their priorities. Every designer has to balance these extremes as best he can. You’re going to have to get the engine out of the boat someday, you’re going to have to change the oil much more often, and so on. But sometimes making it real easy to replace the water pump means you can’t have a nice nav station next to the engine because it’s in the way. Those are choices you have to make on every boat, but we do try in every case to make everything as accessible as possible. It’s for safety too. If you have a clogged fuel filter it has to be readily accessible. Ours is mounted right on the engine compartment door where you can’t miss it.

GOB: What are the basic similarities all IP yachts have in common, in other words, what market niche are you aimed at, what is your mission statement, if you like? And how do the different models differ within that mission design?

Island Packet 26 Mark II Brochure

RKJ:  In a phrase, safe cruising boats. It’s hard to quantify or reduce to a sentence, but they all have an identical philosophy. Full Foil keel, cutter rig, geared steering system, laminates, chain plate installations, and spar geometries that are suitable for the same uses. The old 26 and the MK II today might be called a Category B boat, but with only minor modifications, such as to the companionway opening, they could easily be Category A. If you were contemplating a trip to Ireland, I would suggest the bigger the boat the better, all other things being equal, size DOES matter. But our 29 made it just fine, 150-mile days under bare poles, they took the northern route. There is no fundamental philosophical difference in anything we build other than size and cockpit location.

GOB:  I’ve noticed that you currently have four models in production, all roughly the same size, in spite of the fact that your firm has had a history of manufacturing yachts of a wide range of sizes. Is there a particular reason for this?

Island Packet 370 Floor Plan

RKJ:  That’s true, but most buyers would realize that there is a quite a distinct difference between those yachts besides their size. In the house vernacular, you’re looking at two bedroom, one bath, two bedroom, two bath, etc. Our 370 is a two-stateroom, one-head boat. The 420 has an additional head. The 445, which has just been introduced, is similar, but it’s a mid-cockpit boat which alters the entire interior layout. There are those who love it and those who don’t . . . who prefer the traditional aft cockpit. We build them both, and we don’t care which you prefer, we have one of each. The 485 is a three-stateroom, two-head arrangement. Those are the division points. Could we build a 42-footer with three staterooms and two heads? Sure, but as in building a house, it comes down to how many bedrooms and baths, how many square feet. It determines whether each stateroom is going to be small or big, and we have ideas on how big a stateroom should be, plus we have to factor in a saloon, a navigation station, a galley, and so on. The French, not too many years ago, would build a boat with four staterooms and one head, and that was OK with them, but that’s not the American style. I’ll grant you our sizes don’t sound very far apart but from a marketing standpoint they fall into very distinct niches.

GOB:  As far as their overall mission and design characteristics, do they all follow the same philosophy? You’re not specializing in a specific performance market, for example, one isn’t a cruiser/racer while another is an Arctic explorer?

Island Packet 370 Sail Plan

RKJ:  No, they’re all offshore cruisers, but they’re equally suitable for just sailing on the bay. They’re comfortable, fun to sail, and easily handled by just a couple, which is an important consideration for us. We want Mom and Pop to be able to go sailing together without needing anyone else. Everything is set up for that and it’s getting easier and easier. We have roller furling, main and foresails roll right up like window shades. Bow thrusters are available on all models, and they’re wonderful. Almost everybody puts one on, it’s like having power steering. It’s powered by a little 7-horsepower electric motor. The ease of handling for a couple, the ability to handle pretty much anything that might come up, safety, quality, and manufacturer’s reputation are all a high priority. Performance is on the list, too, but it’s never Number One. Having said that, we’ve had a number of owners who have gone racing. I’ve done two Annapolis-Bermuda races in Island Packets. In the second we took first in class and second overall. One of our more recent ads list a lot of the Island Packet victories, and just recently, our 420 won the Isla Mujeres race. Most of our owners are not avid racers, they’re eminently qualified to take their boats anywhere they want to go, but they’re not looking for that last 2 percent of performance you need to race successfully or the two-tenths of a percent you need to win consistently. To me, sailing has always been a wonderful escape and release from everyday life and racing, especially if you’re on a keenly campaigned yacht, can sometimes take the fun out of it. I build boats for my philosophy, an Island Packet is first and foremost a cruiser. I like boats that are fun to sail, and it sails very well. If people like to sail and want to go cruising, Island Packet will be a great boat for them.

