Island Packet Blue Jacket 40

[neilpride]

I hope IP redesign the chainplates setup in this new model , no doubt about the quality of construction, Ip`s have a good reputation in hulls and decks.
More pics.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by neilpride

More pics.

Photographs or renderings?

b.

[neilpride]

I believe this is real pics, but not sure, stolen from other forum, looks like real.

[barnakiel]

I believe they are renderings:

- the crew wear no pfds (legal in the US?),
- the sails look absolutely smooth, the slight crease on the main is in always the same place and the sails are always trimmed at the same angle,
- the hatches/washboards are always shut tight even though there are people onboard,
- the older crew are not steering, can't see any AP control,
- where the sails are furled in there is not a slightest amt of main visible outside of the mast,
- no visible sheet from hoyt's to the reefed jib,
- the genoa sheet is led on the wrong side of the jib when sailing,
- port side hull windows do not match stbd side windows.

Look rendernings to me allright.

b.

[BoatShowAvenue]

This is one amazing boat! It perfectly combines, performace, luxury and quality. it is perfect for vacations or overnight getaways!

[letsgetsailing3]

That boat looks awesome to me.

I like the performance cruisers. Now, if only I had the means...

[cpa]

I think it is a pretty cool looking boat. Being that I am real close to IP's facility. I have seen them on a couple occasions. I have never been aboard one. I am also curious about the boat's PHRF rating. If I do get an opportunity to check one out I will.

I am not a big fan of the designs that some of the major builders are putting out nowadays. This boat seems a little more conservative in appearance. I don't know if it will be profitable for them, but as far as my tastes go it is a step in the right direction. If I had to buy a new 40 footer, I would give it a look.

[ChamJam]

This boat was featured at the 2014 Toronto boat show. In my opinion, it was the nicest sailboat on display at the show. The layout, the finish, the overall looks, were great. All for a price tag of around 425k! It looks like a great cruiser that can get up and go!


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[frozenhawaiian]

interesting, looks like the lovechild of a beneteau and an island packet. built by island packet so I'm sure the build quality is excellent. it's not exclusive to this boat but coming from primarily a racing background I find it interesting that twin wheels, which have long been a staple on many racing boats are coming standard fare on a lot of cruising boats

[1234 Thunder]

Larsen Marine in Waukegan, IL has one on display that I saw today. It is a very, very good looking boat. It really stands out from the Jeanneaus lined up next to it. The boot stripe is so shiny that you can recognize a face in its reflection. It is a very deep rich blue color. The interior is striking with a beautiful wood finish and quality construction.

The no slip deck is molded into the deck and kind of feels like a thin rubber mat. I'm new to sailing these types of boats. With that said, I have not seen a deck like this. Struck me as highly desirable but i need to learn more.

On sale for $379,000. Looking for a partner with $350,000 to spend. (I am very good company!)

[Peregrine1983]

Reviving an old thread here. Has anyone sailed/cruised a Blue Jacket 40? Eager to hear about light air performance and any other cruising feedback. Boat seems like a fantastic combination of design attributes that I like.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Paul L

So for IP this works to keep the factory full? And doesn't dilute the brand?

Island Packet, isn’t Island Packet anymore, they have new owners, what that means I won’t even guess, hopefully good things, I have called them and they seem ready and willing to help support the ancient boats like I have, and that is often a good sign. They have not orphaned the old fleet, many times new owners with their heads in the clouds do.
My opinion was that the IP’s became too expensive to produce and went out of fashion, both at about the same time, so IP searched around to try to build something that was in current style and failed.
Production numbers kept decreasing and the fixed costs of the factory were the same or higher, but had to be spread out over fewer and fewer boats.
For the same money as an IP, you could get a lot “more” boat elsewhere, bigger and flashier, more modern and better to have parties on in a Marina slip. Much more open space and not that old fashioned dark wood interior.

What people that could afford new boats wanted in a new boat changed.

The Blue Jacket exists, I’ve seen one, but as it was over my budget it was just a curious glance, it’s been in existence for about 15 yrs now?
You can even find one or two for sale, but I don’t think many at all were built, so they are sort of a unicorn.

If I had to guess, I’d guess that the Blue Jacket is likely a good performance design, but it’s an IP, and that to some extent means heavy, an IP interior is much, much heavier than a modern IKEA plastic interior, thick solid wood interiors are heavy, as are the hulls, solid glass hulls are heavy.

I don’t know about the chainplate design on the new boats and changing design isn’t a trivial exercise for a small boat builder strapped for cash flow. Speaking to that, there is nothing wrong with the chainplate design on an IP, other than corrosion I have never heard of a failure, if they just made a change to Titanium as opposed to SS, the “problem” would be solved, without a redesign.
If it were an aircraft getting the FAA to buy off on a materials substitution would be a no brainer, zero corrosion issues, much greater resistance to fatigue and about a 300% increase in static strength.

[Peregrine1983]

I think it's only been available since about 2013. The numbers say the Blue Jacket should be a great light wind and upwind performer - even with that heavy island packet interior.


From Practical Sailor's review - "When comparing the IP40 and the BJ40, nowhere do the numbers have more to say than in the comparison of displacement and mast height. The former’s 22,800 pounds and 53-foot mast versus the latter’s 17,900 pounds (deep keel) and 62-foot mast define a huge increase in light-air performance under sail. This nearly 9-foot increase in mast height and the shedding of almost 5,000 pounds redefine sailplan options."


From designer Tim Jackett -

"The Blue Jacket sports an upwind sail area- displacement ratio (SA/D) of 20. With the working jib furled and the 150% reacher set, this increases to 21.8. Not long ago this kind of horsepower was reserved only for a well-crewed race boat..."

Seems to me like it should have great performance with high quality construction and an IP level interior.



I love the step-thru transom, self tacking jib, big solent rig, shoal draft option, no-balsa construction, good cruising fuel and water tankage, big cockpit, nice Harken gear... Also I just think it's a really pretty boat both inside and out.



Wish it had a Pullman berth or one large aft berth as an option.


Regarding IP's success as a firm - I won't even begin to speculate how building high quality boats can be a consistently profitable enterprise these days, but that's great news that they've been responsive to requests for support from older IP model owners.

[Orion Jim]

The carbon fiber rudder shaft should be carefully inspected before an offshore passage is undertaken. I took this photo in Bermuda in 2018.

[Peregrine1983]

Thanks Jim. I saw this photo I believe that you posted on another thread here. I also read the write up done by the owner about how they dealt with it (https://bermudarace.com/jury-rigged-...es-to-bermuda/)

Does anyone know if this resulted in rudder design modification by the manufacturer?