Island Packet Closing doors

[Island Time O25]

Originally Posted by rosatte

They are nice boats but who could afford to buy a new one..only a few can

This is actually an existential problem of the whole marine industry - they price themselves out of the average Joe's ability to buy new. With valid reasons for sure but still a problem. It's sort of chicken or the egg question. The volume is not there but could be there if the price is right. But to have the right price would require a greater volume. Henry Ford solved this 100 years ago for the then fledgling automotive market. If he only applied his brain to the marine market as well.

PS Before Ford the automobile in the eyes of the general public was as little useful and as non-essential as a boat is today and just as expensive. Nor was there any significant infrastructure to support tens of millions or even just millions of newly made vehicles. A house in an average neighborhood was 3-4 times cheaper that a custom made car in pre Model T time. He made it only 1/2 to 1/3 as expensive as a house.

[MikePz]

I imagine you haven neger owned one, or been on one for an extended period of time enjoying the comfort!

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by MikePz

True. I have a 1984 IP 31 with a CB. Best boat I have had so far. I like the quality and the toughness of my little boat.

After moving to the dark side we are seriously thinking about going back to a cruising sailboat & the IP 31 centerboard is on our short list. A lot of boat for the draft.

[Symphony]

from the IP Owners Facebook
There is a lot of chatter on all sailing forums and facebook group about the current situation with the Island Packet Yachts Factory. People are posting many items, notices and various hearsay facts. Everyone is under a full non-disclosure contract and we are not allowed to post or share any information. News will be forthcoming in March, ASAP.

WE ALL need to wait until Bill Bolin, Bob Johnson or any Factory representative releases the OFFICIAL news. So, until then, we need to just wait.

[Zeb]

Speculation will always run rampant when:

1. A notice is circulated of eviction
2. Your phone numbers all seem to no longer be in service

What would you expect folks to think?

- Zeb

[nortonscove]

Let's call it what it is...glorified motor sailer. No longer the preferred style. People see what is possible and it crushes old school.

[TacomaSailor]

A friend was a salesman for an IP brokerage and a long distance cruiser in a 42' Island Packet. He had serious experience as both a salesman and cruiser.

Several years ago we spent a week on his boat cruising about SoCal and Mexico and talked a lot about the future of Island Packet. He was disturbed and distressed that the IP management and marketing folks were so far out of touch with the modern market and cruising community. He felt that IP owner/managers were ignoring the hard won advice of folks like him who spent 40-hours a week trying to sell the beautiful, but old and slow, antiquated IP boats.

He was most disturbed that the IP response was the BlueJacket line of boats. He felt that boat was the death knell of the company and an terrible demonstration of how mis-informed IP was about the modern cruiser / high end boater buyer.

Recently he moved on to another line of boats but still owns a big and beautiful IP.

[Tia Bu]

I suspect the huge reduction in sales of sailboats versus a generation or two ago may be in part due to changes in our economy.

In the 1970's and 1980's, there was a sizeable middle class in this country. I saw a news segment on television this week that said 2/3's of American families nowadays don't have more than $500 savings to their name. If the car breaks down or someone gets sick, it's a financial crisis.

When you go to a boat show these days, you see boats are mostly being built for the 1%. Really, it seems to me, for a small subset of the 1%. There are some mighty fancy and expensive new craft there.

Thank goodness for old boats! The waterways would be getting pretty lonely without them.

[minaret]

Sad if they close their doors, every one I've ground into has been a very well built boat. But I won't be sad if I have to match that color less often, their stock gel color is awful and a real pain to match. I heard they designed it to reduce sea sickness. It makes me feel sick at the dock!

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Island Time O25

My own anecdotal evidence as to possibly why IP had to shut down is as follows.

Several years back I was at a boat show with my naval architect/boat builder buddy. He comes from the old country so his view of what to expect form "higher end" product" or what constitutes a higher end product is a bit different I guess.

After spending about 1/2 hour on IP38 (which according to me telling him was probably the top manufacturer represented at that boat show) and going into nooks and crannies (he does that first as it gives him a better sense of the builder than any shiny piece of furniture or hardware) he pronounced the boat "overpriced" for the quality of workmanship she exhibited in these rarely accessed places. His comment was that for $500K he would not want to be afraid of cutting his skin if he stroked the underbelly next to the locker lid or some such. It was an eye opener for me as I remember working in the cockpit underbelly of my 35 year old boat and not in one place was I afraid to be cut by sharp leftover fiberglass fibers or strands.

I don't know if this was a result of a company desperately trying to cut costs while clinging to an image of a "well built boat" or just issues with the workforce or QA department missing to check up on these things. But to send your flagship model to a boat show in such a state my friend found unacceptable at that price level. Or even if the boat was "only" $200K.

Yeah, sharpies inside closed spaces is very common... certainly not limited to IP. But it shouldn't be.

[clockwork orange]

Originally Posted by Delancey

Ah yes, Packet Cat! Lovely, lovely....

What an joke.

[clockwork orange]

Ive never been impressed with their sailboat designs but we have a customer with one of their down east style powerboats, I would never have guessed it was from IP, the thing is gorgeous, I wonder who the designer was, it looks like they kept the in house designers well away from that one thankfully.

Steve.

[exMaggieDrum]

This type of comment is truly a personal preference type of thing. I have always hated the IP hull/house color. IMO it was just awful and was the main reason I never really warmed up to them. Other than that, the ones I always saw were very well built and seaworthy. I thought the boat was usually more capable than many of the owners/skippers but I don't ever remember any skippers I thought shouldn't be out far from shore or near shore. I never met an IP owner I didn't like which is more than I can say about some of the more modern designs. I'm not sure why that is, just an odd observation. I'm sorry to hear they may have stopped and hope they recover under a reorg.

My thoughts on the tri: My initial reaction to catamarans was how ugly they were compared to sleek multihulls. I've come around to liking them (I have an older mono) and would consider owning one if I didn't have to rent a slip to keep one and could afford a decent one. IMO the tri is no less attractive then cats are. It seems to me it's one more case of personal opinion based on many things. It looks like there could be some definite advantages to a tri. I'm sure there are disadvantages to of some sort.

Just two, personal, cents FWIW

[boeing1]

Yes sorry to see IPY go. I have worked and sailed on several including their cat, always thought they were well built and did not see that they cut any corners.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by TacomaSailor

He felt that IP owner/managers were ignoring the hard won advice of folks like him who spent 40-hours a week trying to sell the beautiful, but old and slow, antiquated IP boats.

Its so tough as people get older they find it hard to accept modernity. We see it on this forum so much.
'Generational change' means waiting for people to die off... in business that means finally failing.

It is sad when it happens to an old respected company. The owners would have been hoping for a nice, comfortable, retirement but bankruptcy destroys that.

I hope the employees are able to get their entitlements.