This performance thing has been beaten to death. People are being sold carbon fiber, they’re being sold epoxy, Kevlar, you name it. First of all, your local boatyard may not have access to these materials, and if they do, they probably don’t know how to work with them. Our boats are literally all over the world, we have a host of circumnavigations, and we make practical choices in design and construction based on the fact that our boat may have to be repaired somewhere very far away where materials, facilities, and skills may be hard to come by. We don’t go overboard with this, but we try to keep it in mind.

GOB:  You currently offer four successful models, all with roughly the same mission. On the other hand, your literature lists many different production lines, now discontinued, all with an average build cycle of about five years. Are these evolutionary steps, have you gotten everything out of them you can and you’ve moved on to something else? Or are they driven by market conditions and reacting to them?

Island Packet 445 nav station

RKJ:  Both. It’s like any other consumer product. Some builders will build the same boat for 20 years. We have a dealer network that goes from Seattle to San Diego, Maine to Florida, Great Lakes to Gulf Coast, 20 in the U.S., and we have dealers in Europe and Australia. They need — for their and our business to be viable — a continuously evolving product. People want the latest improvements, and we see the need for hidden changes in construction materials and techniques. We’ve just introduced a new model, the 445, and it’s exactly how I want it. Five years from now I’ll have a list of changes two pages long I’ll want to make or that the customers have asked for. A lot of these things get incorporated into the boat during its production cycle. Our Island Packet 35 was introduced in ’88 or ’89, and I remember being asked back then what would I change on it. That boat was everything I thought a cruising boat should be, but in five years we evolved that boat considerably. We put platforms on the stern, we made changes inside that people had expressed an interest in and construction technology changed: we’ve gone from woven rovings to knitted fabrics, amongst other things. After five years, and one or two hundred boats, the first owners start thinking about moving to another yacht and they may have informed ideas now on exactly what it is they want in a new boat. We start to get impacted by our own success when we find a used Island Packet current model on the market. Five years down the road, those same models, maybe with a few evolutionary changes, start competing with our new boats for sales. Five years is a good run for a boat, could we go 10? Sure, but we factor in the effect of the used boats on the market, and in five years we learn a lot about what the customer wants and about what we can do.

Fifteen years ago we were having discussions about whether roller furler jibs were appropriate for cruising. But we’ve made it standard over the years, first the jib, then the staysail, and now the main. The main furls right into the mast, not the boom (we don’t think all the bugs are out of that yet). You pay a small price in performance but no battens, no reef points, no problems. We gave it a lot of thought and told our spar manufacturer that if there were any problems he would have to replace them, but we’re still doing business with him. An occasional buyer wants a standard rig, so we sell it to him. We have a Hoyt boom on our staysail (so named because it was designed by Garry Hoyt), it’s sort of a club-footed boom except it pivots at the forward end, it is self-vanging and self-tacking and adds a lot of power and simplifies control for the staysail. We have 2,000 boats out there today and a very active and vocal group of owners, we have a newsletter, there are internet news groups, numerous rendezvous. People keep in touch with us and help us evolve the boat. We know what our customers want.

GOB:  What parts of your boats do you sub out to contractors?

Island Packet 485

RKJ:  Spars, sails, cushions. We do all the glass and woodwork here. In the early days everything was subbed out, we just assembled the components here. Glasswork and woodwork were done by separate firms. We brought the mill in-house and the same firm that worked for Hutchins, Arjay Industries, did glass work for us. I wound up buying the assets of that company, it was right across the street, and I brought it all over, people, equipment, everything . . . and he got out of the lamination business. Our glasswork was overdue to be brought in-house, from the standpoint of the type of control we wanted to exercise over it. Bob Cottrell, owner of Arjay Industries, was not your basic glass business owner, he was a Harvard MBA and a chemical engineer, and he took a very methodical approach to fiberglass construction. One of the things he developed was a spray core decking material that eliminates foam or balsa or plywood. You get the Oreo cookie concept of glass, lightweight filler and more glass. We won’t use it on the hull because it reduces puncture and impact resistance, but it makes for a very stiff, lightweight deck. On the hull we use fiberglass, one laminate after another. We bought that technology also and brought it over as well. So we have a 10-year warranty on our deck against rot or delamination. No one else can do that, balsa and plywood core decks will eventually deteriorate. Some other companies do spray core also, but I don’t know who they are; but there is a company out there that sells a similar process (ours is a home-built process, internally developed). If you buy a 15-year old Island Packet, you will not have that core material rot. It can’t. It’s microspheres in resin. It will be just as good as the glass around it.

