Island Packet 31 upwind performance (or lack of)

[Laskadog]

Hello,

My question is specifically to those who have sailed an IP31. I'm looking to buy one, but my biggest issue is the reported lousy upwind performance. Everyone says it doesn't sail well to weather, but I can't seem to find specific numbers. Can anyone who's owned or sailed one tell me just what we are talking about? 45 degrees off the wind? 50, 60!?!

Thanks,

[Boatguy30]

Sailed things like Cape Dory 30s, etc. Probably about 55 deg true wind angle. VMG maybe 2.5 knots or so. Good sails might help some. Anyone with an Island packet (or most other cruising boats) just motors if it's upwind

[Laskadog]

Thanks Boatguy,

I've read some full keel boats pointing as high as 45 degrees, but I know the shape of the hull of the IP31's and its wide beam forward doesn't help. That's why I'm curious to hear from people who've sailed IP31.

[a64pilot]

30 deg indicated or relative wind is about my 38’s limit, you may can squeeze higher but your VMG drops to the point to where your doing it just because you can, not because your really making way. I don’t know what true is, and honestly don’t understand why true is relevant, the boat only knows relative wind.
I could point higher with a 110 Genoa than my 135, reason is the larger sail will chafe against my spreaders if I bring it in tight, where the 110 was ahead of the spreader.

IP’s are not great to windward, but at least my 38 is a lot better than many, and of course worse than some.

If sailing performance is your primary consideration an Island Packet is not the boat for you, but then a smaller boat isn’t either.

[Laskadog]

Thanks a64pilot,

Indeed we are looking for a cruising boat, not looking a performance boat. Otherwise a full keel boat wouldn't even be on our short list. That being said, your 38 seems to de even better than our fin keel'd boat. I don't think the 31 can do quite that good, but somewhere around 45 would be nice.

[a64pilot]

There are a couple of considerations. I believe first you have a retractable keel?
I’d get ahold of Frankly, he has I think a retractable keel 32/

But in truth when we are hard on the wind, I’ll almost always crank the motor and bump it to 1000 RPM, this will usually take our speed from four kts or so to over seven, but it takes an Autoprop to do it as the Autoprop will increase pitch until the load is the same regardless of speed. Motor is nice and quiet at the high idle, it’s charging the batteries, heating water, and we make ice whenever anything is running as there is power to spare. Fuel burn is less than a half gallon an hour. So I’m not really sailing, so what?
But we place build quality, safety and comfort over speed, not all do.

My Avatar was taken years ago by a friend in a Lagoon 380, we were both running back and forth in the bay at Panama City, one leg upwind the other downwind of course. He was faster on downwind, but I was so much faster upwind that we were pulling ahead at each upwind leg.
So while I can say that many boats are faster upwind than me, but I’m significantly faster than a Lagoon 380, but I don’t hear many Lagoon owners worrying about upwind performance, I assume other things out prioritize it.

[gonesail]

the 31 carries a lot of beam towards the bow and is a sluggish sailboat. IP came out with the 32 and 35 that were much better performers.

[thomm225]

If you are worrying about pointing at all forget about buying a boat like an IP 31 with it's long but short keel.

I'm thinking it might point 50 degrees off the wind maybe.

If you want to point, get a fin keel boat with maybe a 6' draft or more, long water line, and good PHRF.

The first leg of most sailboat races is upwind so pointing is very important.

A C&C 35 for example will be around 114 -121 or so whereas an Ip31 will be close to 200

A racing boat like the Evelyn 32-2 PHRF 96.

Even the IP 35 is only rated at 186

http://www.phrfne.org/page/handicapping/base_handicaps

Example:

https://www.boats.com/sailing-boats/...-c-36-7080203/

[Frankly]

My 32 sails comfortably at 45 degrees apparent in 10 to 15 knots. At that angle the side slip is about 10 degrees with the board up and 5 degrees with the board down. As mentioned the 32 and 35 have a finer front end than the 31 and the shape of the keel is more foil shape. I am a happy cruiser/ sailor. YMMV.


Frankly

[Laskadog]

Originally Posted by Frankly

My 32 sails comfortably at 45 degrees apparent in 10 to 15 knots. At that angle the side slip is about 10 degrees with the board up and 5 degrees with the board down. As mentioned the 32 and 35 have a finer front end than the 31 and the shape of the keel is more foil shape. I am a happy cruiser/ sailor. YMMV.


Frankly

Thanks for the numbers, I'll know what to expect a little better.

[Lowcountry]

I had an IP35 for six years and loved a lot of things about it. It would tack through 100 degrees or so. You might be able to pinch a bit higher than 50 degrees but I wouldn't count on it.