Island Trader 36

[melbee]

Does anyone know anything about this boat? The particular one is question is a 1983, currently sitting in freshwater with a price tag of $75K.

Any info would be greatly appreciated!

Mel

[Chuck Baier]

melbee, With this boat, a good knowledgeable surveyor is a must. They can be very problematic (read expensive to fix) if they have not been properly maintained and kept up. The typical plywood fiberglass construction of these vessels are prone to a plethora of issues. On the other hand they are overbuilt hulls that are roomy and comfortable live-aboards. They don't sail well in light air so usually have oversized engines. You have to decide if this boat will fit your needs and then look for a professional to sort out all the details before purchase. Hope this helps some. Chuck

[Pblais]

Unless it is in totally bristol condition with lots of extras it's priced on the high side of high. These boats never were speedy. For this money you should be able to get a boat in this size range that is in very nice condition and performs well. Go to yachtworld.com and just plug in used sail boats for $75K at 36 ft and you should see a nice long list. Get a feel for the market. read a lot of the adds and look at the pictures. It's a nice place to just look when it's cold outside.

As always get a surveyor before you fall in love.

FWIW, After 28 years I left MN last year for the Chesapeake.

[Jeff H]

I have no idea what drew you to an Island Trader but there are hundreds of wonderful boats out there that you can buy for $75K. The Island Trader 37/38 (I don't believe that Island Trader actually built a 36) isn't one of those.

In a general sense the building quality of the Island Trader line was notorious. It was boats like the Island Traders that were the poster children for poor oriental construction. My Mother was an importer of boats from Taiwan with her own lines of boats, and when the builders of better quality oriental boats would sit around and talk, they would complain about how boats like the Island Traders, Mariners, Ct's, and Formosas, were ruining the reputation of oriental boats for all of them.

The Island Trader glass work, while fairly heavy, was slap dash, using poor materials, poorly handled. Their teak decks were notorious leakers and the plywood cored decks below were condemned to failure by the sloppy workmanship and thousands of fasteners into the vulnerable plywood. (Fresh water is not a good thing for a boat like this as fresh water is more likely to promote rot in the plywood subdecks than saltwater which carries iodine). Their heavy use of teak resulted in very high vertical centers of gravity which is a very bad thing with regards to motion comfort, stability, and seaworthiness.

The poor metalurgy of their knockoff hardware, and poor choice of materials and methods of their electical work is legendary.

Sailing ability wise these are neither good light air nor good heavy air boats. Their high wetted surface and inefficient sail plans make them useless as sailboats in winds under 10- 12 knots. Their low ballast ratios, slack bilges, and large weights aloft make them poor heavy weather boats. These boats are notorious rollers. While their roll rates may be slow, such large roll angles could never be considered comfortable in any objective way.

These boats were intended as romantic, cheap, teak exhibition halls. If you are looking for a dockside live aboard these might make reasonable, albeit excesively high maintenance choice. But if you are looking for a boat that you intend to sail or to go voyaging on, then you really should keep looking.

Respectfully,
Jeff

[sy Dolce Vita]

Jeff:
It's to bad you put Formosa in that class.We own one and it's construction and sailing abilities are contrary to your statements. Maybe it's the exception. our fit and finnish surpase that of a J-boat or others of that class. While not a lite vessel (84000# 28000# ballast) she sails well in light air and does not roll in snotty following seas as some have reported. I have to admit that she does not point well.( a funtion of a ketch rig and full keel)but her dry ride when it gets crappy and straight track make her a joyful OFFSHORE CRUISER. Having a Swan 47 in the past, I can honestly say Dolce Vita is our last boat as she fills our expextations and then some. ie No leaks or rotton core, and a glass to resin ratio of 50/50 tested by burnouts of thruhull cores.
Before I got sidetraked , my point is "Go cruizin now ,no mater what the boat or equipment.If you have to wait untill you have just the right boat with all the bells and whistles, you"ll be to old to enjoy the experiance.
Michael

[tjrahaim]

i understand your love for the island trader- i too fell for it's charm and warmth. i had found a number that were in excellent condition for around 45.000 but because of the teak deck attachment method the back of my mind was always screaming the word "YET" whenever i looked and found one that was not leaking thru the deck- also check the wood post used for anchor securment(bull pulpit?). I have found these to be questionable- I helped change one out last year and it was a bear but doable.-

all that has been said is true about it being heavy and needing fair wind to travel but we did cruse from west end bahamas thru Jupiter inlet in 6 -10 foot following seas and it was one of the best night sails i ever had.

there is an island trader web site and one gentelman there is rebulding one and will talk to you on the phone- he is incredably knowledgeable on the boat's inner secrets- well worth the phone call