GOB:  Your boats are built in a traditional way, a hull and a liner and a deck. Are there variations or fundamental construction differences in the different models?

Island Packet 35

RKJ:  No. They’re pretty much the same. We have a big commitment to tooling, we have a fiberglass liner on the deck, nothing to rot, no fabrics or plywood. That’s why our boats hold their value so well, you can find a 1991 35 for $120,000 or so and that’s what it cost brand-new. It’s one of the reasons we’ve gotten two Best Value awards from Cruising World because when you go to resell it’s going to sell for about what you paid for it. We also have a three-year warranty; no one else does. The cost of ownership, especially in that three-year period, is probably as low as anything out there. You can’t buy a new Island Packet for under $250,000-$300,000, and there’s a lot of good used ones out there more reasonably priced. But keep in mind, if you’re going to do anything more than just run around the bay in it you need to know that boat’s history and inventory it carefully. A 10-year-old boat is probably going to need some work on the engine, sails, rigging, the electronics, it will need extensive refitting for cruising. You aren’t going to be able to match the retailer’s ability to purchase materials and parts, and it’s going to cost you time and money. In the long run, it may wind up cheaper to just invest the money in a new boat, get that peace of mind and warranty and when you’re done sell it and get part or all of your money back. It’s like buying a house, it’s a good investment because you can enjoy it everyday, as long as you’re not house-poor and can’t afford a pair of socks. So a used boat may end up costing more than you think. We’re in the new boat business, I had to put that pitch in there.

Island Packet 35 interior

If you really want to understand something as complex and multifaceted as our company, you really need to talk to Island Packet owners. There’s an Internet chat room. It’s been a very positive thing for us because our owners are so supportive and enthusiastic. We sell more boats through word-of-mouth than anything else we do, and we spend a lot of money on advertising and boat shows every year. Our used boats and our owners say more for us than anything we could say for ourselves. We have rendezvous where we get together, and they’re great! They’re not just polite, they genuinely enjoy their boats. It’s not a hammer-the-factory session, they’re out having fun. They’re a fabulous array of people, company presidents, corporation executives, retired schoolteachers . . . and they have a fabulous history. The boats are cruised widely, and they have a background to them that they share on these rendezvous, the newsletter, and the chat room. The British have embraced our boats . . . after 12 years of getting our foot in the door in the UK through boat shows and so on. And now we’re a household name in the marketplace there, and we’re doing very well. A declining dollar helps, but a lot of other things have gone our way as well. We have a great dealer there, and their economy is doing well. They were our largest dealer in 2004.

GOB:  A final question, one I hesitate to ask but which I would be remiss if I didn’t. It’s my understanding that you were involved in a legal controversy with Cruising World concerning some reviews of one of your boats. Could you elaborate on this?

Island Packet 611

RKJ: That’s ancient history now and has long since been resolved. That had to do with a disparaging remark by a Boat of the Year judge about our stability, an unqualified and incorrect assessment, a broad brush, “I think this boat may not be suitable . . .” comment. I paraphrase, of course, that’s not exactly what he said. It was so unfounded and misinformed, I sued them. I’ve got my entire blood, soul, and financial future wrapped up in this business. You can’t make incorrect, flip comments like that without consequences. I thought long and hard about that because I was good friends with the editors in those days, Bernadette Bernon and Patience Wales of Sail magazine, (both retired now) and still am, but I took the magazine to task, and we resolved the issue and I made my point. It’s been a long-term campaign of mine that the magazines be more technically competent, more sensitive to the power of the printed word, and more communicative with the boat building industry, not a self-appointed boat police. I’ve written the magazines as many letters about reviews of other companies’ boats as I have about ours. It’s almost as if the sailing press has a mission to find critical comments to validate some of their reviews. There seems to be an adversarial position often taken in boat reviews. I think they’ve improved a lot now, but I still am a bit of an activist in this area. I returned one Boat of the Year award that we won because the review was so unflattering, and we had won! It’s strange, in powerboat magazines it’s all flowers and candy; you read sailing magazines and they question your competence.

GOB:  Bob, we’ve been talking for two hours now and I’ve collected an enormous amount of material, and I know you have other commitments. I would like to thank you very much for your hospitality and your time.

RKJ: It’s been a pleasure, Henry.

Island Packet Yachts  1979 Wild Acres Road Largo, FL 33771 727-535-6431 [email protected]

IP Home Port Devoted to Island Packet owners and owner wannabes

About The Author

Henry Cordova

is a geographer/cartographer who has been a sailor of the military persuasion (U.S. Naval Reserve on the USS Dewey) and of the recreational variety (a San Francisco Pelican and a MacGregor 22) for most of his life.

Related Posts

Penelope Down East: Cruising Adventures In An Engineless Catboat Along The World’s Most Beautiful Coast

June 1, 2016

Navigating the Edge: Book Review

February 1, 2004

Fastnet, Force 10: Book Review

November 1, 2000

Fair Wind and Plenty of It: Book Review

August 1, 2005

Current Edition

Join Our Mailing List

Get the best sailing news, boat project how-tos and more delivered to your inbox.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Uncompromised Design

Each aspect of every Island Packet has been carefully designed and built to maximize the safety and pleasure of the cruising lifestyle. Exclusive design features, proprietary materials technologies, unmatched resale values, and award winning customer service, all combine to make Island Packet Yachts the benchmark for cruising yachts.

safety features

Distinctively Yours

Today, we are adding an increased focus on innovation and customization to take Island Packet Yachts forward into The Next Generation. We want to build YOUR Island Packet Yacht!

customization options

A Legend. REINVENTED!

Island Packet Yachts have long been known for their excellence and value.  Under new ownership since January 2017, our commitment to these standards has only increased, as evidenced by Island Packet Yachts’ winning of Cruising World Magazine’s 2019 Boat of the Year Award for our 349 model, and 2021 Boat of the Year Award for our 439 model!

the next generation

Our Legacy And Yours

Island Packet Yachts has created benchmark standards and built over 2,500 yachts. Our owners are part of a group of enthusiastic sailors, who are proud to be part of the Island Packet family.

island packet yachts’ legacy

Performance Results

Choosing the right sailing yacht for offshore cruising is exciting. While Island Packet is not a racing yacht  per se , we’re honored to be counted among the competition’s best.

performance results

Awards & Recognitions

We love awards and accolades! They bring pride and joy to our team of design and engineering experts. However, our number one goal is a happy customer. A customer who is always safe, comfortable, and enduring!

awards & recognitions

Couple Who Set Sail In Self-Built Eco-Friendly Yacht Found Dead In Lifeboat

Brett clibbery and sarah packwood embarked across the atlantic ocean, sailing from halifax to the azores in their self-built, eco-friendly yacht, theros..

The couple had left Halifax Harbour on June 11 aboard their yacht. (File)

A British-Canadian couple, who set sail across the Atlantic Ocean roughly six weeks ago, were found dead in a lifeboat off the coast of Canada. The bodies of Brett Clibbery and Sarah Packwood were discovered after their raft washed ashore on Sable Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia, reported the  NY Post .

The pair had embarked on an ambitious journey across the Atlantic Ocean, sailing from Halifax to the Azores in their self-built, eco-friendly yacht, Theros. The 42-foot vessel, powered solely by electric, wind, and solar energy, was intended to demonstrate the feasibility of sustainable travel. The couple had been posting about the construction of Theros on their YouTube channel, "Theros Adventures," and this voyage was to be their inaugural fully "green" journey.

They left Halifax Harbour on June 11 aboard their yacht bound for the Azores region of Portugal. They were reported missing on June 18 and found three weeks later on July 10.

While initially reported to be from British Columbia, it is believed that Ms Packwood was from the UK and Mr Clibbery was from Canada. Formal identification is still pending.

The cause of death is not yet known. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are investigating the incident. 

Their sailboat, Theros, was severely damaged, and investigators suspected that it was struck by a larger vessel.

The area they were sailing in is notoriously known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic" due to the large number of shipwrecks that occurred there. The exact circumstances of the incident are still unknown, but investigators are exploring several theories.

One leading theory is that Theros was hit by a bulk carrier, which may have caused significant damage to the sailboat. Investigators have inspected a carrier ship, which was in the same area as Theros at the time of the incident, but they have not released their findings, as per the Saltwire .

Promoted Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com

The crew of the carrier ship reported that they did not notice any damage or collision, the Mirror  reported. Some veteran sailors have suggested the homemade additions to Theros may have contributed to the tragedy, particularly the excessive weight of batteries and solar panels, which may have destabilised the boat.

Brett Clibbery and Sarah Packwood met by chance in 2015 at a bus stop in London. At the time, Ms Packwood was preparing to donate a kidney to her sister, while Mr Clibbery was visiting from Canada. This chance encounter led to them eventually falling in love and getting married on their yacht, Theros, in 2016.

Track Budget 2023 and get Latest News Live on NDTV.com.

Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world .

India Elections | Read Latest News on Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Live on NDTV.com . Get Election Schedule , information on candidates, in-depth ground reports and more - #ElectionsWithNDTV

Watch Live News:

Sail Portsmouth tall ships festival 2024: What to know before you go

PORTSMOUTH — The countdown is on for the 2024 Sail Portsmouth tall ships festival , which will kick off with the Parade of Sail on Friday morning, July 26.

The Coast Guard Cutter Eagle is the star of this year’s festival, which will also feature the two-masted schooner Ernestina-Morrissey and the three-masted schooner Denis Sullivan.

The all-volunteer nonprofit Sail Portsmouth presents the annual tall ships festival.

“The festival’s planning process has gone really well. Because of the dedication and effort of so many, every detail is in order,” said Robin Comstock, a member of the Sail Portsmouth board of directors. “All of our approximately 120 volunteers have extraordinary experience they bring to the festival. They care deeply about our community and simply have a passion and a deep appreciation for our maritime history, and what our community will be in the future because of our connection to the sea.”

Sail Portsmouth works closely each year with the New Hampshire Port Authority to stage the festival and determine the timing of the Parade of Sail according to the tides.

“Hats off with gratitude to the staff of the Port, who are exceptional at all that they do, while being tremendously supportive of this event.” Comstock added.

Here’s what you need to know about the 2024 Sail Portsmouth festival:

When will the tall ships arrive?

The Parade of Sail on Friday, July 26 kicks off the festival. The three tall ships will begin their sail up the Piscataqua River at about 10:30 a.m. on Friday and are expected to arrive in the downtown Portsmouth area at about 11:15 a.m. Portsmouth’s own tall ship, the Gundalow Portsmouth, will accompany them as will a flotilla of civilian and commercial fishing boats, recreational boaters, municipal fire boats and military craft. All local boaters are invited to join in the Parade of Sail and encouraged to gather early at the mouth of the river to participate.

In past years, some of the ships have arrived the day before the Parade of Sail. The Ernestina-Morrissey will be offering two-hour sails to the public this Thursday, July 25, from the University of New Hampshire pier in New Castle so you may see that schooner as early as Wednesday and definitely on Thursday from shore. The Eagle may be docked off the coast and may be able to be seen from the shorelines of New Castle and Rye on Thursday and most likely will be on Friday morning. On past visits, it arrived the day before the festival and was easy to see from New Castle Common and Odiorne Point.

Where can I watch the Parade of Sail?

The Parade of Sail will begin at the mouth of the Piscataqua River and proceed up the river into Portsmouth Harbor and will be visible anywhere along the banks of the river. Ships will begin to gather at 9 a.m. and the whole procession should wrap up by 11:30 a.m. Good places to watch from are New Castle's Great Island Common, Fort McClary State Park in Kittery, Prescott Park of Portsmouth, the decks of restaurants along Bow Street and on Ceres Street in Portsmouth, along the shore of Badger’s Island in Kittery, and on either side of the Memorial Bridge in Portsmouth and Kittery.

Where will the tall ships be during the festival?

The Parade of Sail will end at the Memorial Bridge between Portsmouth and Kittery. The Eagle will go under the Memorial Bridge and sail to its berth at the Port of New Hampshire. The Ernestina-Morrissey and the Denis Sullivan will turn around at the bridge and head to their berths at the University of New Hampshire pier in New Castle. The Denis Sullivan will leave on Saturday for its one-way sail to Boston.

Can I sail on a tall ship?

You can buy a ticket to sail on a tall ship. Tickets are still available for the two-hour sails on the Ernestina-Morrissey from Thursday through Sunday. The rides on the Ernestina-Morrissey and the M/V Shining Star in the Parade of Sail are all sold out so you’ll have to find a ride with one of the recreational or commercial boaters that will be participating in it. The one-way, one-day sail to Boston on the Denis Sullivan is also sold out. Those interested in the two-hour sails must purchase tickets online in advance at sailportsmouth.org .

Can I tour a tall ship?

The public will be able to tour the Eagle during the festival. The Eagle will be open for free tours from 2 to 4 p.m. on Friday, July 26, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, July 27-28. Be prepared to wait in line as crowds are expected. The Eagle will be berthed at the Port of Portsmouth’s Market Street Terminal, 555 Market St. A dockside Maritime Tent will also be located at the Market Street Terminal during the tours. There’ll be exhibitor and educational booths, live music, a DJ and other entertainment, food for purchase, and you may even meet a pirate or two among other historical re-enactors.

Where can I park for tall ship tours in Portsmouth?

Parking in Portsmouth's Foundry Place or High-Hanover parking garages is strongly recommended. Parking is on a first-come, first-served basis and regular rates apply.

There will be three 20-passenger shuttle vans transporting festival-goers from those garages on a route to the berth where the Eagle will be located every 20 minutes on Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. To see the route the shuttles will take, visit portsnh.co/sailshuttle24 .

The shuttles will drop off and pick up visitors at the Granite State Minerals entrance on Market Street, which is a short walk away from where the Eagle will be located.

There will not be shuttles available during the two hours the Eagle is open for tours on Friday from 2 to 4 p.m.

“Shuttle Stop” signs will designate where the shuttle will pick up visitors.

At mid-day, each shuttle driver will take a staggered 30-minute lunch break, so the 20-minute schedule will get a little extended during that time.

Where will ADA accessible parking be available?

There is limited ADA-accessible parking at the Market Street Terminal where the Eagle will be berthed. If you have a tag that indicates you require ADA-accessible parking, present it at the security gate and they will know if any spaces are available at that time.

Both the Foundry Place and High-Hanover garages have ADA-accessible parking at regular paid rates. It is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

One of the three shuttle vans will be ADA-accessible. Visitors who require the ADA-accessible van can let any of the shuttle drivers know, and they will do their best to accommodate them as soon as possible.

What is the history of the tall ships coming to Portsmouth?

The Coast Guard Cutter Eagle is a 295-foot, three-masted barque used as a training vessel for future officers of the Coast Guard. Known as “America’s Tall Ship,” the Eagle is the largest tall ship flying under the American flag and the only active square-rigger in U.S. government service. It has 23 sails, and its tallest mast is 150 feet high. It has six miles of rigging. It requires a working crew of 55 and can carry 239 people. It was built at the Blohm+Voss Shipyard in Hamburg, Germany in 1936, and commissioned as Horst Wessel. It was one of three sail-training ships operated by the German navy before World War II. At the close of the war, the U.S. took possession of the ship as a war and recommissioned it as the Eagle, which has been home-ported in New London, Connecticut ever since. Its primary mission is training cadets and officer candidates, but it also performs a public relations role for the Coast Guard and America. It welcomes public visits during domestic port calls, and makes calls at foreign ports as a floating goodwill ambassador.

The Denis Sullivan is a replica three-masted, wooden, gaff rigged schooner originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She was built in 2000 as a sail training classroom and was a flagship of both the state of Wisconsin and of the United Nations Environment Programme until she was sold to the World Ocean School and moved to Boston in late 2022. The Denis Sullivan is not a replica of a single ship, but was inspired by the design of the Great Lakes cargo schooners of the 19th century.

Ernestina-Morrissey: The schooner Ernestina-Morrissey was built in 1894 at the James and Tarr Shipyard for the Gloucester, Massachusetts fishing fleet. It first served as a Gloucester Grand Banks fishing vessel, then as an Arctic explorer sailing to within 600 miles of the North Pole, and as a World War II survey and supply vessel. Between 1946 and 1965, she served as the last of Cabo Verde’s transatlantic packet ships, bringing immigrants to the U.S. The Republic of Cabo Verde gave the ship back to the United States as a gift in 1982, and she became a maritime education and ambassador. The Ernestina-Morrissey recently underwent a full restoration at the Boothbay Harbor/ Bristol Marine Shipyard in Maine.

Portsmouth summer 2024: Guide to festivals, music, shows, history, food, more

Where can I get more information?

You can visit sailportsmouth.org , email [email protected] or call 603-688-7437.